Blumea 1973. 21: 361.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400269
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332946-1
Verified by:
Shrub to c.30cm. Twigs 0.5–1mm in diameter, very slender, stellately scaly with brown scales, when young, later glabrescent; internodes 2–8cm. Leaves in pseudowhorls, 2–4 together. Blade 20–50 x 5–20mm, narrowly to broadly elliptic; apex gradually tapering, broadly acute to obtuse; margin flat or a little revolute; base tapering; densely brown scaly on both sides when young. Scales deeply stellate, fragile; with a small centre from a minute tubercle. Mid-vein smooth above, raised below; lateral veins 5–6 per side, obscure on both sides, without reticulation. Petiole 2–4mm, slender, initially stellately scaly. Bracts to 8mm, ovate acuminate; outer ones narrowly ovate, subulate, outside densely stellately scaly, without hairs. Bracteoles c.10 x 1.5mm, almost linear, slightly broadened distally, sub-glabrous. Inflorescence 2–3-flowered, flowers half-hanging to hanging. Pedicels 5–9 x c.1mm, slender, brown-stellate-scaly, without hairs. Calyx c.3mm in diameter, obliquely saucer-shaped, hardly lobed, stellately scaly outside. Corolla 15mm, tubular, a little expanded at the lobes, slender, red or purple; tube c.10 x 2.5 x 3.5mm, glabrous on both sides, slightly 5-lobed at the base; lobes c.5 x 5mm, sub-circular. Stamens not exserted; filaments glabrous; anthers c.1mm long. Disc very shortly hairy. Ovary c.4 x 1.5mm, cylindrical, very densely brown stellate-scaly, without hairs, tapering distally; style c.6mm, scaly at the base, then distally shortly, grey-patently hairy, almost to the apex; stigma club-shaped. Fruit c.20 x 4mm, narrowly fusiform, scaly.
Papua New Guinea, New Britain, Kandrian subdistrict, Mt Klangal; Pomeo subdistrict, Mt Lululua; Talsea subdistrict, Mt Talawe, Mt Tangis
Epiphytic in Castanopsis or Nothofagus dominated montane forest.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:91