Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 207.
WFO ID: wfo-0000405517
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333244-1
Verified by:
Erect shrub, c.1.5m. Twigs 1.5–2mm in diameter, laxly sub-stellately scaly when young; internodes 1.5–10cm. Leaves 3–6 together in tight pseudowhorls, often with 1–2 much smaller leaves. Blade 50–105 x 25–50mm, ovate to ovate-elliptic; apex often long-acuminate, acute, obtuse, sometimes almost rounded and minutely emarginate; margin entire, narrowly revolute; base rounded to slightly cordate, glabrescent above, laxly to sub-densely scaly beneath. Scales variable in size; margin sub-stellately lobed, transparent and fragile; centre minute, impressed. Mid-vein narrowly impressed above, strongly raised beneath; lateral veins 6–8 per side, wide-spreading, curved-anastomosing before the margin, slightly raised above and beneath or almost inconspicuous, reticulation obscure. Petiole 1–4 x 1.5–2mm, grooved above. Flower buds to 27 x 17mm, minutely but densely hairy outside and laxly scaly. Bracts to 20 x 10mm, ovate, shortly acuminate, to obtuse, often splitting to appear emarginate, laxly scaly and minutely hairy outside, inner bracts obtuse, elliptic to sub-circular, densely hairy, not scaly. Bracteoles to 15 x 1mm, filiform below, sub-spathulate distally, densely hairy. Inflorescence an open umbel of 3–6 half-hanging to hanging, dark red flowers, without scent. Pedicels 25–38 x c.1mm, densely sub-patently hairy and very laxly or not scaly. Calyx c.3mm in diameter, disc-shaped, shortly obtusely angled, shortly hairy outside. Corolla 40–45 x 25–30mm, tubular-funnel-shaped; tube 25–35 x 5–6 x 12–14mm, slightly oblique, sparsely sub-stellately scaly outside, glabrous inside; lobes 10–12 x 8–10mm, broadly spathulate or sub-circular. Stamens arranged on lower side of the mouth, unequal, exserted to c.8mm; filaments linear, glabrous. Disc hairy especially at the upper margin. Ovary 6–7 x c.2.5mm, sub-cylindrical, tapering distally, densely patently hairy, the hairs hiding minute scales; style patently white-hairy proximally becoming less densely so and glabrous for the distal 2–4mm; stigma thick rounded. Fruit 40–48 x 5–6mm, fusiform, the outer layer peeling irregularly, the valves spreading widely and twisting when dry, the placentae irregularly breaking away from the base. Seeds 5–7mm, without tails 0.7–0.8mm, the longest tail c.4mm, the tails slender and wavy.
Indonesia, New Guinea (W), Wissel Lakes region, Valentin Mts, and Mt Jaya (Carstensz).
Terrestrial, in peaty swamps and on cliffs, epiphytic in sub-alpine shrubberies
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:308