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Peter Norris, enabling the use of The Rhododendron Handbook 1998
New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.
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'Rhododendron sessilifolium' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Shrub to 3 m, usually terrestrial, young stems finely and smoothly, stellate-brown-scaly, becoming glabrescent. Leaves 8–16 × 2.5–5 cm, lanceolate to elliptic, the apex broadly to narrowly acute, sometimes abruptly acuminate, the margin mostly flat but rather wavy, the base truncate to subauriculate strongly rugose from the very short petiole; upper surface very finely scaly at first, soon glabrous, the midrib strongly raised for just over half its length, laterals 10–13 pairs, smooth or with the lamina sulcate between the veins near the middle of the leaf; underside with the midrib flat or only slightly raised, the laterals rather obscure, not raised at all; scales rather pale brown to translucent, lobed and impressed. Flowers 4–10 per umbel, erect to half hanging; calyx a low slightly angled disc; corolla bright yellow, broadly funnel-shaped, 2.5–3 × 3.5–5.5 cm, glabrous outside; stamens 10, rather irregular but mostly disposed in the lower 2/3 of the mouth of the flower; ovary with a few obscure scales, minutely papillose, style glabrous. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)
Distribution Indonesia Sumatra
Habitat 1,100–2,000 m
RHS Hardiness Rating H2
Conservation status Least concern (LC)
Delightful bright yellow flowers, very freely produced, the forms in cultivation appreciate a little more heat than most of the Vireyas. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)