Rhododendron leptothrium

{{short description|Species of plant}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Rhododendron leptothrium - Kunming Botanical Garden - DSC02831.JPG

| genus = Rhododendron

| species = leptothrium

| authority = Balf.f. & Forrest

| synonyms = Rhododendron australe Balf.f. & Forrest

| synonyms_ref = {{cite web|url= https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332756-1|title= Rhododendron leptothrium Balf.f. & Forrest|author=|date=n.d.|website=Plants of the World Online|publisher=The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|access-date= August 2, 2020}}

}}

Rhododendron leptothrium (薄叶马银花) is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is native to Myanmar and southwestern Sichuan, southeastern Xizang, and western Yunnan, China, where it grows at altitudes of {{convert|1700-3200|m|ft|abbr=on}}. This evergreen shrub or small tree grows to {{convert|3-4|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height, with leaves that are lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 4–12 by 1.8–3.5 cm in size. The flowers are pale rose to magenta-purple.

It is a fairly tender species, not tolerating freezing conditions; and therefore of limited interest for cultivation purposes in temperate climates.{{cite web | url = https://treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-leptothrium/ | title = Rhododendron leptothrium | website = Trees and Shrubs Online | publisher = International Dendrology Society | access-date = 22 April 2021}}