Tree rhododendron

In spring Himalayan slopes blaze scarlet with lali gurans – a rhododendron that in Nepal is a tree, not a shrub.

An evergreen tree growing to 12–20 m, with leathery, lance-shaped leaves with rusty or silvery hairs on the underside. From February to April round clusters of a dozen or more bell-shaped flowers open at the shoot tips – usually blood-red, but at higher altitudes also pink and white. It grows in mountain forests at about 1,200–3,600 m, often alongside oaks. The petals are made into juice and preserves, and in folk medicine they are used for stomach complaints, among other things.

Significance in the country

Lali gurans is Nepal’s national flower, and a garland of its blossoms surrounds the national coat of arms; in spring the flowering rhododendron forests on Milke Danda and around Ghorepani draw crowds of trekkers.

Where it grows

In the middle and high mountains of every part of the country at about 1,200–3,600 m; famous stands on the Milke Danda ridge in the east and around Ghorepani in the Annapurna region. It does not grow in the Terai lowlands.

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