Description

Rigidly erect shrub to 1.5m. Twigs with shortly stalked scales, later rough and minutely warty after the scales have fallen. Leaves densely spirally arranged. Blade 10–15 x 2–4mm, elliptic to spathulate; apex broadly acute to obtuse, margin narrowly revolute, sub-crenulate with scale attachments; base narrowly tapering, decurrent, laxly scaly above but quickly glabrescent, below sub-densely and persistently scaly. Scales with a narrow marginal flange and thick rounded and partly impressed centre. Mid-vein impressed above, slightly raised below; lateral veins and reticulation not visible. Petiole c.1mm, scaly. Bracts to 4mm, ovate sub-acuminate to apiculate, outside scaly along the middle line, without hairs except for the ciliate margins. Inflorescence of 1–3 vertically hanging flowers. Pedicels 6–8mm, slender, densely scaly but without hairs. Calyx c.2.5mm in diameter, shortly 5-lobed, densely scaly. Corolla c.12mm, red, cylindrical; tube c.10 x 3 x 4mm, densely scaly outside, glabrous inside; lobes c.3 x 3mm, sub-circular, semi-erect, scaly outside, without hairs but with a denticulate margin. Stamens as long as the corolla tube; filaments c.10mm, glabrous; anthers 1.5mm, broadly oblong. Disc glabrous but with scales on the upper side. Ovary c.2 x 1mm, cylindrical, vertically striate, densely round-scaly; style c.8mm, slender, densely scaly for the proximal 1mm, glabrous distally; stigma club-shaped. Fruit 6–7 x c.3mm, sub-cylindrical.

Distribution

Papua New Guinea, Central District, Goilala subdistrict, Mt Dickson; Morobe District, above Bakaia, c.15 miles SE of Garaina.

Altitude

Habitat

In the grassland border with Podocarpus/Papuacedrus forest, and tree fern grassland

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:58