Description

Shrub to c.80cm. Stems green, rounded, c.3mm in diameter, moderately densely covered in brown stellate scales. Leaves in close pseudowhorls 1–2cm apart, consisting mostly of 6–7 leaves. Blade 50–80 x 15–30mm, elliptic to slightly obovate; apex acute to broadly acute, sometimes shortly acuminate or apiculate; margin entire, flat, narrowly cartilaginous; base broadly tapering; with sparse silvery, sub-circular scales at first above but quickly glabrescent; below moderately brown scaly. Scales rounded or weakly lobed, slightly impressed; centres small, 1–3 diameters apart in the mature leaves. Mid-vein narrowly impressed above although slightly prominent just above the petiole where it is also faintly grooved; beneath broadly raised for c.¾ of the length proximally; lateral veins 6–10 per side, smooth, spreading broadly but then curving upwards to link with the vein above before the margin, distinct above but obscure below. Petiole 6–10 x 1.5–2mm, not grooved above, pale green with brown stellate scales. Flower buds to 40 x 20mm, ovoid, green, acutely pointed with a gradual transition from foliage leaves to bracts, these transitional forms having a smaller but distinct foliar blade with broad translucent decurrent margins instead of a petiole; inner bracts narrowly ovate to subulate with spreading points. Bracts glabrous or with a few, scattered scales outside and along the margins but no simple hairs. Pedicels 9–15 x 1–2mm, orange, moderately scaly but without simple hairs. Inflorescence of 6–10 flowers in a complete umbel. Flowers 32–40 x 30–40mm, held erect or semi-erect, bright orange with a red star in the throat, the points extended as lines along the lobes, without scent. Calyx a low scaly disc. Corolla tube c.15 x 6 x 13mm, glabrous outside, white hairy in the proximal ½ inside; lobes 15–30 x 12–22mm, semi-erect, overlapping ½–¾ of their length, rounded or weakly emarginate at the apex. Stamens regularly arranged around the mouth of the flower, exserted to c.5mm, distinctly dimorphic; filaments pale orange, with long white hairs in the proximal 1⁄3, glabrous distally; anthers c.3 x 1.5mm, dark purple. Disc green, almost glabrous but with a few short hairs on the upper margin. Ovary c.6.5 x 3mm, ellipsoid, silvery-scaly and densely white hairy; style c.14 x 0.8mm, orange, at first lying on the lower side of the corolla tube, rising to a central position as the flower ages, glabrous; stigma c.3mm in diameter, purplish-red, hardly expanded from the style. Fruit sub-cylindrical, tapering distally to the style, grooved longitudinally in the proximal 2⁄3, 20–25 x c.6mm, the calyx slightly accrescent; on splitting the outer layer peeling back irregularly, the valves spreading to c.45°, the placentae remaining adherent to the central column. Seeds c.3.7mm, without tails c.0.8mm, the longest tail 1.5mm.

Rhododendron reynosoi Argent

Description

Distribution

Altitude

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