J. As. Soc. Beng. 1905. 74(2): 76.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400208
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333063-1
Verified by:
Small shrub, occasionally up to 1.8m. Twigs slender, rounded, warty with the dense covering of stalked scales in the youngest parts, later rough with these persistent scale stalks. Leaves 3–7 together in pseudowhorls. Blade 13–20 x 5–10mm, obovate to spathulate; apex rounded-obtuse, sometimes minutely retuse; margin entire, strongly recurved; base narrowly tapering; silvery scaly at first above later glabrescent, laxly to sub-densely and more persistently brown scaly beneath. Scales sparsely distributed, sessile, circular, entire or undulate with a narrow to quite broad marginal zone, and thick somewhat impressed centre, sometimes with two concentric rings and a small brown centre. Mid-vein strongly impressed above, sometimes with a few white hairs proximally in the groove, thick and prominent beneath; lateral veins 2–3 per side, spreading, slightly impressed above, and slightly raised beneath, reticulation obscure. Petiole 2–3 x 1–1.5mm, grooved above, yellow, scaly and very shortly hairy. Flower buds to 9 x 5mm, obovate with obtuse to rounded apices, smooth, the bract tips appressed. Outer bracts shortly subulate, scaly outside, glabrous inside, the inner ones to 6 x 3mm, ovate, obtuse often mucronate, scaly at the top outside, densely white-ciliate on the margins. Bracteoles to 6.5mm, filiform, glabrous except for one or two scales near the apex. Inflorescence an open umbel with 3–5 flowers per umbel (up to 7 in cultivation), the flowers held more or less horizontally. Pedicels 5–7 x 0.75mm, green, densely covered with stalked scales, without hairs. Calyx minute, shortly obtusely 5-lobed, sometimes with one or two longer, acute lobes, to 3mm, densely scaly. Corolla 8–10 x 4–7mm, white? or bright yellow; tube 5.5–6.5 x 3–3.5 x 4.5–5.5mm, straight, cylindrical, or widening slightly distally, moderately silvery or translucent-scaly outside, glabrous inside; lobes 2.2–2.5 x c.3mm, held stiffly erect, or only very slightly spreading, overlapping up to ¾, retuse, with some silvery, translucent scales outside except near the margins. Stamens irregularly clustered centrally in the mouth of the flower; filaments linear, yellow, slightly broadened towards the base, glabrous; anthers c.0.6 x 0.5mm, brown, strongly inwardly curved. Disc glabrous. Ovary conical, c.2mm, densely scaly; style 3–4mm, green, glabrous; stigma rounded. Fruit 8–11 x 3–4mm, sub-cylindrical, yellow, deeply 5-furrowed longitudinally, scaly; valves curving outwards, straight or a little twisted, placentae remaining coherent with the central column. Seeds 1.8–2.3mm, without tails 0.7–1mm, the longest tail 1mm, the tails distinctly broad and often with more than one point.
Malaysia (W), Pahang, Cameron Highlands, Mt Brinchang.
In mossy summit forest, usually epiphytic, locally common
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:40