Bot. Jahr. 1918. 55: 158.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400641
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332473-1
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Shrub to 2.5m. Twigs 6–8mm in diameter, thick, rounded, brown scaly when young quickly becoming glabrescent and often glaucous white in the older parts; internodes 15–20cm. Leaves 3–5 together in well-marked pseudowhorls at the upper nodes, very stiff and leathery. Blade 80–150 x 55–90mm, patent, elliptic or broadly elliptic, rarely sub-obovate-elliptic; apex obtuse, or rounded to a little retuse; margin cartilaginous, flat or narrowly but distinctly revolute; base broadly tapering to rounded; densely brown scaly initially on both sides, soon becoming glabrescent and rough to the touch due to the persistent tubercles on both sides but especially beneath. Scales minute, deeply stellately divided and distinctly dendroid, each on top of a paler minute epidermal tubercle. Mid-vein robust in the lower ½ of the blade, impressed above, very prominent beneath, flat and wrinkled in dry specimens; lateral veins 8–10 per side, straight below, curved and indistinctly anastomosing before the margin, very slightly prominent on both sides or somewhat impressed above, often becoming inconspicuous towards the edge, no distinct reticulation visible. Petiole 20–40 x 2.5–4mm, brown scaly initially, often glaucous. Flower buds to 50 x 30mm, green or purple, ovoid with a broadly acute apex, the bracts all appressed. Bracts broadly elliptic, to obovate to spathulate, often splitting at the apex to become emarginate, scabrid with short erect hairs outside and short appressed hairs inside. Bracteoles to 60 x 4mm, linear, slightly broadened upwards, laxly hairy. Inflorescence an open 3–4-flowered umbel, the flowers semi-erect to half-hanging. Pedicels 10–35 x 3–5mm, thick, densely covered with brown sessile scales and laxly hairy, more densely near the calyx. Calyx 8–10mm in diameter, oblique, scaly and hairy outside, glabrous inside and irregularly obtusely 5–8-lobed; the lobes triangular, 2–3mm, white-ciliate along the margins. Corolla 90–110 x 110–140mm, tubular-funnel-shaped, white or suffused with pink, cream, or even (when very young) green on the tube, sometimes with pink ‘dimpled’ spots at the base of each lobe, fleshy, (the tube up to 3mm thick just below the lobes), strongly fragrant; tube 50–70 x 10–12 x 15–25mm, straight, glabrous outside, densely covered with retrorse white hairs in its lower ½–¾ inside; lobes 50–60 x 30–50mm, 5–8, spreading perpendicularly, overlapping to ¾, or with reflexed lateral margins in which case they hardly overlap, broadly obovate, glabrous. Stamens 10–16, slightly unequal, clustered on the lower side of the mouth, drooping downwards with age, exserted to c.20mm; filaments linear and densely patently hairy below, glabrous and filiform distally; anthers 10–12 x 1.5mm, curved upwards, pale brown, linear-oblong, base obtuse. Disc prominent, very densely hairy. Ovary oblong-cylindrical, densely covered with sub-appressed, yellowish, stiff hairs which completely cover the numerous scales, c.13 x 5mm, abruptly tapering distally; style 60–110 x 3–5mm, strong, glabrous except for some hairs at the very base; stigma 4–6mm in diameter, sub-globose, obtusely 5–8-lobed, becoming exserted to 50mm. Fruit 75–85 x 14–15mm, ellipsoid. Seeds 6.5–8mm, without tails c.1mm, the longest tail 3.8mm, crimped.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Bele R. Valley, 25km NE of Lake Habbema; E of Baliem R. Valley, Angguruk. Papua New Guinea, Sepik R. region, Schrader Mts, W Sepik region: above airfield at Telefomin; Along Eliptamin track, Telefomin; Oksapmin near Telefomin; Star Mts between Busilmin airstrip and Bielga R.
High epiphyte in forest, but also a terrestrial shrub in sandy openings in mossy forest on the crest of mountain ridges, said to be locally abundant and conspicuous around Telefomin.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:81