Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 131.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400666
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332510-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 2m. Twigs 4–6mm in diameter, rounded, densely, smoothly, brown-scaly; internodes 4–15cm. Leaves 4–6 together in tight pseudowhorls. Blade 50–100 x 30–60mm, broadly elliptic to obovate; apex very shortly acuminate, broadly obtuse to almost rounded; margin entire, narrowly recurved or flat; base broadly tapering, glabrescent above, sub-densely scaly beneath. Scales small, circular to weakly lobed, with a broad margin and small darker brown centre, distinctly impressed. Mid-vein broadly raised and grooved for the proximal c.10mm, distally narrowly impressed, beneath broadly raised for most of its length and tapering gradually; lateral veins 7–9 per side, diverging at c.45°, straight proximally but curving in the distal 1⁄3, reticulation obscure. Petiole 10–15 x 3–4mm, a little flattened, not grooved above or very faintly in the distal part, scaly initially. Flower buds to 35 x 20mm, elongate-ellipsoid, distinctly imbricate, yellowish-green, smooth with all tips appressed. Bracts to 25 x 18mm, ovate, obtuse, outer ones densely scaly and very shortly hairy outside, appressed-hairy and scaly near the apex only inside. Bracteoles to 15 x 0.5mm, narrowly linear, hairy throughout. Inflorescence of 8–22 flowers, at first held semi-erect in a tight cluster by the collarette of bracts, these later spreading and falling, so the umbel becomes open with the flowers horizontally displayed. Pedicels 5–10 x 2–3mm, sub-densely scaly, sometimes with a few hairs just under the calyx. Calyx c.2.5mm in diameter, oblique, indistinctly lobed, brown-scaly and hairy. Corolla 65–75 x 30–35mm, trumpet-shaped, white, sweetly scented; tube 55–65 x 4–5 x 7–9mm, cylindrical, slightly curved, weakly grooved or angled and sub-glabrous outside but hairy inside, in the proximal ½, tubular and distinctly scaly distally outside; lobes 15–17 x 12–15mm, spreading obliquely, the lower two becoming reflexed, the upper three staying semi-erect, obovate, laxly scaly outside at the base, otherwise glabrous. Stamens at first exserted to 18mm, in a tight group on the upper side of the mouth, in later stages spreading more irregularly; filaments linear, white, sub-densely hairy in the lower 2/3, nearly filiform and glabrous distally; anthers 4–6 x 1mm, brown, each cell with a short basal apiculus. Disc sub-glabrous or hairy on the upper side. Ovary 8–10 x 2–3mm, elongate-cylindrical, densely covered with appressed, white hairs which cover small silvery scales, gradually narrowed distally; style c.50mm, on the upper side of the corolla, green, densely covered with scales and forwardly directed hairs in the lower 2/3, glabrous distally; stigma green, at first deep within the corolla tube, later exserted to c.15mm, thick-obconical.
Papua New Guinea, Goodenough Island, Mt Goodenough.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:181