Fedde Rep. 1932. 30: 170.
WFO ID: wfo-0000405392
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333276-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 2m. Twigs rounded, smooth, moderately densely brown scaly; internodes 1.7–4.5cm. Leaves 4–6 together in tight pseudowhorls. Blade 30–80 x 12–45mm, obovate to elliptic; apex broadly tapering, obtuse to rounded, sometimes slightly retuse; margin entire, narrowly revolute; base narrowly tapering; laxly scaly initially, glabrescent above, more densely and persistently scaly beneath. Scales variable in size, marginal zone narrow to moderately broad, sub-entire to dentate, the centre sometimes relatively large and dark brown, sometimes slightly impressed. Mid-vein impressed above, distinctly raised beneath; lateral veins 3–8 per side, straight below, curved and anastomosing before the edge, slightly impressed above, inconspicuously raised beneath, reticulation obscure. Petiole 5–8 x 2–3mm, grooved above, scaly. Flower buds to 12 x 8mm, green strongly flushed with dark purple, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, smooth with all bracts appressed and a broad rounded apex, glabrous apart from the fringe of brown, marginal scales. Bracts, the outer broadly triangular, the inner sub-circular, deeply concave, rounded but often splitting to become emarginate. Bracteoles c.10mm, filiform, basally c.1mm wide, broadening in the distal ½ to c.3mm, glabrous. Inflorescence 4–8-flowered, the flowers held stiffly semi-erect to half-hanging, white or very lightly flushed pink at the lobes as the buds open, strongly and sweetly scented. Pedicels 16–20 x c.1.75mm, red, densely scaly, and with sparse very small hairs. Calyx small, densely scaly, obliquely disc-shaped. Corolla 45–50 x 21–30mm, trumpet-shaped; tube 41–50 x 6–8 x 5–6mm, straight, cylindrical, sparsely covered with small brown scales outside, densely patently short-hairy inside in the proximal ½; lobes 10–13 x 10–12, sub-circular with irregular margins, spreading horizontally on opening, later reflexing, with a few scales outside. Stamens at first clustered centrally or slightly to the lower side of the mouth, later reflexing irregularly back against the lobes, becoming exserted to 6mm; filaments filiform, laxly hairy near the base only; anthers c.1.5 x 1mm. Disc sparsely hairy in the upper ½ or glabrous. Ovary c.7 x 2.5mm, cylindrical, gradually tapering distally; style 15–28 x c.1mm, white, with thick protruding scales almost to the top and a few hairs; stigma c.2mm in diameter, cream. Fruit 20–24 x 5–6mm, scaly, purple.
Indonesia, Maluku, C Seram, Mt Murkele, Mt Binaia.
Primary forest, abundant on limestone
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:170