Rhododendron perakense King & Gamble

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

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'Rhododendron perakense' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-perakense/). Accessed 2024-03-18.

Genus

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'Rhododendron perakense' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-perakense/). Accessed 2024-03-18.

Shrub to 2 m, epiphytic, young stems fairly densely covered in golden brown scales on long epidermal tubercles. Leaves 1.3–1.7 × 0.7–1 cm, elliptic, broadly elliptic or obovate, the apex rounded or often slightly retuse the margin strongly revolute, the whole leaf being convex, the base tapering; upper surface finely but rather conspicuously brown-scaly at first becoming glabrescent with age, the midrib impressed throughout its length as are the 1–3 pairs of lateral veins; lower surface with the midrib strongly raised throughout its length as are the laterals, the scales well spaced, disc- or funnel-shaped, pale brown and slightly sunken in small pits. Flowers 2–5 per umbel, horizontal to hanging; calyx a densely scaly, 5-lobed ring; corolla yellow or white, tubular or tubular-campanulate, 10–15 × 0.6–0.8 cm, with scattered scales outside; stamens 10, regularly arranged inside the mouth of the flower; ovary densely scaly, the style glabrous. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution  Malaysia W

Habitat 1,700–1,900 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H2

Conservation status Least concern (LC)

A pretty species only known with yellow flowers in cultivation, it appears to habitually self pollinate and to be an inbreeding species. It grows weakly on its own roots but more strongly when grafted onto R. fragrantissimum. It is reported to be incompatible when grafted with Subsection Vireya stock. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)