''Rhododendron lapponicum'', the Lapland rosebay, is a dwarf

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

found in

subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of hemiboreal regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Fennoscandia, Northwestern Russia, Siberia, and the Cair ...

regions of North America, Europe and Asia, where it grows at

altitudes Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometry, geographical s ...

ranging from sea level to . It is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

prostrate shrub A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ground, rather than being held erect as are the branches of most trees and shrubs. Background Prostration may occur because the supporting tissues in ste ...

growing to in height, with leaves that are oblong-elliptic or ovate-elliptic to oblong-

obovate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

, 0.4–1.5 by 0.2–0.5 cm in size. The flowers are reddish or purple. Despite numerous attempts, this dwarf species has proved difficult to cultivate, possibly because it requires very cool, moist conditions and snow cover for part of the year.

References

* "''Rhododendron lapponicum''", (Linnaeus) Wahlenberg, ''Fl. Lapp.'' 104. 1812.
The Plant List

Flora of China

Hirsutum.com
lapponicum Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Greenland {{Ericaceae-stub