Description

Shrub. Twigs flattened at the ultimate internodes (10cm), densely covered with fragile brown-stellate scales, becoming glabrescent. Leaves laxly spirally arranged in the upper ½ of the upper internode, the highest 2 leaves sub-opposite or 3 in a pseudowhorl. Blade 80–130 x 40–70mm, elliptic or sub-ovate-elliptic; apex obtuse, nearly rounded; margin distinctly revolute; base sub-truncate to rounded; young leaves scaly on both sides, quickly glabrescent above, more slowly so beneath, at maturity very densely covered with pale tubercles, that make them rough on both sides. Scales small, stellately divided to dendroid, each on top of a distinct epidermal tubercle. Mid-vein as thick as the petiole below, gradually narrower towards the apex of the lamina, slightly impressed above, prominent beneath; lateral veins c.8 per side, straight and clearly raised below, disappearing upwards on both sides, no distinct reticulation. Petiole 20–25 x 3–4mm, a little flattened, grooved above, densely scaly and minutely warty. Outer bracts c.20 x 10–15mm, ovate, obtuse, rough with numerous, stiff, short hairs both in and outside, middle ones obovate, 25–40 x 20–30mm and similarly rough, innermost ones 40–70 x 25–30mm, spathulate, covered with longer, stiff, appressed hairs at the base outside, minutely tubercled upwards. Bracteoles c.50 x 2mm, linear-spathulate, sub-densely hairy. Inflorescence 3–5-flowered. Pedicels 6–15 x 2–2.5mm, brown-stellate-scaly, not hairy. Calyx disc-shaped, membranous, very short, wavy, obscurely lobed, scaly outside, glabrous inside, the lobes very laxly and shortly whitish ciliate. Corolla c.90mm, funnel-shaped, fleshy, colour not known (white or pinkish?); tube 50 x 8 x 15mm, straight, laxly stellately scaly outside, densely covered with retrorse hairs in the proximal ½ inside; lobes c.40 x 20–25mm, 7, obovate-spathulate. Stamens 14, 70–80mm long; filaments linear and densely patently long-hairy proximally, becoming more laxly hairy, glabrous distally; anthers 10–11 x 1.5mm, linear-oblong, the base obtuse. Disc densely white-hairy. Ovary c.2mm long, c.5mm diameter below, 2.5mm diameter in the upper part, cylindrical, densely hairy and scaly below, constricted upwards in form of a bottle-neck and exclusively scaly there; style c.65mm appearing abruptly joined to the ovary due to the thick scaly covering at its base, completely glabrous above the base, blackish when dry; stigma thick-globose, 7-lobed.

Distribution

Altitude

Habitat

Nomenclatural History

R. magnificum Sleumer, Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 84, non K.F.Ward, J. Bot. 1935. 73: 247.

Notes

References

Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:104