Folia Malaysiana 2003. 4(2): 108.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400062
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:70029624-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 2m. Twigs 1–2mm in diameter, at first minutely rough with stellate scales which leave hair-like stalks but quickly the stems become smooth; internodes 1.5–4cm. Leaves clustered into loose pseudowhorls of 7–12 variably sized leaves. Blade 7–15 x 3–5mm, ovate or sometimes broadly elliptic, mostly widest in the lower 1⁄3, occasionally about the middle; apex acute, occasionally obtuse to rounded and sometimes apiculate; margin strongly revolute; base narrowly to broadly tapering; glabrescent above, densely brown scaly below. Scales dendroid, deeply stellately divided, each on top of a minute epidermal tubercle. Mid-vein weakly impressed above, very prominent beneath; lateral veins obscure. Petiole 1–2 x 1mm, densely scaly. Flower buds ovoid, acute, often lateral. Bracts to 8 x 5mm; outer appressed, with short subulate points, inner, ovate, abruptly subulate-acuminate, fringed along the margins with large scales and densely but fragilely scaly outside, revealing short, white semi-appressed simple hairs in the upper ½ outside when the scales have fallen, glabrous inside. Flowers solitary or up to 4 in an open umbel. Pedicels c.10 x 1mm, slender, densely stellate-scaly. Calyx c.2mm in diameter, disc-like, not or very shortly obtusely lobed, scaly outside. Corolla 15–20mm, dark red, tubular, slightly expanded distally; tube c.12 x 4 x 5mm, slightly curved, densely stellate-scaly but without hairs outside, very laxly patent hairy inside; lobes c.7 x 5mm, broadly obovate to sub-circular. Stamens unequal, well exserted from the mouth, about as long as the corolla; filaments narrowly linear, glabrous; anthers c.2 x 1mm, oblong. Disc glabrous or very minutely hairy on the upper margin. Ovary c.6 x 2–2.5mm, sub-cylindrical, densely stellate-scaly, and with a few simple white hairs, which are completely obscured by the scales, gradually tapering distally; style thick, scaly and with simple hairs in the proximal 1⁄3, then laxly patently hairy for another 1⁄3, glabrous distally; stigma broadly rounded, obscurely 5-lobed. Fruit (immature) 20 x 4mm, fusiform.
Papua New Guinea, Simbu Province, Kerowagi Subprovince, Mt Wilhelm.
Terrestrial in open montane shrubbery
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:87