Himachal Pradesh - Pink Rhododendron
Common Names: Tree Rhododendron (English); Chimura (Garhwal); Cherailu (Hindi); Gaggar, Nichnai (Kashmir); Chimul (Kumaon).
Scientific Name: Rhododendron campanulatum
Description: A tiny tree or shrub that can grow up to 5 m tall. Branchlets are either glabrous or glaucous, and the stems are well-branched. Simple, alternating leaves measure 6 to 15 × 2 to 12 cm, with rounded to cuneate bases, whole edges, and a sharp to apiculate tip. Pale purple, pink-tinged white, or pink to rosy purple flowers are grouped in terminal corymbose racemes. It is indigenous to India and is extensively found at elevations between 2400 and 5200 meters in the Himalayan regions, ranging from Jammu & Kashmir to Sikkim. In addition, Bhutan, China, Nepal, and Pakistan all have large distributions of it.
Uses: Leaves are used to treat sciatica, syphilis, and chronic rheumatism. They are used as snuff to treat colds and hemicrania by combining them with tobacco. Leaves are poisonous to live stocks due to the presence of a toxic substance called andromedotoxin.