Rhododendron stenophyllum Hook.f. ex Stapf

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Peter Norris, enabling the use of The Rhododendron Handbook 1998

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

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

Genus

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

endemic
(of a plant or an animal) Found in a native state only within a defined region or country.

Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

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

Shrub to 3 m, usually terrestrial; young stems smooth and very finely scaly. Leaves 4–7 × 0.14–0.5 cm, linear, the apex acute, the margin entire and flat, the base narrowly tapering; upper surface with small fine scales at first quickly becoming glabrescent, midrib a little impressed above, the lateral veins up to 7 pairs but obscure; lower surface with the midrib smooth and laterals obscure, the scales sparsely distributed, substellate with small centres. Flowers 1–5 per umbel, held horizontally or half hanging; calyx a low scaly ring; corolla opening orange but turning red with age, campanulate, 2.5–3.5 × 3–4.5 cm, glabrous outside; stamens 10, slightly dimorphic, arranged all round the mouth of the flower; ovary densely white hairy, style glabrous. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution  BruneiIndonesia Sabah and Northern Sarawak

Habitat 1,500–2,400 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H2

Conservation status Least concern (LC)

This species with its bizarre leaves is relatively easy to cultivate, it occurs in two distinct subspecific forms: subsp. stenophyllum is endemic to Mt Kinabalu and has leaves less than 25× as long as wide (2.5–6 mm wide); subsp. angustifolium is of much wider distribution in the wild and has leaves more than 30× as long as wide (1.4–2.2 mm wide). Royal Horticultural Society (1997)