Rhododendron sect. Vireya

'' Vireya are morphologically diverse, and characterised by seeds with tailed appendages, the presence of leaf idioblasts and capsule valves which twist upon opening. The formal description (Craven 2008) is: Scales sessile or sometimes stalked, lobed to deeply incised or sometimes entire; corolla campanulate, trumpet-like, salver-shaped, tubular or funnel-shaped; stamens (5–)10(–16), exserted to included, staminal filaments glabrous or hairy from the base; capsule valves twisting after dehiscence; seeds with a distinct tail at each end. ==Taxonomy==

Vireya is the largest of the three sections constituting subgenus Rhododendron, and includes about a third of all Rhododendron species. • section Albovireya • section Discovireya • section Hadranthe • section Malayovireya • section Pseudovireya • section Schistanthe • section Siphonovireya == Distribution ==

Vireya are found throughout the Malesian Archipelago – Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, the Philippines, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and Maluku – and in Papuasia, which includes New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands. Some Vireya species also occur in Australia, China, India, Nepal, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Only a few non-Vireya species occur in Malesia, in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and the Philippines. ==References==