Rhodoleia championii seed

Rhodoleia Championii
Also known as the Hong Kong Rose

This here is an absolutely gorgeous Flower we have stumbled upon. This plant occurs naturally in china (Guangdong Province and Hong Kong), Bhutan, Vietnam and Nepal. Rare in cultivation, this shrub/tree will be covered in these enchanting bright crimson pink ‘rose like’ blooms. Despite its common name ‘rose’, it does not have thorns. It is small to medium size ordinarily to about 15-20m tall, but has been known to grow twice this height.
It is said to withstand temperatures into the teens and possibly lower, though it grows well where the summers are hot and will bloom during the cool parts of the year. It prefers well drained, but moist soil. It is bird-pollinated.
The flowers do resemble Rhododendron, but they are not related at all. They are in fact a member of the Hamamelidaceae, surprisingly the Witch Hazel family.

*As of 2010 the chinese University of Hong Kong listed this species on the top 25 rare and protected species of plant.