Tas. 8605. 
RHODODENDRON DaviIpDsonrIANum. 
China. 
ERIcacEAkE. Tribe RHODOREAE. 
RuwopopEnDRON, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. ii. p. 599. 
Rhododendron Davidsonianum, Rehder et Wilson in Sargent, Plant. 
Wilson. pars 8, p. 515 (1913); affinis R. ambiguo, Hemsl., sed foliis 
minoribus, floribus pallide roseis staminibus longioribus, filamentis minus 
pubescentibus differt, 
Frutex 1-8 m. altus; rami divaricati, teretes, brunnei vel cinereo-brunnei, 
glabri; ramuli juniores breves, minutissime puberuli vel glabri. Folia 
lanceolata vel oblongo-oblanceolata, apice conspicue mucronata, basi 
obtusa vel leviter rotundata, 2°5-5°5 cm. longa, 1-2 em. lata, rigide et 
firme chartacea, supra sicco conspicue reticulata et primum parce nigro- 
punctata, demum glabra, infra glandulis rotundatis parvis dense induta; 
costa supra plana, inconspicua, infra prominens, pallida, basi circiter 
1 mm. lata, ad apicem sensim attenuata, in mucronem elongatum 
producta; nervi laterales supra subconspicui, arcuati, infra cum venis 
plerumque vix manifesti; petioli 3-5 mm. longi, interdum leviter puberuli. 
Perulae suborbiculares, submucronatae, coriaceae, dense ciliatae, extra 
glabrae. Flores terminales, circiter 6-nati; pedicelli 1-1-5 cm. longi, 
glandulis sessilibus rotundatis instructi. Calya undulatus, brevissimus vel 
subnullus. Corolla pallide rosea, labio superiore flavo-lepidota ; tubus 
circiter 1 cm. longus, sensim expansus, utrinque glaber ; lobi 5, 4-4°5 cm. 
expansi, oblongi, apice rotundati, circiter 1°5 cm. longi et 0°6 cm. lati, 
subtiliter striati. Stamina 10, longe exserta; filamenta gracilia, usque 
ad 83 cm. longa, basin versus breviter pubescentia; antherae carmineae, 
1°5-2 mm. longae. Ovariwm conicum, dense lepidotum ; stylus longe 
exsertus, gracilis, 8°5-4 cm. longus, glaber, stigmate undulatim lobato 
subcapitato coronatus. Fructus pro genere perbrevis, 1 cm. longus, 
4 mm. diametro.—J. Hurcutnson. 
The Chinese Rhododendron of which a figure is here 
given is one of the fruits of Mr. E. H. Wilson’s expedition 
of 1903-4, on behalf of Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, the 
plant from which our illustration has been taken being 
one raised by them at Coombe Wood and acquired from 
them for Kew in 1908. During his later expeditions in 
China, Wilson again met with the species on several 
occasions. It is plentiful in the neighbourhood of 
Tachien-lu, in Western Szechuan. The nearest ally of 
R. Davidsonianum is, perhaps, R. ambiguum, Hemsl., 
another Chinese species figured at t. 8400 of this work. 
Aprin, 1915. 
