Nova Guinea 1914. 12: 139, t.35.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400104
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332708-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 3m. Twigs 3–6mm in diameter, sub-angular to rounded, laxly scaly; internodes 2.5–16cm. Leaves 4–6 together in tight pseudowhorls. Blade 40–95 x 25–53mm, broadly elliptic or sub-ovate-elliptic; apex very shortly acuminate or sub-cuspidate, more rarely broadly tapering, sub-acute or obtuse to rounded; margin entire, flat; base rounded, rarely broadly tapering or sub-cordate, dark green and glossy above, paler beneath, sub-densely scaly on both sides at first becoming glabrescent above, more persistently and laxly scaly beneath but eventually glabrescent there also but spotted from the persistent bases. Scales small, marginal zone irregularly sub-stellately lobed; centre minute, shallowly impressed. Mid-vein narrow and grooved above, as wide as the petiole and obtusely prominent proximally beneath; lateral veins 6–8 per side, spreading, obscurely anastomosing before the margin, faintly impressed, or inconspicuous above, slightly to distinctly raised beneath, reticulation lax, a little prominent beneath, or invisible. Petiole 2–7 x 2–3mm, grooved above, laxly scaly. Flower buds c.45 x 25mm, ovoid, smooth, green. Outer bracts 35–50 x 15–20mm, rounded to ovate, apiculate or obtuse, with short appressed hairs initially outside, glabrescent and smooth finally; inner ones ovate-oblong to sub-spathulate, glabrous or nearly so. Bracteoles filiform, sub-spathulate at apex, very laxly hairy or glabrous, c.40 x 0.5–1mm. Inflorescence an open to full umbel of 5–12 horizontal or semi-erect flowers. Pedicels 25–55 x c.1mm, sub-densely stellately scaly and minutely hairy. Calyx obliquely disc-shaped, shortly obtusely 5-lobed, scaly and minutely hairy outside, c.4mm in diameter. Corolla 50–70 x 50–60mm, broadly funnel-shaped, fleshy, sometimes fragrant, pure deep yellow first, becoming suffused with red or orange with age; tube 28–35 x 8–12 x 15–20mm, straight, distinctly 5-angular and often pouched at the base, laxly stellately scaly and sometimes with some hairs at the base outside, shortly hairy inside; lobes broadly obovate, 20–30 x 15–22mm. Stamens dimorphic, exserted 5–10mm, irregularly arranged but with a tendency to be spread around the lower ½; filaments linear, sub-densely short-hairy in the proximal ½, narrower and glabrous distally; anthers 4–5 x c.1.5mm, broad-oblong, base obtuse. Disc prominent, hairy on the upper margin otherwise glabrous. Ovary 6–8 x 2.5–3mm, sub-cylindrical, sub-abruptly contracted distally, white-hairy, the hairs covering minute scales; style thick, hairy at the base, laxly hairy above to the lower ½–2⁄3, usually without scales, glabrous distally, mostly lying close to the lower side of the flower; stigma thick-globose, green, becoming exserted to 10mm. Fruit sub-fusiform or cylindrical, curved, densely hairy and scaly, 35–55 x c.0.8mm. Seeds 4–6mm including the tails.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Anggi Lakes area in Arfak Mts.
Terrestrial on the edge of primary and secondary forest, in open marsh and in swamps at the edge of lakes.
R. uliginosum J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 1914. 12: 136, t.33.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:300