Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 200.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400799
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332283-1
Verified by:
Terrestrial shrub to 1.5m. Twigs 3–6mm in diameter, rounded, scaly becoming glabrescent; internodes 8–17cm. Leaves 4–7 together in tight pseudowhorls of very variably sized leaves at the same node. Blade 70–200 x 20–70mm, narrowly ovate or elliptic; apex acuminate, with long sub-caudate points, acute; margin entire, very narrowly slightly revolute; base broadly tapering, rounded to sub-cordate; glabrescent above, laxly and more persistently scaly beneath. Scales small, marginal zone irregularly sub-stellately lobed; centre darker and slightly impressed. Mid-vein narrowly impressed above, strongly raised below, becoming gradually more slender from base to apex; lateral veins 8–10 per side, wide-spreading, straight below, indistinctly curved-anastomosing before the margin, faintly raised on both sides, sometimes inconspicuous especially beneath. Petiole 3–6 x 2–3mm, grooved above, scaly. Flower buds 35 x 25mm, sub-orbicular-ovoid. Bracts to 35 x 23mm; outer bracts ovate, apex very shortly subulate, the inner ones larger, ovate, obtuse, innermost ones spathulate, all laxly sub-stellately scaly and very shortly hairy outside and along the margin. Bracteoles to 30 x 4mm, linear to linear-sub-spathulate, shortly hairy. Inflorescence a 9–12-flowered complete umbel. Pedicels 25–60 x c.1mm, laxly scaly, without hairs. Calyx c.3mm in diameter, disc-shaped, wavy and obscurely lobed, densely scaly outside. Corolla 35–45 x c.35mm, tubular-funnel-shaped, orange or orange-yellow; tube 15–20 x 5–6 x 15–17mm, straight, 5-angular, lobed at the base, sub-densely to laxly sub-stellately scaly outside, sparsely or very sparsely hairy proximally inside; lobes 23–27 x 15–22mm, broadly obovate-spathulate or sub-circular. Stamens c.25mm, sub-equal, slightly exserted; filaments linear and densely patently hairy in the proximal ½, glabrous distally; anthers c.4 x 1mm, oblong. Disc hairy. Ovary 5–6 x c.2.5mm, cylindrical-conical, white-hairy and scaly, abruptly contracted distally; style nearly equalling the stamens, hairy and distinctly scaly in the proximal 1⁄3–2⁄3; stigma deeply 5-lobed.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Wissel Lakes region; Armina, Sjuga-Wagura area, Babo District.
Secondary forest, locally common.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:319