Nurseries rubescem, fertilised by the pollen of that Azalea 

 calendulacea which is known as Lee's triumphans. Mr. 

 Herbert informs us that the seedlings thus raised are 

 very steril.e ; but that he has obtained from one of the 

 best varieties a few seeds which have vegetated. 



Mr. Gowen's remarks are as follow : 



m 



" I have much pleasure in giving you the history of the beautiful 

 seedling Azaleas, which flowered last summer in the Garden at High- 

 clere. Lord Caernarvon had long been desirous of raising seedlings 

 from crosses between the high-coloured and late-flowering varieties, 

 lo eff^ect this object, I selected for mother plants the Azalea coccinea 

 var. minor, A. coccinea var. major, and a late-flowering variety called 

 by some of the Nurserymen A. rubescens, by others A. autumnalis 

 rubra. The two first-mentioned varieties are in the climate of High- 

 clere, and perhaps throughout England, very unproductive of pollen, 

 rarely seeding when unassisted by art.. A. rubescens, is somewhat 

 juore prolific, but unaided may be reckoned a shy seeder also. 



*' The two A. coccineas were dusted witii the pollen of a late- 



nOWerinp- A. nnnfinn f«,. <:„>,r^™1 „.,„ _•_- • ^- TVT_ 



pontica 



No care was 



taken to deprive the plants experimented upon of their anthers, their 

 dencienr.v nf r*nll*in ho^ir^,^ i . • ^ ^ n/r i ii_j 



^ been ascertained. Many 



wnicft vvere found to contain heavy seed ; these were gathered at the 

 approach of winter, kept in a drawer some weeks, and sowed in the 

 111 St week in January. Of numbers which vegetated, about four 

 nuiidred seedlings were raised. The A.' rubescens was impregnated 

 witii the pollen of A. calendulacea var. triumphans, and from this 

 cross about a hundred were raised. Of the first-mentioned four 

 Hundred seedlings, perhaps three-fourths are, in foliage, inflorescence, 

 and iiabit, so like their father, A. pontica, that, though varying much 

 in tiie tints of the corolla, any person not aware of their origin would 

 leckon them mere seminal varieties of that species, so greatly does 

 us type predominate. Some are veiy lovely, especially one possess- 

 ing extraordmary merit, which we have named A. pontica versi- 

 color. Generally speaking, they run through many intermediate 

 snaues, from orange to the lightest cream colours, suffused with pink 

 m A pontica versicolor, and are very fragrant. The remaining 

 toui til part of these seedlings take after their mothers inhabit, but 

 nic.r toiiage is on a larger scale. The inflorescence preserves littl6 

 iiace ot A pontica, yet varies considerably from that of either of the 

 varieties of A. coccinea. The colours are more lively, and of various 

 tints of crimson and vivid pink or scarlet ; and there is in several, 

 paiticular y m the specimen (A. thyrsiflora) sent to you. a tendency 

 more or less developed to produce flowers laterally. In some the 

 vivid pink and light crimson tints are very beautiful; and there is 

 nardly an individual among them which, a few years ago, would not 

 ftave been thought an acquisition to the Garden. The seedlings 

 Jrom A. rubescens, by A. triumphans, were never with me the objects 

 Of so much solicitude as those just described. They surpass them 



