As one of China’s ten most iconic flowers， Rhododendron is renowned for its ornamental value and cultural significance. The genus exhibits remarkable species diversity， extensive natural hybridization， and advanced horticultural development in selected varieties. However， persistent inconsistencies in varietal nomenclature have impeded international germplasm exchange. SSR markers have emerged as powerful tools for addressing these challenges， offering critical advantages in germplasm identification， genetic diversity assessment， and marker-assisted breeding. This review summarizes two decades of research progress on SSR marker applications in Rhododendron species. Approximately 509 SSR markers have been developed to date via diverse methodologies， including bioinformatics databases mining and next-generation sequencing. These markers showed cross-species transferability rate of 50% to 100% among closely related species. In terms of species conservation， SSR markers have facilitated the conservation strategy formulation， mating system analysis， and gene flow monitoring， providing empirical support for preserving genetic diversity. SSR markers are also used for authenticity identification of hybrid progeny， as well as trait-marker association studies targeting key horticultural traits such as leaf chlorosis and floral pigmentation. Finally， this review proposes future prospects of SSR markers， including development of SSR markers for endangered Rhododendron species， marker-assisted breeding for important traits， and establishment of DNA fingerprinting databases to standardize variety identification， expecting to provide references for assessment， conservation， and breeding of Rhododendron species.