J. Str. Br. R. As. Soc. 1912. 63: 60.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400096
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332716-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 1.2m. Twigs 2–3mm in diameter, green, rounded, smooth apart from a fine covering of pale brown scales becoming glabrescent; internodes 3.5–8cm. Leaves 3–7 large, together with several very slender scale leaves in well-marked pseudowhorls at the upper 1–3 nodes. Blade 70–120 x 25–45mm, narrowly ovate to elliptic, sub-sessile; apex acuminate, acute, often slightly curved; margin entire, flat or weakly revolute; base obtusely tapering to rounded and highly rugose; very densely scaly on both sides when young, above the scales, sparse and becoming glabrescent but leaving a pitted surface, beneath sub-densely and persistently scaly, especially at the base of the blade. Scales small, thin and flat, the marginal zone irregularly sub-stellately lobed; centre minute and shallowly impressed, leaving dark pits. Mid-vein broad and prominent and often coloured red in the proximal ½ above, but flat or slightly raised beneath; lateral veins 7–12 per side, very fine and obscure, wide-spreading, almost at right angles, curved and anastomosing before the margin, the lamina often thrown into folds on either side of the mid-vein, reticulation inconspicuous above, obscure below. Petiole 2–3 x 2–3mm, scaly, obscurely defined, (the leaves being almost sessile), without a groove, reddish in colour. Flower buds (see p.327) to 25 x 15mm, sub-spherical with a broadly pointed apex, brown with the bract tips spreading. Outer bracts subulate to ovate-acuminate, inner ones obovate to spathulate, apiculate, all sub-densely scaly outside. Bracteoles to 15mm, subulate-linear, scaly. Inflorescence 4–10-flowered in an open umbel. Flowers c.24 x 22mm, white, sometimes scented, horizontal or half-hanging. Pedicels 20–30 x 1–2mm, densely brown-scaly and shortly white-hairy. Calyx c.4mm in diameter, disc-shaped, with distinct, very short blunt lobes, scaly and hairy outside. Corolla sub-campanulate, lobed to 2⁄3; tube 7–10 x 4–6 x 10–15mm, densely scaly, glabrous or slightly hairy inside, with broad grooves in the proximal ½; lobes 12–16 x 8–13mm, sub-obovate, erect, not reflexing back, scaly outside where the lobes were not overlapping in bud, variously overlapping ¼–¾. Stamens spreading regularly all round the flower, slightly dimorphic; filaments white, hairy for ¾ of their length, c.10 and 12mm; anthers 3–4 x c.1mm, white, curved, narrowed towards the pores, base obtuse or very shortly bilobed. Disc of 10 rounded, greenish yellow lobes, hairy on the upper side. Ovary 4–5 x 3–3.5mm, conical, green but covered with white hairs but without scales, ridged in the proximal ½, obtusely contracted distally; style c.5mm, green, hairy in the proximal ½, straight in young flowers but bending to place the stigma at the side of the flower; stigma green, 1.5mm in diameter. Fruit c.25 x 5mm, not seen mature.
Malaysia (Borneo), Sarawak, Mt Batu Lawi at Upper Limbang R., Mt Mulu and Mt Murud, Batu Tiban (7th Div.). Sabah, from the Long Pa Sia area. Indonesia, W Kalimantan (Borneo), on Mt Batu Tiban (G. Tiboeng) (as R. partitum).
Grows as an epiphyte in the shade of wet mossy forest or occasionally on the ground in open peaty situations
R. partitum J.J.Sm., Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit. III, 1935. 13: 453.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:270