Rhododendron tschonoskii is a deciduous shrub distributed in Japan and South Korea, occurring mostly on ridges or rocky slopes in the subarctic and the cool temperate zone. As the result of the phytosociological study of the Rhododendron tschonoskii community in Shikoku, it can be subdivided into the R.-Phyllodoce nipponica and the R.-Carex blepharicarpa community. The former is a heath-type community on the ridge near the Besshi copper mine. The latter occurs on high ridges in the Tsurugi and the Ishidzuchi mountain range, and its floristic composition is similar to that of the Sasa-Carex-type grassland. At present the phytosociological rank of this Rhododendron tschonoskii community, and other deciduous scrubs at high altitudes in Shikoku is still uncertain. This community, however, contrasts physiognomically with the grasslands and climax forests, and may be comparable to the Rhododendron kiusianum community on volcanoes in Kyushu.
