Nova Guinea 1914. 12: 134, t.31.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400632
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332490-1
Verified by:
Shrub. Twigs slender, sparsely scaly; internodes 3.5–13cm. Leaves 3–5 together in tight pseudowhorls. Blade 40–160 x 12–50mm, elliptic to narrowly ovate-elliptic; apex acuminate, acute, margin entire, flat, base broadly tapering, sometimes slightly decurrent; glabrescent above, sub-densely and more persistently scaly beneath. Scales sub-stellately lobed, margin broad; centre small and slightly impressed. Mid-vein narrowly impressed above, strongly prominent beneath; lateral veins 5–13 per side, spreading at a wide angle, anastomosing before the margin, reticulation lax to obscure. Petiole 2–5 x c.2mm, grooved above, scaly. Inflorescence 3–15 flowers in an open to complete umbel, flowers erect to semi-erect. Pedicels 30–50 x c.1mm, sparsely scaly. Calyx a low disc, scaly. Corolla c.27 x 33mm, red or yellow; tube 11–13 x c.8.5 x c.10mm, scaly outside, glabrous inside, or with a few sparse hairs, 5-angled, lobed at the base; lobes 11–13 x 8–10mm, wide-spreading to reflexed, not or only shortly overlapping, scaly outside. Stamens 21–23mm, arranged all round the flower, exserted to c.10mm; filaments filiform, glabrous or occasionally very sparsely hairy near the base; anthers c.2.5mm, oblong. Disc 10-lobed, glabrous. Ovary c.5 x 2.5mm, shortly cylindrical, longitudinally grooved, densely covered with distally pointing hairs which hide small scales; style hairy and scaly in the proximal ½, glabrous distally; stigma rounded.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Legarei R., near Manokwari, Arfak Mts; Mt Ditschi (as R. mayrii), Doormantop; Idenberg R.; Japen Is. Papua New Guinea, Torricelli Mts, Jimmy Valley
According to Sleumer (1966) it is predominantly or possibly exclusively epiphytic.
R. torricellense Schltr., Bot. Jahr. 1917. 55: 142. R. mayrii J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 1936. 18: 97, t.20, f.2. R. macgregoriae F.Muell. var. glabrifilum Sleumer, Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 206.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:314