Tas. 8786. 
RHODODENDRON AvRIcULATUM. 
Central China. 
ERICACEAE, Tribe RHODOREAE, 
RHODODENDRON, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. ii. p. 599. 
Rhododendron auriculatum, Hemsl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xxvi. p. 20 
(1889) ; Hemsl. et H. H. Wils.in Kew Bull. 1910, p. 108; Rehd. et H. H. 
Wils. in Sargent, Plant, Wils. vol. i. p.544 (1918) ; Millais, Rhodod. p. 125, 
cum icon. col.; species foliis magnis basi auriculato-cordatis costa infra 
pilosis corollis albis 7-lobis distinctissima. 
Frutex vel arbor usque ad 9°5 m. alta (Henry); ramuli robusti, vetustiores 
brunnei, glabri, annotini vestigiis pilorum pustulati, hornotini pilis glandu- 
losis longissimis dense hirsuti. olia oblonga vel elliptico-oblanceolata, 
apice rotundata et apiculata, basi rotundata vel plerumque cordata, 
15-25 cm. longa, 4°5-7 cm. lata, chartacea, primum utrinque infra dense ' 
pilosa, demum fere glabra costa pilosa excepta ; costa supra angusta, infra 
conspicua, prope basin circiter 8 mm. lata; nervi laterales patuli, utrin- 
secus circiter 18, valde reticulati, graciles ; petioli 2°5-4 cm. longi, glabri; 
gemmae axillares parvae, ovoideae, glabrae, circiter 6 mm. longae. 
Inflorescentia terminalis, 5-10-flora, usque ad 22 cm. expansa. Flores 
albi, odorati, breviter racemosi; pedicelli robusti, 2-3 cm. longi, pilis 
glandulosis longissimis dense villosi. Calyx variabilis, breviter vel longe 
lobatus, lobis usque ad 7 mmm. longis linearibus dorso glanduloso-pilosis. 
Corollae tubus infundibuliformis, 4°5-5 cm. longus, extra parce setulosus 
ore aperto circiter 4 cm. diametro; lobi 7, patuli, late ovato-orbiculares, 
circiter 3°5 cm. longi. Stamina 14, breviter exserta ; filamenta subae- 
qualia, glabra; antherae ochraceae, 4 mm. longae. Ovariwm 7-8-loculare, 
dense glanduloso-pilosum; stylus exsertus, basin versus glandulosus, 
stigmate viride coronatus. Fructus parum obliquus, lignosus, 3*5-4 em. 
longus, 1°4 cm. crassus, glanduloso-pilosus.—J. HuTcHInson. 
This handsome species, Rhododendron auriculatum, is a 
native of Western Hupeh where, as Mr. E. H. Wilson 
informs us, it occurs scattered throughout woods without 
being anywhere common. It was first collected by 
Professor A. Henry, in 1885, near Ichang, and was met 
with again by him in subsequent years. Wilson obtained 
it in 1901 near Fang. In its native habitat this is the 
: last of the Rhododendrons to come into flower and, as it 
maintains this characteristic in cultivation, this fact 
imparts to #. auriculatum its most important feature 
from the garden point of view. At Kew, where the 
species 1s represented by examples acquired from Messrs. 
J. Veitch and Sons in 1908, it does not commence to 
JanuaRy—Marcg, 1919. a. 
