Fl. Ind. Bat. 1860. Suppl. 1: 251, 586.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400260
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332922-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 1.5m. Twigs c.2mm in diameter, rounded, green or red, laxly to sub-densely scaly, older parts glabrescent; internodes 1.5–7cm. Leaves 3–6 together in tight or loose pseudowhorls. Blade 30–70 x 7–20mm, narrowly elliptic, often slightly broader in the distal ½; apex acute or shortly acuminate; margin entire and flat; base narrowly tapering, sometimes shortly obtuse, sub-densely scaly at first on both sides, glabrescent above, scaly for a longer time beneath. Scales small, irregularly lobed and with minute, dark centres, shallowly impressed. Mid-vein prominent proximally above, smooth proximally for a few millimetres and then narrowly impressed distally; lateral veins 6–8 per side, straight and ascending, indistinctly anastomosing before the margin, very slightly raised on both sides, often indistinct. Petiole 2–6 x 1–2mm, not grooved, flattened with a few scales. Flower buds to 28 x 8mm, pale green, narrowly ovoid, acutely pointed, the bracts mostly appressed, the outermost sometimes slightly spreading, glabrous or with a few marginal scales. Bracts to 22 x 7–9mm, ovate to narrowly ovate, membranous, acute, glabrous and shining. Bracteoles to 15 x 1mm, linear, glabrous. Inflorescence an open umbel with 3–6 semi-erect to half-hanging flowers. Pedicels 15–25 x c.1.25mm, sparsely scaly or glabrous. Calyx c.4mm in diameter, oblique, rim-like, obtusely angled or very shortly lobed up to 1mm. Corolla 20–25 x 25–32mm, broadly funnel-shaped, sometimes sweetly scented, whitish cream to yellow, pink or red, lobed to halfway; tube 10–12 x 5–6 x 10–12mm, straight, glabrous outside, shortly hairy inside; lobes 13–15 x 11–13mm, spreading, overlapping up to halfway, sub-circular. Stamens irregularly spreading all round the mouth or loosely clustered on the lower side, exserted to 10mm; filaments linear, densely covered with long, spreading, white hairs in the proximal ¼–1⁄3, glabrous distally; anthers 1.5–2 x 1mm, broadly oblong to obovate. Disc prominent, glabrous. Ovary c.4 x 2mm, obovoid-cylindrical, glabrous, abruptly contracted distally; style glabrous, 7–10mm on the lower side of the tube but curving upwards; stigma c.1.5mm, obconical. Fruit 18–22 x c.5mm, sub-cylindrical.
Indonesia, Sumatra, widespread.
Mostly terrestrial in open places, hillsides or pastures, also near volcanoes, sometimes epiphytic in mountain forest. Locally common.
R. salicifolium (non Becc.) Blume, Fl. Jav. Pl. inéd. 1863–83. t.7 C, f.2. R. multicolor var. curtisii Hort., Garden 1884. 26: 433. R. curtisii T.Moore, Florist & Pomologist 1884. 113: t.615. Azalea multicolor (Miq.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 1891. 2: 387. R. javanicum (non (Blume) Benn.) Steen., Arch. Hydrobiol. 1932. Suppl. 11: 318.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:194