Rhododendron christianae Sleumer

Shrub to 3 m, terrestrial, twigs with a very fine covering of scales. Leaves 4–7.5 × 3–4.5 cm, elliptic, broadly elliptic or sub-obovate, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes shortly acuminate, margin entire and flat, base broadly wedge-shaped; upper surface at first minutely scaly, quickly becoming glabrous, midrib slightly impressed otherwise the surface smooth, the laterals 5–7 pairs but obscure; lower surface with the midrib slightly raised, the lateral not raised almost as obscure as on the upper side, scales well spaced, brown, rounded to lobed and with small, darker brown centres. Flowers 2–7 per umbel, semi-erect, horizontal or half-hanging; calyx a lobed scaly ring; corolla yellow or greenish yellow with orange lobes, cylindrical with a straight but deeply fluted tube, 2.5–3.5 × 2.5–3.5 cm, minutely scaly on the tube outside; stamens 10, spreading irregularly from the mouth of the flower sometimes somewhat upturned; ovary white-hairy and obscurely scaly, the style, hairy and scaly for about 3/4 of its length. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution  Papua New Guinea SE, Milne Bay District

Habitat 600–1,500 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H2

Conservation status Least concern (LC)