J. Bot. 1896. 34: 356.
WFO ID: wfo-0000405691
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333599-1
Verified by:
Shrub to 2.5m. Twigs 2–4mm in diameter, densely hairy and scaly; internodes 2–5cm. Leaves 3–7 together in tight pseudowhorls. Blade 25–40 x 15–35mm, elliptic, obovate, or ovate; apex rounded, sometimes minutely emarginate, and sometimes with a minutely protruding terminal gland; margin entire or slightly irregular, flat or narrowly and weakly revolute; base tapering, slightly decurrent; laxly to sub-densely scaly on both sides at first, quickly glabrescent above, more persistently scaly beneath. Scales variable in size, the largest irregularly lobed, with small dark brown centres, smaller ones, circular dark brown, all impressed in shallow pits. Mid-vein impressed above, smooth, shallowly impressed or weakly prominent beneath (distinctly raised when dry); lateral veins 4–6 per side, emerging at c.45°, often only faintly visible above, smooth and faintly visible beneath, reticulation inconspicuous. Petiole 4–5 x 1–1.5mm, grooved above, flattened, brown-scaly and sometimes minutely hairy. Bracts 9–13 x 6–8mm, ovate, obtuse, laxly hairy outside, fringed with dark brown scales. Inflorescence 2–4-flowered, in an open umbel, flowers half-hanging. Pedicels c.13mm, scaly and long-hairy, or sometimes entirely without hairs. Calyx c.3mm in diameter, small, disc-shaped, obscurely lobed, shortly hairy outside. Corolla 22–30 x 23–27mm, funnel-shaped, red, without scent; tube 10–15 x 4–4.5 x 5–8mm, straight, grooved, laxly hairy and scaly outside, glabrous or laxly hairy inside; lobes c.12 x 12mm, obovate-spathulate, spreading almost to the horizontal, not overlapping, laxly scaly and sometimes with a few hairs proximally outside. Stamens exserted 17–20mm; filaments linear and densely sub-patently hairy in the lower ½, filiform and glabrous distally; anthers narrowly oblong, c.3 x 1mm. Disc prominent, glabrous below, shortly hairy on the upper margin. Ovary c.5 x 1mm, cylindrical, densely hairy with appressed hairs which cover small scales, abruptly tapering distally; style c.10mm, patently hairy in its lower 1⁄3–2⁄3, glabrous distally; stigma round. Fruit c.25 x 5–6mm.
Philippines, Luzon, Mountain Province, Ifugao subprovince, Mt Polis; Mt Tabayoc; Benguet subprovince, Mt Pulag; Zambales Province, Mt Tapulao.
Epiphytic or terrestrial in shrubberies, banks or open mossy forest, considered to be rare.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:209