Med. Rijksherb. 1915. 25: 4.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400789
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332432-1
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Erect shrub or tree to 10m. Twigs 2–4mm in diameter, rounded, green, densely pale brown or translucently scaly, becoming glabrescent; internodes 2.5–8cm. Leaves 3–6 together in tight pseudowhorls at the upper 1–3 nodes. Blade 30–70 x 20–33mm, broadly-elliptic or ovate-elliptic sometimes obovate-elliptic; apex obtuse or rounded; margin narrowly to broadly revolute; base rounded, or broadly tapering; initially scaly on both sides, glabrescent above, the scales leaving dense, minute, black pits, more persistently and sub-densely scaly beneath. Scales flat, or concave, marginal zone wide, transparent, shortly sub-stellately-lobed; centre minute, impressed becoming dark. Mid-vein narrow and slightly impressed above, grooved proximally for a few millimetres, beneath strongly raised to within c.1cm of the apex; lateral veins 4–8 per side, spreading at a wide angle, irregular, anastomosing, slightly depressed above and raised beneath in dried leaves, reticulation dense, slightly impressed above, faintly to markedly raised beneath. Petiole 3–11 x 2–3mm, grooved above, densely scaly. Flower buds to 30 x 16mm, narrowly ovoid, acutely to broadly and bluntly pointed, smooth, green, but with just the basal bracts with the tips becoming revolute. Bracts broadly spathulate, glabrous except for a fringe of brown scales along the edges, hooded and emarginate at the apex, green along a broad median stripe, translucent towards the edges. A few of the shortest bracts with brown scales outside. Bracteoles to 20mm, linear to linear-spathulate, glabrous or with a few scales on the margins apically. Inflorescence a 3–6-flowered open umbel. Pedicels 10–30 x c.1.5mm, densely covered with pale brown appressed, sub-stellate scales, without hairs. Calyx 4–5mm in diameter, obliquely disc-shaped, shortly and obtusely 5-lobed. Corolla 45–50 x 33–42mm, on opening almost horizontal, becoming vertically hanging, pale-green, fragrant or without scent; tube 35–38 x 6–8 x 12–15mm, sub-cylindrical, distinctly curved, laxly but obscurely, sub-stellate-scaly outside, shortly hairy inside; lobes 16 x 18mm, sub-circular, spreading horizontally or sometimes a little reflexed, overlapping to about ½ their length, with a few very small scales near the base outside. Stamens exserted to 9mm, clustered around the style on the lower side of the mouth; filaments green, filiform, sub-densely to laxly patently hairy in the proximal ½; anthers 2.5–3 x 1mm, cream to pale brown, oblongoid curved, the base obtuse. Disc glabrous or hairy at the upper margin. Ovary c.5 x 2mm, sub-cylindrical-conical, base and apex tapering, yellowish or silvery, densely sub-patently hairy, the hairs covering small scales; style at first with the stigma just below the anthers in the mouth of the flower, later exserted to 15mm, hairy and scaly in the proximal ¼–1⁄3, scaly and sometimes very laxly hairy up to the middle, glabrous above; stigma globose.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Oranje Mts, Kajan Mts and near Lake Habbema.
In open, swampy localities, or on the edge of sub-montane forest.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:216