Blumea 1973. 21(2): 376.
WFO ID: wfo-0000400183
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333128-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 2m. Twigs green, rounded, at first covered in small pale brown or transparent scales but quickly glabrescent. Lateral buds often distinct, reddish, triangular and pointed. Leaves in distinct pseudowhorls of 4–6 large and a few small ones. Blade 50–72 x 18–32mm, ovate or elliptic; apex rounded or retuse; margin entire but broadly revolute; base tapering; dark green, quickly glabrescent and shiny above, sparsely scaly, paler and dull beneath. Scales lobed, to stellate, brown. Mid-vein impressed above, strongly raised below throughout its length; lateral veins 3 or 4 per side, spreading at c.80°, often rather obscure. Petiole 2–6 x 3–4mm, weakly grooved, finely scaly, minutely hairy on the upper side, often purplish-red. Flower buds 14 x 8mm, broadly ellipsoid, smooth, green to dark red, minutely hairy outside and with a few pale brown scales. Bracts broadly ovate with rounded apices which often split so as to become emarginate, the margins densely scaly, inside glabrous. Bracteoles filiform, grooved, with a few scales distally especially on the margins. Inflorescence a 3–7-flowered umbel, the flowers hanging vertically downwards. Pedicels 20–37 x c.1.25mm, with patent white hairs and a few scales, green or red. Calyx a low circular or weakly angular disc, densely scaly and with a few simple hairs. Corolla 50–80 x 27–30mm, pink or pinkish-violet, without scent; tube 40–60 x 7–8 x 10–12mm, slightly curved and strongly fluted proximally; lobes 21–22 x 10–12mm, sub-erect on opening and overlapping ½–2⁄3, later spreading and not overlapping. Stamens distributed around the lower side of the mouth of the flower; filaments 60mm, glabrous to the base or hairy in the proximal 1⁄3, mostly white, becoming pink distally; anthers 2.5 x 1mm, exserted to c.12mm, pale brown with an outwardly curved point at the end of each cell. Ovary 12 x 3.5mm, green, with spreading hairs and some scales; style 50mm, green, white or flushed pink, glabrous; stigma circular, c.2mm in diameter. Fruit 30–32 x 5–6mm, hairy and scaly, on opening the valves curving back to a wide angle and the placentae separating from the central column. Seeds 3.2mm, without tails 1mm, the longest tail 1.2mm.
Malaysia (Borneo), Sabah, Mt Kinabalu, Mt Alab, along the Crocker Range to near Tenom.
Montane forest, mostly epiphytic.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:268