taxonID	type	description	language	source
13369960870B534583A56540EBDEEDD2.taxon	description	Figs 1, 2, 3, 4 (A – C)	en	Hou, Ying, Huang, Yu-Song, Luo, Liu-Juan, Chen, Zheng-Ren, Mao, Xing-Xing (2026): Rhododendron mulunense (Ericaceae), a new species from the karst mountains of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, China. PhytoKeys 269: 99-112, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.269.175011
13369960870B534583A56540EBDEEDD2.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Resembles Rhododendron wumingense Fang but distinguishable by the absence of indumentum on young shoots, leaf margins, and petioles (vs. sparsely setose), longer and larger leaves (4.2 – 7.4 × 2.3 – 3.8 vs. 3.5 – 4.5 × 1.8 – 2.4 cm), relatively sparser scales on abaxial leaf surfaces (1 – 4 vs. 1 – 3 × their own diameter apart), corollas that are tubular funneled (vs. broadly funneled), longer and wider (5.9 – 7.5 × 4.7 – 7 vs. 3.1 – 4.5 × 3.3 – 4.9 cm) with slender tubes (2.9 – 3.9 × 0.5 – 1.2 vs. 1.9 – 2.5 × 1.7 – 2.4 cm), outer surface of corolla tubes white flushed with pink (vs. yellowish green) and pubescent but not scaly (vs. sparsely scaly and hairless) (Figs 1, 2, 4; Table 1).	en	Hou, Ying, Huang, Yu-Song, Luo, Liu-Juan, Chen, Zheng-Ren, Mao, Xing-Xing (2026): Rhododendron mulunense (Ericaceae), a new species from the karst mountains of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, China. PhytoKeys 269: 99-112, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.269.175011
13369960870B534583A56540EBDEEDD2.taxon	description	Description. Shrubs, 0.5 – 2 m tall; young shoots stout, short, and relatively sparse, brownish scaly, hairless. Stems robust, erect, much-branched and sparsely scaly. Leaf-bud scales acuminate, elongated at flowering time. Petioles densely scaly, hairless, 0.5 – 0.8 cm long. Leaf leathery, elliptic, oblong-lanceolate, 4.2 – 7.4 × 2.3 – 3.8 cm, apex acute or obtuse, mucronate, base tapering or narrowly cuneate, margin slightly revolute and glabrous; adaxial surface green with minute and transparent scales, somewhat shining, hairless; abaxial surface usually gray-white, densely scaly, scales one to four times their own diameter apart, pale brown or brownish-red; midrib sunk adaxially, conspicuously raised abaxially, and lateral veins sunk adaxially but not obvious abaxially. Inflorescences terminal, umbellate, 3 - flowered, sometimes 2 - or 4 - flowered; pedicel 0.5 – 1 cm long, densely scaly, hairless. Calyx 5 - lobed, lobes 0.5 – 1 × 0.5 – 0.8 mm, rounded or triangular, outside densely to moderately scaly, margins glabrous. Corolla tubular-funnelform, 5.9 – 7.5 × 4.7 – 7 cm, narrowly tubular near the middle and lower part of corolla, 5 - lobed; corolla lobes white, with yellow markings inside; corolla tubes slender, 2.9 – 3.9 × 0.5 – 1.2 cm, white flushed with pink and not scaly but pubescent outside, glabrous with yellow markings inside. Stamens 10, unequal, 3.7 – 5.6 mm long; filaments densely pubescent at the base. Ovary ovoid, 5 - locular, 0.7 – 1.2 mm long, densely scaly, hairless. Style s scaly and pubescent near the base, curved upwards, extend beyond the corollas. Capsule ovoid, 1.4 – 2.1 × 0.4 – 0.7 cm, densely scaly, hairless, calyx persistent.	en	Hou, Ying, Huang, Yu-Song, Luo, Liu-Juan, Chen, Zheng-Ren, Mao, Xing-Xing (2026): Rhododendron mulunense (Ericaceae), a new species from the karst mountains of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, China. PhytoKeys 269: 99-112, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.269.175011
13369960870B534583A56540EBDEEDD2.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The specific epithet of this newly described species refers to its type localities at Guangxi Mulun National Nature Reserve, part of the South China Karst landscape registered in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.	en	Hou, Ying, Huang, Yu-Song, Luo, Liu-Juan, Chen, Zheng-Ren, Mao, Xing-Xing (2026): Rhododendron mulunense (Ericaceae), a new species from the karst mountains of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, China. PhytoKeys 269: 99-112, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.269.175011
13369960870B534583A56540EBDEEDD2.taxon	distribution	Distribution and ecology. This new species is known from five localities to date. Three localities are fragmentally distributed in the same province, including two localities in Huanjiang County, Hechi, NW Guangxi, and one smaller locality at Molu Mountain (105 ° 52 ' E, 23 ° 23 ' N) in Napo County, Baise, SW Guangxi. The remaining two localities were distributed at Dongli (107 ° 59 ' E, 25 ° 22 ' N) in Mao-lan National Nature Reserve, Libo County, S Guizhou (Fig. 3). The plants were found on limestone under sparse, mixed, broad-leaf forest on the karst mountaintop (Figs 2 A, 4 A) at elevations from 640 to 1350 m (Fig. 3). The associated plants include Calocedrus rupestris Aver., T. H. Nguyên & L. K. Phan (Cupressaceae), Zanthoxylum dimorphophyllum Hemsl. (Rutaceae), Platycarya strobilacea Siebold & Zucc. (Juglandaceae), Polygala wattersii Hance (Polygalaceae), Acer sycopseoides Chun (Sapindaceae), Alyxia schlechteri H. Lév. (Apocynaceae), Leptopus pachyphyllus X. X. Chen (Phyllanthaceae), Rhododendron liboense Zheng R. Chen & K. M. Lan (Ericaceae), Paphiopedilum micranthum Tang & F. T. Wang (Orchidaceae), and Ophiorrhiza japonica Blume (Rubiaceae).	en	Hou, Ying, Huang, Yu-Song, Luo, Liu-Juan, Chen, Zheng-Ren, Mao, Xing-Xing (2026): Rhododendron mulunense (Ericaceae), a new species from the karst mountains of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, China. PhytoKeys 269: 99-112, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.269.175011
