Description

Shrub to 1.3m. Twigs c.1.5mm in diameter, red or green, densely covered with warty scale bases and brown scales; internodes 3–10mm. Leaves in loose pseudowhorls, 7–15 together, 5–15mm apart, when in exposed places, clustered at the ends of the twigs. Blade 6–12 x 3.5–5mm, obovate, spathulate; apex emarginate and mucronate with a small gland at the apex; margin entire and revolute; base tapering; upper surface green shiny and glabrescent; lower surface paler green, sparsely but persistently scaly. Scales small, brown, circular or slightly lobed with large centres. Mid-vein slightly impressed above, raised below; lateral veins obscure. Petiole 2–3 x 0.7–1mm, faintly grooved above, sparsely scaly. Flower buds to 6 x 2.5mm, ovate, green, turning brown before opening, smooth, glabrous except along the margins of the bracts. Outer bracts ovate, glabrous with shortly ciliate margins. Inflorescence of solitary flowers held horizontally to half-hanging. Flowers 6–7 x 15–18mm. Pedicels 9–14 x 1mm, sparsely scaly, without hairs. Calyx shallowly 5-lobed, lobes c.1.5–2 x 1.5mm, scaly outside. Corolla 8–10mm, campanulate, yellow, without spots or visible markings; tube c.5 x 4 x 4mm, sparsely scaly outside, hairy inside, lobes 6–7 x 3.5–4.5mm, elliptic, spreading to the horizontal or slightly reflexed, not or only slightly overlapping. Stamens exserted to c.5mm, arranged all round the mouth, filaments hairy; anthers brown. Ovary ovoid, densely scaly and hairy; style 2–4mm, curved downwards; stigma globose. Fruit 7–11 x 3–4mm, with a persistent style. Seeds 4mm, without tails c.1mm, the longest tail 1.5mm.

Distribution

China, SE Yunnan, Malipo and Xichou.

Altitude

Habitat

In mixed forests on the ground in light shade or exposed on ridges on rocky sometimes limestone mountains

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:33