any means certain that it is therefore a native of China, 

 as it is commonly believed to be ; and for the following 

 reasons. In the first place, no trace is to be found among 

 the writers upon Chinese plants of such a thing as a yellow 

 Azalea — a circumstance which is not likely to have occurred 

 if so beautiful a species as the present had either been long 

 cultivated in the Chinese Gardens, or been a native of their 

 country. In the second place, this plant has as little affinity 

 to the genuine Chinese Azaleas as it can have to remain in 

 the same genus with them ; and thirdly, it does not seem 

 to us practicable to distinguish it from the Azalea pontica, 

 from which it differs chiefly in its head of flowers being 

 more compact, its stamens shorter, and the upper segment 

 of the corolla being spotted. We think it extremely pro- 

 bable that these yellow Chinese Azaleas have found their 

 way to China from the Caucasus, by the intervention of 

 some of the Russian caravans which annually visit Nert- 

 chinsk for the purpose of trading with the Chinese. 



However this may be, we are clearly of opinion that it 

 is not botanically separable from the species to which we 

 have referred it. 



Probably quite hardy. Messrs. Loddiges have hitherto 

 kept their plants in the Greenhouse ; and the specimen 

 from which this drawing was taken was also produced in 

 a Conservatory : but we think there can be no reasonable 

 doubt of its being as patient of cold as the species of which 

 we consider it a variety. 



J. L. 



