Bot. Jahr. 1918. 55: 150.
WFO ID: wfo-0000405496
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333205-1
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Slender much-branched shrub to 1.5m. Twigs 1–2mm in diameter, rounded, tips densely brown-scaly, older parts glabrescent, somewhat rough; internodes 2–10cm. Leaves 2–5 together in pseudowhorls, often very different in size in the same whorl, with some very reduced leaves between them. Blade 25–60 x 6–15mm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate-elliptic, usually broadest in the proximal 1⁄3; apex gradually long-acuminate, acute but often with the extreme point obtuse or rounded; margin entire or weakly and irregularly sinuate, flat when fresh or slightly revolute especially near the base when dry; base rounded or broadly tapering; with sparse silvery scales above and sparse brown scales below, quickly glabrescent above, more persistently scaly beneath but eventually also glabrescent there, old leaves a little rough to the touch on both sides. Scales deeply stellately divided, dendroid, each on top of a minute, persistent, epidermal tubercle. Mid-vein impressed above and prominent beneath; lateral veins obscure. Petiole 2–4 x 0.75–1mm, slender, minutely grooved above and densely scaly. Flower buds to 12 x 7mm, ovoid, acute. Bracts to 10 x 6mm; outer bracts with spreading tips or these sometimes incurved, subulate, densely scaly outside; inner bracts broadly ovate, abruptly subulate, densely brown scaly outside in a broad stripe which expands distally, all bracts marginally scaly and glabrous inside. Bracteoles to 10mm, linear to filiform, scaly in the distal ½. Inflorescence of solitary or paired flowers, rarely more in the wild, although the close proximity of flower buds can give the appearance of 3–4-flowered umbels. Flowers hanging or half-hanging. Pedicels 7–10 x c.1mm, densely stellately scaly. Calyx c.2mm in diameter, small, disc-like, not or very shortly obtusely lobed, scaly. Corolla 25–35 x 20–25mm, pink to dark red, distinctly zygomorphic; tube 20–28 x 4–6 x 8–9mm, curved, densely stellately scaly and without hairs outside, glabrous or very laxly hairy inside; lobes 8–12 x 8–13mm, broadly obovate to sub-circular. Stamens clustered on the upper side of the corolla, slightly unequal, exserted to c.7mm; filaments narrowly linear, pink to red, glabrous proximally, laxly patently hairy in the middle, glabrous distally; anthers c.2 x 1mm, oblong, brown to purplish-black. Disc glabrous or scaly on the upper margin. Ovary c.6 x 2–2.5mm, sub-cylindrical, densely stellately scaly, gradually tapering distally; style held on the upper side of the tube, pink, scaly in the proximal 1–2mm and with semi-appressed distally pointing hairs to within 1–2mm of the apex; stigma remaining well short of the mouth of the flower even when receptive, club-shaped, purple. Fruit 30–40 x 4–5mm, narrowly oblong, the valves curving back and often twisting, the placentae breaking away from the base of the column and curving outwards. Seeds c.4mm including the tails.
Papua New Guinea, widespread along the Central and Bismarck Ranges: Western, Southern and Eastern Highlands, West Sepik District.
Primarily an epiphytic species of the lower moss forest, it was reported as common, growing terrestrially on road cuts by van Royen & Kores (1982).
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:96