Description

Shrub to 3m. Twigs 1.5–2.5mm in diameter, rounded, often glaucous, sparsely scaly. Leaves 3–7 together in tight pseudowhorls. Blade 17–85 x 10–29mm, elliptic to ovate; apex tapering to broadly rounded; margin flat to slightly recurved; base shallowly cordate to broadly tapering. Scales remotely spaced on both sides, flat, thin with a broad lobed margin and small central area. Mid-vein impressed above, slightly raised below; lateral veins 4–7 per side curving upwards towards the margin, raised both above and below, reticulation obscure above, below slightly raised, the leaf surface often furrowed. Petiole 2–7mm, with sub-persistent scales. Bracts to 14 x 2mm, with scaly margins, the outer ovate, c.5 x 5mm, the apex mucronate, the internal bracts sub-linear, apex rounded. Inflorescence of 5–8, half-hanging flowers in an open umbel. Pedicels 8–15 x 0.4–0.9mm, covered with scales and simple hairs. Calyx c.1.8mm in diameter, obliquely disc-shaped, weakly 5-lobed, with scales and hairs outside, inside glabrous. Corolla pink, tubular, expanded distally but contracted shortly below the mouth; tube 53–78 x 4.3–8.2 x 3.5–7.5mm, curved, outside sparsely scaly, inside covered with short hairs especially proximally; lobes 7.5–10.5mm, spreading, apex rounded to weakly retuse. Stamens clustered together; filaments 65–76mm, densely covered with white hairs in the proximal ½; anthers 2.6–3.5mm, exserted to c.10mm. Disc covered with hairs. Ovary 7–9.5mm, densely scaly; style 58–82mm, scaly becoming laxly so upwards; stigma 1–1.4mm wide, becoming exserted.

Distribution

Indonesia, New Guinea (W), above Tembagapura near Mt Jaya (Carstensz) and also in the vicinity of Mt Trichora (Wilhelmina).

Altitude

Habitat

Terrestrial shrub in open sub-alpine woodland or shrubberies, occasionally epiphytic.

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:175