1924] WILSON, THE RHODODENDRONS OF HUPEH 85 



Franch. are common and the broadleaf trees are nearly all deciduous. 

 At 8000 ft. and upwards the wooded regions are more extensive and several 

 species of Fir and Spruce form fine forests. The open country above this 

 altitude is clothed with Bamboos, a great variety of shrubs, coarse herbs 

 and Juniperus squamata Lamb, but nowhere in this part of China can 

 the vegetation be called alpine in character. 



Below an altitude of 3000 ft. no broadleaf evergreen Rhododendron 

 is found though the red-flowered R. Simsii Planch, belonging to the Azalea 

 group abounds and in season the countryside is ablaze with its blossoms 

 of intense color. On conglomerate rocks near Ichang the yellow-flowered 

 R. molle G. Don grows sparingly. In rocky places among shrubs the 

 lilac-flowered R. Mariesii Hemsl. & Wils. is found at elevations between 

 1000 and 3000 ft. In wet sheltered glens among a rich growth of ever- 

 green broadleaf shrubs R. pittosporaefolium Hemsl. occurs as an occasional 

 bush at altitudes between 3500 and 5000 ft. but is nowhere a common 

 plant. It is in the copses and woods above 4000 ft. that evergreen 

 broadleaf Rhododendrons grow in Hupeh. They increase in number as 

 the altitude increases and are common between 6000 and 10000 ft. though 

 never so abundant as they are in western Szechuan where they dominate 

 the higher forests and form magnificent belts of color. In the woods and 

 copses of Hupeh among broadleaf deciduous and evergreen trees they grow 

 as scattered bushes or in small groups whereas in the coniferous forests 

 they are a most important undergrowth often forming dense thickets. 

 Above 8000 ft. Rhododendrons grow in more open country among other 

 shrubs, and in rocky places where there are no trees to give it overhead 

 shade R. Fargesii Franch. in pure stands often covers large areas. 



I never met with R. sutchuenense Franch., R. auriculatum Hemsl., R. 

 discolor Franch. or R. Houlstonii Hemsl. & Wils. elsewhere than in woods 

 and forests but the other species often grow in places where they do not 

 receive the overhead shelter of trees. Indeed, R. Augustinii Hemsl., R 

 ovatum Planch, and R. micranthum Turcz. grow best on the edge of woods 

 and on cliffs where they get almost complete exposure and are never found 

 within the full shade of wood or forest. R. Wilsonae Hemsl. & Wils. likes 

 the companionship of deciduous shrubs and small trees but not that of 

 evergreens, be they broadleaf or coniferous. Woods in which Oaks are 

 the dominant trees are a feature of the vegetation of Hupeh and it is in 

 these that the Rhododendrons which do not grow above 7500 ft. altitude 

 are most found, luxuriating in the thick layer of humus which covers the 



forest floor. 



The most widely distributed of the endemic species are R. hypoglaucum 

 Hemsl., R. sutchuenense Franch., R. maculiferum Franch. and R. discolor 

 Franch. Very local is R. auriculatum Hemsl., known only from a few locali- 

 ties and in these quite rare. R. sutchuenense Franch. is found at the lowest 

 altitudes of any of the evergreen broadleaf species and it is the first to 

 open its blossoms; R. maculiferum Franch. and R. Fargesii Franch. grow 



