Description

Shrub to 60cm. Twigs rounded, c.1.5–2mm in diameter, densely brown scaly, the scales on slender stalks which leave the surface appearing shortly hairy after the scales have fallen off; internodes 1–2cm. Leaves in tight pseudowhorls, with 2–3 full-sized leaves and sometimes one or two smaller ones. Blade 15–35 x 10–25mm, ovate, occasionally broadly elliptic; apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes minutely emarginate; margin entire or minutely crenulate, slightly cartilaginous, flat; base cordate, green and sparsely scaly above, quickly becoming glabrescent, sometimes weakly sulcate; below sparsely but more persistently brown scaly. Scales rounded to somewhat lobed and slightly impressed. Mid-vein narrow and slightly impressed in the proximal ½, otherwise smooth above, distinctly raised below, at least in the larger leaves; lateral veins 4–6 per side, wide-spreading, slightly raised above, obscure below. Petiole 2–3 x 1–1.75mm, weakly grooved above, scaly, semi-erect so that the leaves appear almost sessile. Flower buds c.11 x 3mm, smooth, imbricate, green or lightly flushed with purple, narrowly ellipsoid to ovoid, surrounded by one or two cataphylls which are densely scaly and hairy on both sides. Outer bracts broadly ovate brown scaly outside and fringed with scales, glabrous inside, inner bracts ovate, glabrous or with a small group of scales near the apex and a fringe of very fragile scales which leave short hairs when they have fallen off. Inflorescence of solitary, hanging flowers, rarely in twos. Pedicels 8–12 x c.1.25mm, pink, densely covered with short patent hairs. Calyx green, densely patently hairy. Corolla 28–33 x 22–28mm, dull purple; tube 20–25 x 6 x 9–10mm, strongly curved, glabrous outside and inside; lobes c.10–12 x 9–11mm, spreading horizontally or a little reflexed, overlapping to c.¼. Stamens tightly clustered on the upper side of the mouth, sometimes exserted to 4mm; filaments purplish-red, glabrous; anthers c.1.8 x 1mm, brown. Disc green, sub-glabrous to densely hairy on the upper margin. Ovary 4 x 2.5mm, green, conical, covered in silvery scales and distally pointed white hairs; style 7–10mm, (elongating to 20mm in fruit), green or red, glabrous, or with a few patent hairs near the base, held on the upper side of the tube. Fruit 16–21 x c.5mm, horizontal to semi-erect, green and weakly longitudinally grooved with a persistent purple style, the valves curling back beyond the horizontal and becoming slightly twisted, the placentae remaining adherent to the central column. Seeds 4–5mm, without tails c.1mm, the longest tail c.2mm, tails often somewhat crimped.

Distribution

Papua New Guinea, known from the Eastern Highlands, Kundiawa subdistrict, Sina Sina, Mt Giluwe, Southern Highlands and Enga Province

Altitude

Habitat

Recorded as both an epiphyte and terrestrial but mostly epiphytic and probably under-recorded due to its rather inconspicuous flowers.

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:217