Description

Shrub to 5m. Twigs 2.5–4mm, rounded, laxly scaly but quickly glabrescent, smooth; internodes 2–11.5cm. Leaves spirally arranged. Blade 50–85 x 20–40mm, elliptic, sub-ovate; apex shortly acuminate, acute; margin entire, shortly and narrowly recurved; base broadly tapering to nearly rounded; quickly glabrescent above; more persistently laxly scaly beneath but eventually glabrescent. Scales small, flat, marginal zone irregularly lobed; centre weakly or not impressed. Mid-vein raised above in the proximal ½, then smooth or very slightly impressed, strongly raised beneath almost to the apex; lateral veins 8–10 per side, spreading at c.45°, straight at the base, then sharply curving upwards before the margin and obscurely anastomosing, slightly prominent or smooth on both sides, reticulation faint or obscure. Petiole 5–20 x 2–3.5mm, without a groove, laxly scaly. Bracts to 35 x 10mm, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, obtuse, membranous, glabrous. Bracteoles c.25 x 1mm, linear, glabrous. Inflorescence 7–11-flowered in a complete umbel. Pedicels 20–34 x 2–3mm, thickened at the apex, sparsely scaly or practically glabrous. Calyx c.5mm in diameter, oblique, shortly cup- or disc-shaped, thickened, obscurely or not lobed, occasionally with slender petaloid lobes up to 40mm, laxly scaly outside. Corolla 50–56 x 80mm, broadly funnel-shaped, light violet, orange, yellow or red; tube 18–26 x 6–10 x 15–20mm, base lobed, glabrous outside and inside; lobes 35–40 x 22–23mm, unequal, elliptic to obovate, spreading, overlapping up to 1⁄5. Stamens exserted to c.10mm, irregularly arranged mostly in the lower ½ of the mouth; filaments yellow, flat, linear, glabrous; anthers 3–4 x c.1mm, cream, oblong, somewhat curved, base blunt or minutely apiculate. Disc prominent, glabrous. Ovary c.6 x 3mm, oblong-conical, glabrous, minutely rugulose, abruptly contracted distally; style 15–20mm, green, glabrous, at first on the lower side of the corolla tube, curving in the distal ¼ so that the stigma is presented centrally; stigma 3–4mm in diameter, lobed. Fruit 35–40 x 7–8mm, fusiform, glabrous.

Distribution

Indonesia, Maluku, (Seram, Buru, and Ambon); Sulawesi, pass between Lake Poso and Wotu; Mt Wawonoeru, SW of Soroako.

Altitude

Habitat

Light forest and gaps in primary forest. Often in limestone areas, locally abundant.

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:267