Reinwardtia 1960. 5: 136.
WFO ID: wfo-0000405700
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:333611-1
Verified by:
Stiffly erect shrub to 2m. Twigs 1–2mm in diameter, rounded, tips densely covered with brown, stellate, stalked scales, glabrescent below with the small peg-like bases persisting. Leaves densely spirally arranged along the upper part of the twigs. Blade 7–14 x 4–9mm, ovate to ovate-elliptic, broadly elliptic or sub-circular; apex shortly acuminate, broadly acute to obtuse or rounded; margin entire or very weakly crenulate from indentations of scale bases, sometimes slightly revolute in the basal ½; base broadly tapering to rounded, sub-densely scaly on both sides initially, glabrescent and often a little shining above at maturity, persistently sub-densely or more sparsely scaly beneath. Scales flat, or somewhat domed, with the marginal zone irregularly obtusely stellate-incised to almost entire and circular; centre often broad and slightly domed. Mid-vein distinctly impressed above, weakly prominent beneath; lateral veins not visible. Petiole 1–2 x 1–1.5mm, weakly grooved and with dense, short, white hairs above and brown scales mostly beneath. Flower buds to 12 x 6mm, green often with a pink flush, ovoid but acutely pointed, with the bracts appressed except for the basal, partly leaf-like bracts which are wide-spreading. Outer bracts ovate-acuminate, shortly apiculate, or narrowly pointed, the outermost with a few scales outside; inner ones narrower, glabrous inside and out, except for the margins which are densely fringed with brown scales of which those in the lower parts are long stalked, the more distal ones almost sessile. Inflorescence of 1–4 hanging flowers. Bracteoles c.5mm, filiform. Pedicels 15–20 x c.1mm, densely covered with very shortly stalked stellate scales and more laxly with short patent white hairs. Calyx disc-shaped, spreading or reflexed, c.2.5mm in diameter, lobes broadly triangular, obtuse, scaly and finely hairy, c.1mm. Corolla 20–25 x 16–20mm, tubular, slightly dilated at the mouth, bright or deep red; tube 15–18 x 5–7 x 8–10mm, almost parallel sided but expanded just below the mouth, laxly stellately scaly outside and patently white hairy especially in the basal ½, glabrous inside; lobes c.8 x 9mm, sub-circular, overlapping ½–2⁄3, curved, the lower ½ almost vertical, the upper ½ widely spreading, with a few scales outside at the base and sometimes along the midline. Stamens arranged around the lower ½–2⁄3 of the mouth, exserted to c.5mm; filaments filiform, deep pink, glabrous; anthers 2 x 1mm, oblong, dark purplish-black and with grey pollen. Disc prominent, hairy on the upper margin. Ovary 3–4 x 1–1.5mm, sub-cylindrical, densely semi-erect to patently white hairy and sub-densely scaly, gradually tapering distally; style lying on the lower side of the mouth and nearly equalling the corolla in length, covered with spreading white hairs in the lower ½–2⁄3, glabrous distally; stigma club-shaped or sub-globose. Fruit 15–20 x 3–4mm, fusiform, hairy, greyish or purplish when almost ripe. Seeds 4mm including the tails.
Papua New Guinea, Eastern, Western and Southern Highlands; Morobe District: Rawlinson Range.
Mostly in open mossy forest or along forest margins, also in grassland above the timber line; mostly terrestrial, rarely epiphytic on mossy trunks. Locally common
R. aff. inconspicuum Stonor, Rhod. Yearbook 1951. 6: 51, f.52.
Argent, G. (2006) Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya. RHS:London. Page:151