Rhododendron thomsonii,Plate 12 in J. D. Hooker,Rhododendrons of the Sikkim-Himalaya. 1851. Discovered and named by Hooker himself. "To this species I give the name of Dr. Thomas Thomson,surgeon,H. E. I. C. S.,late of the Thibetian Mission,son of the learned Professor of Chemistry of Glasgow University,my earliest friend and companion during my College life,and now my valued travelling companion in Eastern Himalaya." This is a rhododendron species native to northern India,Bhutan,Nepal,Sikkim,and China,where it grows at altitudes of 3000–4000 meters |