Tas. 5769. 
AZALEA ttearirorta. 
Slender-leaved Azalea. 
Nat. Ord. ERIcE#.—PENTANDRIA Mownoeynta. 
Gen. Char. (Vide supra, Tas. 4726.) 
Azatza linearifolia ; ramulis pedicellisque hispidis, foliis elongato-linearibus 
utrinqueangustatis longe acuminatis marginibus revolutis sinuatis ciliatis, 
floribus 1-3 terminalibus, sepalis elongato-setaceis hispido-glandulosis ; 
corollz laciniis liberis roseis longe subulato-lanceolatis glabris patenti- 
recurvis, staminibus 5, ovario appresse setoso, 
Ruopopenpron linearifolium, Siebold and Zuccarini, Fl. Jap. Fam. Nat. Sect. 
altera, p. 7. 
This is certainly the most remarkable species of Azalea 
hitherto introduced, well supporting the character of its 
native country, Japan, for contributing odd as well as hand- 
some plants to our collections. It has been referred to 
Rhododendron by its original describers, Siebold and Zuccarini, 
but this could only be under the extreme course of uniting 
Azalea with Rhododendron, a step I am not prepared to take. 
No doubt these genera are closely allied, and a few species’ 
occur that are referable to either, but these are very excep- 
tional, and the multitude of species of both kinds, and espe- 
cially of Rhododendron, lately discovered, have not added to 
their number. As a rule Azaleas have deciduous foliage, a 
more deeply divided corolla, 5-8 stamens, and never more than 
five cells to the ovary; Rhododendrons have very persistent 
coriaceous foliage, a less deeply-divided 5-10 lobed corolla, ten 
or more (rarely eight) stamens, and a 5-15 celled ovary. The 
present plant has all the habit and characters of an Azalea, 
carried indeed in one point to excess, for the corolla lobes are 
very long, and free to the very base, or all but so. It was 
introduced from J apan by Messrs. Standish, in whose nursery 
it flowered in February of the present year. 
MAY Ist, 1869. 
