Tab. 7621. 

 RHODODENDRON eubiginostjm. Franeh. 



Native of Yunnan. 



Nat. Ord. Ericaceae.— Tribe Riiodore,e. 

 Genus Rhododendron, Linn. (Benth. & Hoolc.f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 599.) 



Rhododendron rubiginosum ; frutex 3-pedalis, glaberrimus, ramis robastis 

 petiolis foliisque subtus flavo-brunneis squamulis rufo-brunneis dense 

 lepidotis, gemmis foliiferis parvi?, foliis petiolatia 2-3-pollicaribns 

 oblongo- or ovato-lanceolatis utrinque acutis coriaceis supra luride 

 viridibus opacis sparse lepidotis, nervis secundariis utrinque costse 6-12 

 gracilibus, rloribus 4^8 corymbosis breviter pedicellatis, calyce minuto 

 obtuse breviter 5-lobo, corolla 1| poll, expans. laete rosea, tubo late 

 infundibulari extus sparse lepidoto, lobis tubo brevioribus rotundatis 

 undulatis 2 posticis rubro maculatis, staminibus 10 corolla brevioribus, 

 filamentis infra medium pubescentibus, antheris rubris, ovario oblongo 

 5-loculari lepidoto, stylo glabro. 



R. rubiginosum, Franeh. in Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. vol. xxxiv. (1887) p. 282. 

 Forbes & Hemsl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxvi. (1889) 30. 



This is another of the swarm of Western Chinese 

 Rhododendrons discovered by the indefatigable Abbe 

 Delavay, and described by M. Franchet in the Bulletin of 

 the Botanical Society of France. Its nearest ally, accord- 

 ing to him, is R. polylepis, from the same country, which has 

 similar coloured lepidote scales on the corolla, and on the 

 under surface of the leaf, but has exserted stamens. 



Another near congener is from a very distant country, 

 namely, R. punctata m, Andr. (Bot. Rep. t. 36, Bot. Mag. 

 t. 2285, Bot, Reg. i. t. 37, Wats. Dendrolog. ii. t. 162 A., 

 Vent. Hort. Cels. t. 15) of the mountains of Georgia and 

 N. Carolina. A glance at the figure of that plant in this 

 work shows how marked the resemblance is between it and 

 U. rvbi'jinosum, and bearing in mind that the flowers of 

 R. jpundatum vary greatly in size and colour (as the figures 

 above cited show), it is difficult to say how the two are to 

 be distinguished, except by the much larger flower of the 

 Chinese plant, which has also disproportionately large 

 highly coloured anthers, and much less hairy filaments. 

 Differential characters may be found in the fruit of the 

 latter which is not known. 



M. Franchet describes the interior of the corolla-tube 

 October 1st, 1898. 



