Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 120 (‘maius’).
WFO ID: wfo-1000002498
Verified by:
Shrub to 2m. Twigs 3–5mm in diameter, rounded, tips laxly scaly; internodes 6–14cm. Leaves 6–10 together in well-marked pseudowhorls. Blade 50–90 x 22–40mm, elliptic; apex broadly tapering, obtuse; margin slightly revolute; base broadly tapering to rounded; sub-densely minutely impressed-spotted above with age, sub-densely and persistently scaly beneath. Scales dark, marginal zone coarsely dentate; centre slightly impressed. Mid-vein weakly impressed above, strongly prominent beneath, though more slender towards the apex of the lamina; lateral veins 9–10 per side, the lower 4–5 slightly curved, upper ones straight, all branched distally and anastomosing with each other and slightly impressed above, prominent beneath; finer reticulation dense and visibly prominent beneath. Petiole 4–10 x c.1.5mm, scaly. Flower buds to 30 x 15mm, ovoid, apiculate, reddish-brown, the tips of the bracts spreading to revolute. Outermost bracts narrowly triangular, reflexed becoming rolled back, inner bracts to 20 x 13mm, ovate, broadly reflexed, apiculate densely scaly and shortly semi-appressed hairy in the distal ½ and along the midline outside, densely brown scaly and minutely patently hairy inside in the reflexed apical portion, glabrous below, densely fringed with brown scales, the innermost (floral) bracts narrowly spathulate. Bracteoles 20 x 0.5mm, linear, white with just a few scattered scales. Inflorescence of (5)12–15 mostly horizontal flowers in an open umbel. Pedicels 10–25 x 2mm, thickened distally, sub-densely covered with thin reddish-brown scales. Calyx c.6mm in diameter, with irregular, triangular, obtuse or acute teeth, one of them often longer (up to 2mm). Corolla 70–90 x 25–30mm, trumpet-shaped, white, or white with a pink tube, sometimes darkening to red at the base, carnation-scented; tube 70–75 x 4–5 x 6–7mm, widest (7–8mm) at about ¾ of the distance from the base, slightly curved, laxly appressed-scaly outside, inside densely retrorse hairy in the proximal part, more laxly so in the upper part; lobes 12–14 x 10–17mm, obovate to circular, irregularly undulate at the margin, reflexing to right angles, the tips slightly more, glabrous except for some scales at the sinuses or the base of the lobes, overlapping ½–¾. Stamens at first clustered tightly at the upper side, exserted 7–8mm, later more irregular and spreading; filaments linear, laxly hairy in the proximal ½, gradually less hairy to become completely glabrous distally; anthers 3.5 x 1mm, narrowly oblong, base obtuse. Disc laxly appressed hairy or almost glabrous. Ovary 9–12 x 2mm, cylindrical or elongate-conical, tapering gradually distally, densely covered with coarse white or yellowish hairs, which cover the scales; style 50–55mm, densely patently hairy proximally, laxly hairy and scaly in the middle, glabrous in the upper 1⁄3; stigma globose-conical, crenulate.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Hubrecht Mts, Lake Habbema and Mt Jaya. Papua New Guinea, Marafunga and a form on Mt Wilhelm with 5-flowered umbels.
Terrestrial or epiphytic, in open places or on stream banks within the mossy forest.
R. carringtoniae F.Muell. var. majus J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 1917. 12: 511.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:176