Description
Rhododendron pleianthum SEH#11014 This is a large shrubby species native to Papua New Guinea. It has been rated as one of the most beautiful species on that island. The elliptic leaves can be quite large, we saw some that were a foot in length growing in the wild, but they are likely to be smaller in cultivation. To quote Dr. George Argent in his fine publication Rhododendrons of Subgenus Vireya (quoting Michael Black on a trek in PNG) "Its elegant pink and white flowers were scented rather like a daphne lying in trusses almost like loudspeakers. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the plant". It is considered one of the finest vireyas horticulturally and flowers well even as a young plant. (+32R14) RSBG#242sd2011