It is native to western Sichuan and northern Yunnan, China, where it lives at altitudes of 2,800–4,500 m (9,200–14,800 ft).

New leaf growth is covered in a fuzzy brown indumentum that remains on the underside of the mature leaves.

In mid-spring, the Bureau rhododendron produces trusses of bell-shaped flowers.

The flowers are pink in bud, fading to white when open, with purple spots on the interior.

[4] In cultivation in the UK, Rhododendron bureavii has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.