List of sections in subgenus Rhododendron

Traditional to botanical taxonomy, subdivisions of taxonomic ranks further divide subgenera, sections, and subsections into species and subspecies/varieties. Genus "Rhododendron" consists of eight subgenera based on morphology; this page refers to only those lower divisions in subgenus "Rhododendron", commonly known as the scaly or lepidote rhododendrons. Molecular evidence suggests that the subgenus "Rhododendron" is monophyletic, and the section "Vireya" is monophyletic as well with section "Pogonanthum" being nested within section "Rhododendron". As evidenced by the following list, many subsections contain only one species, and many contain only one species that is followed by subspecies or varieties. Criteria for division into subsections may be subjective based on morphology. Recent studies have suggested a revision to the name of section "Vireya"; the section "Vireya" is referred to as "Schistanthe", but contains all the subsections associated with the previous name. In this article, the two can be used interchangeably.
This list does not include known hybrids; because rhododendrons are known to hybridize readily, hybrid species are numerous and are not referenced in this list.