Upright to low and mounding evergreen shrubs with shiny rounded leaves.  This is an attractive and tough little species which is quite closely related to R. dauricum with similar but generally larger flowers in early to mid-spring and more fully evergreen foliage.  The flowers are pale to deep rose-purple or pink to rarely white.  An exciting new introduction for the enthusiast in colder and harsher climates.  This should be quite cold and even heat tolerant and seems quite amenable in cultivation so far.  Native to E Russia and Siberia(?) in a wide variety of altitudes and habitats.

1996sd234  RSBG  (-25?\R1\3).  Grown from seed collected wild in Russia.  New to cultivation, this is a dauricum relative with larger flowers of deep rose-purple in late winter to early spring.  Fragrant evergreen foliage turning purple in winter.  Tough and hardy with great flowers.  A nice choice for early dependable color.