Fedde Rep. 1914. 13: 223.
Verified by:
Compact, stiff, often flat-topped shrub, to 6m. Sometimes forming a thick woody basal burl from which numerous epicormic shoots arise. Twigs c.3mm in diameter, rounded or angular, green or red, stellate-scaly and minutely short-hairy; internodes 1.5–4.5cm. Leaves spirally arranged, or in very loose pseudowhorls, clustered more densely in the upper part of the internodes. Blade 10–43 x 8–22mm, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, narrowly obovate or in the high altitude forms almost circular; apex obtuse to rounded with a conspicuous apical gland which is sometimes extended into a down-turned point; margin flat or slightly revolute, cartilaginous and distinctly crenulate; base broadly tapering; shiny green and glabrescent above although the scales often leaving blackish pits; beneath, paler-green sub-densely brown scaly. Scales rounded to lobed, with small centres, impressed into the leaf surface and leaving distinct pits where they have fallen off. Mid-vein impressed above, broad and obtusely prominent in the lower ½ beneath, less so distally; lateral veins 4–6 per side, irregular, curved ascending, slightly impressed above in fully mature leaves, faintly raised or hardly visible beneath, reticulation inconspicuous. Petiole 2–4 x 1–2mm, grooved above and slightly flattened, scaly and obscurely shortly hairy. Flower buds to 15 x 12mm, green, the bract apices standing out as short points. Bracts to 15 x 11mm, the outer ones subulate, intermediate ovate-acuminate, abruptly subulate in the upper ¼–½, innermost ones obovate-spathulate, shining, glabrous or scaly along the dorsal midline and at the apex (never hairy!), fringed with scales. Bracteoles to 12 x 1mm, linear. Inflorescence of 4–6-flowered open umbels. Flowers half-hanging to semi-erect. Pedicels 8–18 x c.1.5mm, laxly to densely brown-stellate-scaly, without hairs or with minute papillose hairs between the scales and sometimes some longer hairs just under the calyx. Calyx c.4mm in diameter, oblique, scaly at the base, deeply 5-lobed, lobes narrowly triangular or sometimes linear-subulate up to 10mm, glabrous, or occasionally long-hairy at the apex, irregular in both shape and length, sub-persistent. Corolla 20–35 x 27mm, tubular, oblique and curved, (rarely straight), deep red to purplish, pink, pale yellow or white; tube 25–30 x 6–7 x 10–12mm, laxly to sub-densely stellately scaly outside, glabrous or shortly hairy inside, swollen at the base and conspicuously grooved in the proximal ½; lobes 10–11 x 9–10mm, sub-spathulate-circular, spreading to reflexed and overlapping to c.1⁄3. Stamens exserted to 10mm, loosely arranged in the upper ½ of the flower; filaments linear, purplish-pink, glabrous or laxly shortly papillose-hairy; anthers obovate-oblong, 2–2.3 x 1mm. Disc prominent, glabrous. Ovary 4–5 x 2–3mm, conical to sub-cylindrical, densely covered with short slightly distally directed, silvery hairs which cover small scales; style glabrous or with some hairs for the basal 5mm, ultimately as long as the stamens, on the upper side of the tube, moving to a central position as the stigma becomes receptive; stigma obliquely globose. Fruit 10–20 x 6–8mm, ellipsoid, standing erect, sub-densely short-hairy and scaly. Seeds c.3mm, the tails included.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Mt Jaya. Papua New Guinea, Star Mts, Yobobos, Mt Sugarloaf, Sirunki, Yogonda, Mt Hagen area, Tomba, Kubor Mts, Mt Wilhelm lakes area, Mt Michael, Finisterre Mts, Sarawaket Mts.
Terrestrial in grassland at the edge of Papuacedrus forest, in open semi-swampy places, also on crests of high ridges, stony ground. Becoming very small-leafed at high altitudes.
R. stonori Sleumer, Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 155. R. nitens Sleumer, Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 162, non Hutchinson, 1936. R. pseudonitens Sleumer, Blumea 1961. 11: 124.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:219