Tad. 7881. 

 RHODODENDRON beachyoaepum. 

 Native of Japan. 



Nat. Ord. Ekice^.— Rhodorejc. 

 G«nus Rhododendron, Linn.; (Benth. & RooJc.f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 592.) 



Rhododendron (Eurhododendron) brachycarpum; frutex 8-10-pedalis eglandu- 

 losus, ramia ramulisque robustis glabris novellis pubescentibus, foliis 

 4-6 poll, longis coriaceia oblongis lineari-oblongisve obtusis apiculatisve 

 basi cuneatis v. rotundatis supra glabris saturate viridibus subtus glabris 

 v. tomento brunneo appresso laxe v. dense stellatim-pubescentibus, nervis 

 10-15 utrinque costse tenuibus, petiolo robusto brevi, corymbo terminali 

 globoso sessili multi-densifloro, bracteis ovato-rotundatis acuminatis craase 

 coriaceia glabris, pedicellis 1-2-pollicaribus, calyce brevissimo cupulari 

 puberulo obtuae 5-dentato, corolla infundibulari-campanulata 5-loba, 

 tubo brevi, limbo ad 2 poll, lato, lobis orbicularibus patenti-recur7is 

 apicibus retusis medio roseo-tinctis, 3 saperioribus infra medium punctis 

 majusculis fulvis conspersis, staminibus 10 filamentis basi pilosis, antheria 

 parvis brevibua flavis, ovario 5-loculari pabescente, stylo staminibus 

 breviore orassiusculo apice truncato cavo stigmatoso, capsula J-2 poll, longa 

 tereti lignosa, semiaibus T V poll, longis testa utrinque inaequaliter pro- 

 ducta. 



R. brachycarpum, D. Don, ex G. Don, Gen. SysL Gard. vol. iii. p. 843. DG. 

 Frodr. vol. vii. p. 723. A. Gray in Mem. Am. Acad. Arts & Sc. Bost. 

 vol. vi. (1859) p. 400. Franch. & Sav. Enum. PL Jap. voL i. p. 288. 

 Maxim. Bhod. As. Or. p. 22. 



Though apparently unknown to KsBmpfer and Thun- 

 berg, Rhododendron brachycarpum is a widely distributed 

 shrub in the mountain districts of Northern and Central 

 Japan, covering, according to Franchet, vast tracts of Fusi- 

 jama, above the forest region. It varies greatly in the 

 amount of brown tomentum on the under-surface of the 

 leaves, which are sometimes perfectly glabrous. Probably 

 the colour of the corolla also varies ; the bright rose-pink 

 blush in the middle line of the lobes, becoming deeper 

 towards the tip, may spread over the whole corolla, as it 

 does in a Japanese figure of a plant that may be a variety 

 of this. The name brachycarpum is an unfortunate one, as 

 the figure (6) representing the normal size of the capsule 

 shows; there are, however, specimens in the Kew Her- 

 barium with the capsule less than half an iuch in length. ^ 



Seed of R. brachycarpum, sent by the Imperial Botanic 

 Gardens of St. Petersburgh in 1895, to the Royal Gardens, 

 Kew, produced plants which flowered in the Arboretum at 

 February 1st, 1903. 



