R. bureavii occurs in the wild in two fairly limited areas in northern Yunnan, China, in open pine forest and rhododendron thickets, at elevations from 10,000-12,800 feet. It was introduced into cultivation in 1917-1925, and again in 1994. Its name honors a French professor, Louis Edouard Bureau 1830-1918. French botanist and professor of taxanomic botany in Paris.
Frederick Thurber, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">CC BY 4.0</a>, via <a href="https://rhododendra.com/">Rhododendra.com</a>
Garth Wedemire, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">CC BY 4.0</a>, via <a href="https://rhododendra.com/">Rhododendra.com</a>
Frederick Thurber, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">CC BY 4.0</a>, via <a href="https://rhododendra.com/">Rhododendra.com</a>
Susan Lightburn, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">CC BY 4.0</a>, via <a href="https://rhododendra.com/">Rhododendra.com</a>