Rhododendron purpureiflorum J.J.Sm.

Med. Rijksherb. 1915. 25: 3.

WFO ID: wfo-0000400227

IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333184-1

Verified by:

Description

Shrub to 50cm. Twigs 1–1.5mm in diameter, sub-densely covered with orange-brown stellate scales; internodes 1.8–5.5cm. Leaves 3–6 together in pseudowhorls with several subulate cataphylls along the internodes. Blade 27–60 x 4–7(sometimes up to 11)mm, linear-elliptic; apex obtuse or broadly acute; margin flat; base tapering; scaly on both sides when young, glabrescent above with age, laxly persistently scaly beneath. Scales with the marginal zone irregularly, often obtusely, lobed, flat, pale; centre weakly or not impressed. Mid-vein impressed above, strongly obtusely prominent beneath; lateral veins obscure. Petiole 2–5mm, scaly. Inflorescence 2–4-flowered. Pedicels 12–15mm, slender, sub-densely orange-brown, stellately scaly. Calyx c.2.5mm in diameter, disc-shaped, oblique, scaly, very shortly obtusely 5-lobed. Corolla 27–32mm, tubular, somewhat zygomorphic, reddish-purple or pale pink, laxly sub-stellately scaly or glabrous outside, glabrous inside; tube 17–22 x c.4 x 6–7mm, sub-cylindrical, base pouched; lobes 7–9 x 5–6mm, half-spreading, broadly-obovate. Stamens unequal, the longest exserted to c.3mm; filaments linear, glabrous; anthers c.1.5mm, obovoid. Disc prominent, glabrous. Ovary c.4 x 1.6mm, fusiform, tapering both proximally and distally, densely scaly; style slender, glabrous, as long as the stamens; stigma sub-oblique, globose, purple.

Distribution

Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Perameles and Schrader Mts, and Idenberg R., near Bernhard Camp.

Altitude

Habitat

Epiphytic on tall trees in mossy forest.

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:225