Rhododendron reticulatum (A)

A decidous shrub, usually up to 2.5m in cultivation, with a stiff, upright habit. Leaves are an unusual diamond shape, with short brown hairs on the lower midrib and the leaf stem, and are borne in clusters at the tips of the stems. Flowers are rosy purple, produced singly or in pairs before the leaves in mid spring. Leaves can be tinted purple when young, and turn reddish-purple in autumn