Editing Rhododendron (section)

==== Sections and subsections ====
The larger subgenera are further subdivided into sections and subsections<ref name="ARS1">{{cite web |url=http://www.rhododendron.org/v47n3p139.htm |title=Concerning the Origin and Distribution of Rhododendrons |last=Irving |first=E. |author2=R. Hebda |year=1993 |work=Journal of the American Rhododendron Society |publisher=American Rhododendron Society |access-date=4 November 2012}}</ref> Some subgenera contain only a single section, and some sections only a single subsection. Shown here is the traditional classification, with species number after Chamberlain (1996), but this scheme is undergoing constant revision. Revisions by Goetsch ''et al.'' (2005){{sfnp|Goetsch |Eckert |Hall|2005 |ref=Goetsch}} and by Craven ''et al.'' (2008){{sfnp|Craven |Goetsch |Hall |Brown |2008 |ref=Craven2008}} shown in (''parenthetical italics''). Older ranks such as Series (groups of species) are no longer used but may be found in the literature, but the American Rhododendron Society still uses a similar device, called Alliances{{sfnp|Genus Rhododendron Taxonomic Tree |ref=ARS2}}

*Subgenus ''Rhododendron'' L. (3 sections, 462 species: increased to five sections in 2008)
**(''Discovereya (Sleumer) Argent, raised from Vireya'')
**''[[Pogonathum]]'' Aitch. & Hemsl. (13 species; Himalaya and adjacent mountains)
**(''Pseudovireya (C.B.Clarke) Argent, raised from Vireya'')
**''[[Rhododendron (section)|Rhododendron]]'' L. (149 species in 25 subsections; temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere)
**''[[Rhododendron subgenus Vireya|Vireya]]'' (Blume) Copel.f. (300 species in 2 subsections; tropical southeast Asia, Australasia. At one time considered separate subgenus{{sfnp|Argent|2006 |ref=Argent2006}})
*Subgenus ''[[Rhododendron subg. Hymenanthes|Hymenanthes]]'' (Blume) K.Koch (1 section, 224 species) (''Increased to two sections'')
**''Ponticum'' {{small|G. Don}} (24 subsections)
**(''[[Rhododendron sect. Pentanthera|Pentanthera]]'' {{small|(G. Don) Pojarkova}} (2 subsections – new section, moved from subgenus ''Pentanthera'')
*Subgenus ''Pentanthera'' {{small|(G. Don) Pojarkova}} (4 sections, 23 species) (''Discontinued'')
**''[[Rhododendron sect. Pentanthera|Pentanthera]]'' {{small|(G. Don) Pojarkova}} (2 subsections – moved to subgenus ''Hymenanthes'')
**''[[Rhododendron sect. Rhodora|Rhodora]]'' (L.) G. Don (2 species; ''[[Rhododendron canadense]]'', ''[[Rhododendron vaseyi]]'') (''Discontinued, redistributed'')
**''[[Rhododendron sect. Sciadorhodion|Sciadorhodion]]'' Rehder & Wilson (4 species) (''Moved to subgenus Azaleastrum'')
**''[[Viscidula]]'' Matsum. & Nakai (1 species; ''[[Rhododendron nipponicum]]'') (''Discontinued, added to section Tsutsusi, subgenus Azaleastrum'')
*Subgenus ''Tsutsusi'' (Sweet) Pojarkova (2 sections, 80 species) (''Discontinued, reduced to section and moved to subgenus Azaleastrum'')
**''[[Brachycalyx]]'' Sweet (3 alliances, 15 species)
**''[[Tsutsusi]]'' (Sweet) Pojarkova (65 species)
*Subgenus ''Azaleastrum'' Planch. (2 sections, 16 species) (''Increased to three sections'')
**''Azaleastrum'' Planch. (5 species)
**(''Choniastrum'' Franch. (11 species) (''Raised to subgenus''))
**(''[[Sciadorhodion]] Rehder & Wilson (4 species) (Moved from subgenus Pentanthera''))
**''(Tsutsusi (Sweet) Pojarkova (reduced from subgenus))''
*Subgenus ''Candidastrum'' Franch. (1 species: ''[[Rhododendron albiflorum]]'') (''Discontinued, moved to section Sciadorhodion, subgenus Azaleastrum'')
*Subgenus ''Mumeazalea'' (Sleumer) W.R. Philipson & M.N. Philipson (1 species: ''[[Rhododendron semibarbatum]]'') (''Discontinued, moved to section Tsutsusi, subgenus Azaleastrum'')
*Subgenus ''Therorhodion'' A. Gray (2 species)
*(''Subgenus Choniastrum Franch. (11 species)'')

