Bot. Mag. 1911. t.8372.
WFO ID: wfo-0000405429
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333401-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 2m. Twigs c.3mm in diameter, rounded, densely patently long, white-hairy and laxly covered with brown scales; internodes 1.5–4cm. Leaves in lax pseudowhorls of 7–10 larger and 2–4 smaller leaves, sometimes sub-spirally arranged. Blade 30–55 x 9–20mm, elliptic, often appearing narrowly elliptic as it is strongly revolute; apex broadly acute, obtuse or rounded; margin entire, broadly revolute; base broadly tapering to rounded; densely white hairy and more laxly scaly both above and below. Scales with long narrow arms, sub-dendroid but not on raised epidermal tubercles. Mid-vein slightly raised above proximally, and then impressed distally to the apex, weakly raised below; lateral veins hardly visible in the fresh state, about 6 per side, narrowly angled, sometimes visible after drying. Petiole 2–5 x 2–4mm, with a shallow groove, densely hairy and scaly. Flower buds to 30 x 14mm, ellipsoid, pale green, smooth. Bracts broadly ovate to spathulate, densely appressed hairy outside and with a few very small brown scales, brown scaly and with some hairs along the margins, glabrous inside. Inflorescence an open umbel of 7–18 semi- or fully erect flowers. Pedicels 5–8 x 2mm, pale green, densely hairy and with a few pale scales. Calyx a low ring. Corolla 50 x 25mm, white, sweetly scented or without scent; tube 40–46 x 5 x 3mm, narrowing gradually from the base upwards, straight or slightly curved, sub-densely hairy and brown scaly outside, glabrous inside; lobes 15 x 9mm, not or hardly overlapping, strongly reflexed, scaly and hairy outside except near the margins. Stamens irregularly spread around the flower, exserted to c.10mm before reflexing back against the lobes; filaments white, c.58mm, glabrous; anthers c.1.75 x 1mm, pale-brown. Ovary c.8 x 2mm, cylindrical, densely hairy with semi-appressed white hairs and white scales; style 55 x 1mm, white or pale pink, hairy, the hairs spreading at the base, appressed above and with white scales to within 4mm of the apex; stigma hardly expanded, c.1mm in diameter, strongly exserted to 18mm. Fruit 30–40 x 6mm, the valves twisting on opening. Seeds 5mm, without tails 1.5mm, the longest tail 2.5mm.
Malaysia (Borneo), Sabah, Mt Kinabalu, Mt Tambuyukon and along the Crocker Range to Mt Alab, Mt Trus Madi, Mt Lotung. Sarawak, Mt Mulu, Batu Lawi. Indonesia, Kalimantan from Mt Palimasan. Brunei, Temburong R., Tutong R.
Mostly epiphytic on the branches of tall trees in sub-montane forest but occasionally growing terrestrially in disturbances such as road cuttings and landslides.
R. lacteum Stapf, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, II, Bot. 1894. 4: 197, t.15 A 1–2.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:161