First Flowering – R.lindaueanum
Introduced into cultivation in 2013 from West Papua, this species was received as seed from a ‘small heath-like rhododendron’. Grown from seed, the original plant is only 20cm high after 13 years and the first flowering is on a cutting from this plant. The flowers are solitary and small, only 12mm in length and hang vertically from the plant so are somewhat obscured by the foliage. Fair to say this plant is not a horticultural giant!
This may be the first flowering of this species in cultivation. Argent lists it as ‘not known to have been cultivated’, noting this publication dates from 2006 and there has been more
recent botanical expeditions to West Papua. One of the two flowers was removed for closer examination and identified using the keys in Rhododendron of subgenus
Vireya (Argent), then compared against the species description. The identification has been confirmed by Frédéric Danet, Collections Manager at Lyon Botanic Garden
in France, who has observed this species in the wild.
R. lindaueanum belongs to the Discovireya subsection of vireyas. Others in this group in cultivation in Australia include R. retusum, R. quadrasianum, R. monodii and R. perakense.
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