The system used by the [[World Flora Online]] {{As of|2023|December|lc=yes}} uses six subgenera, four of which are divided further:<ref name=WFO_4000033027>{{cite web |author=WFO |date=December 2023 |title=''Rhododendron'' L.. |work=World Flora Online |url=https://list.worldfloraonline.org/wfo-4000033027 |access-date=2024-02-22}}</ref>
*[[Rhododendron subg. Azaleastrum|subgenus ''Azaleastrum'']] {{small|Planch. ex K.Koch}}<ref name=WFO_1000040525>{{cite web |author=WFO |date=December 2023 |title=''Rhododendron'' subg. ''Azaleastrum'' Planch. ex K.Koch |work=World Flora Online |url=https://list.worldfloraonline.org/wfo-1000040525 |access-date=2024-02-22}}</ref>
**[[Rhododendron sect. Azaleastrum|section ''Azaleastrum'']] {{small|Planch. ex Maxim.}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Sciadorhodion|section ''Sciadorhodion'']] {{small|Rehder & E.H.Wilson}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Tsutsutsi|section ''Tsutsutsi'']] {{small|(Sweet) Pojark.}}
*[[Rhododendron subg. Choniastrum|subgenus ''Choniastrum'']] {{small|Franch.}}
*[[Rhododendron subg. Hymenanthes|subgenus ''Hymenanthes'']] {{small|(Blume) K.Koch}}<ref name=WFO_1000040538>{{cite web |author=WFO |date=December 2023 |title=''Rhododendron'' subg. ''Hymenanthes'' (Blume) K.Koch |work=World Flora Online |url=https://list.worldfloraonline.org/wfo-1000040538 |access-date=2024-02-22}}</ref>
**[[Rhododendron sect. Pentanthera|section ''Pentanthera'']] {{small|G.Don}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Ponticum|section ''Ponticum'']] {{small|G.Don}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Rhodora|section ''Rhodora'']] {{small|(L.) G.Don}}
*[[Rhododendron subg. Rhododendron|subgenus ''Rhododendron'']] {{small|L.}}<ref name=WFO_3500001788>{{cite web |author=WFO |date=December 2023 |title=''Rhododendron'' subg. ''Rhododendron'' L.. |work=World Flora Online |url=https://list.worldfloraonline.org/wfo-3500001788 |access-date=2024-02-22}}</ref>
**[[Rhododendron sect. Pogonanthum|section ''Pogonanthum'']] {{small|G.Don}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Rhododendron|section ''Rhododendron'']] {{small|}}
*[[Rhododendron subg. Therorhodion|subgenus ''Therorhodion'']] {{small|(Maxim) Rehder}}
*[[Rhododendron subg. Vireya|subgenus ''Vireya'']] {{small|Clarke}}<ref name=WFO_3500001320>{{cite web |author=WFO |date=December 2023 |title=''Rhododendron'' subg. ''Vireya'' L.. |work=World Flora Online |url=https://list.worldfloraonline.org/wfo-3500001320 |access-date=2024-02-22}}</ref>
**[[Rhododendron sect. Albovireya|section ''Albovireya'']] {{small|(Sleumer) Argent}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Discovireya|section ''Discovireya'']] {{small|(Sleumer) Argent}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Hadranthe|section ''Hadranthe'']] {{small|Schltr.}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Malayovireya|section ''Malayovireya'']] {{small|(Sleumer) Argent}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Pseudovireya|section ''Pseudovireya'']] {{small|(Clarke) Sleumer}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Schistanthe|section ''Schistanthe'']] {{small|Schltr.}}
**[[Rhododendron sect. Siphonovireya|section ''Siphonovireya'']] {{small|Argent}}