Rhododendron wattii

Rhododendron wattii is a species of plant in the family Ericaceae. It is endemic to India.

Rhododendron wattii
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Rhododendron
Species:	R. wattii
Binomial name
Rhododendron wattii Cowan

This species is highly questionable. It is not in cultivation. It is known only from a single drawing by Sir George Watt, made when he collected it on '“Ching Sow” in “Manipur” at 9,000 ft. in 1882.' The mountain has not been identified since under this name. At least one recent expedition to the area searching for this plant has failed to find it, even though the area is still largely unexploited . Seed collected at the time of the original sighting failed to produce plants of the same description, suggesting that this species was either a small local population or a single specimen of hybrid origin between R. macabeanum and R. arboreum.

Sources

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). "Rhododendron wattii". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 1998: e.T33595A9789903. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T33595A9789903.en. Retrieved 16 December 2017.