19*4 1 WILSON, THE RHODODENDRONS OF HUPEH 95 



villose near base, lobes rounded; stamens 10, of unequal length, shorter 

 than corolla, filaments flattened, villose in lower part, anthers pale; pistil 

 as long or nearly as long as the corolla, ovary ovoid, densely hispid, glandu- 

 lar, style curved, glabrous, stigma capitate, lobed. Fruit oblong-cylindric, 

 1.5 cm. long, 0.7 cm. wide, terete, setose, glandular; seed dark brown, 

 narrow-ovoid, 1.5-2 mm. long, angular, acute, wing minute. 



This species is easily recognized by the floccose gray to dun-colored 

 tomentum on the under surface of the leaves, by its villose and glandular 

 pedicels, its membranous reflexed calyx and by its oblong-cylindric hispid 

 and glandular fruit. It was discovered in the neighborhood of Tchen- 

 keou-ting, a district in the extreme northeastern Szechuan, by Pere P. 

 Farges. In Hupeh this Rhododendron is quite rare and is not known to 

 grow south of the Yangtsze River. It is only known to me from two or 

 three localities in the Hsing-shan district where it grows in thin woods 

 among rocks between 5000 and 7000 ft. altitude. I first found it in flower 



May 



(No. 1161); in 



October of the same year I collected seeds (No. 505) and sent them to 

 Messrs. Veitch. This was the first introduction of this Rhododendron 

 into Europe and the plants in English gardens are all from this source. 

 In 1901 Pere Farges sent seeds to M. Maurice de Vilmorin at Les Barres 

 where a plant grown in a pot in an un heated greenhouse flowered in 1909 

 for the first time in cultivation. Since then this Rhododendron has flowered 

 at Caerhays, at Kew, and elsewhere. In a wild state this species blossoms 

 during late April and May at the first burst of spring and not infrequently 

 its flowers suffer from late frosts. The habit of this olant is somewhat 

 ungainly, being tall and rather sparingly branched; the flower truss is loose 

 and the color of the corolla varies from pale to rose-pink. The lustrous 

 green upper surface and the gray under surface of the leaves form a pleasing 

 contrast. It is very distinct from other Rhododendrons of central China 

 and amongst the older and better known species reminds one of R. Smir- 

 novii Trautv. native of the Caucasus Mountains. 



Rhododendron Fargesii Franchet in Jour, de Bot. ix. S90 (1895), 

 Bois in Jour. Soc. Hort. France, ser. 4, i. 217, fig. 24 (1900).— Hemsley & 

 Wilson in Kew Bull. Misc. Inform. 1910, 109.— Watson in Gard. Chron. 

 ser. 3, li. 252 (1912).— Raffill in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, lii. 4, fig. 4 (1912). 

 Rehder & Wilson in Sargent, PI. Wilson. I. 540 (1913).— Bean, Trees & 

 Shrubs Brit. Isles, II. 354 (1914); in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, lxxi. 239, fig. 



Mag 



Millais 



125 (1922).— Hutchinson in Bot. 

 Rhodod. 162, fig. facing p. 246 (1917), excluding reference to Forrest's 

 Yunnan plant. — Garden, lxxxiv. 403, fig. (1920). — Magor in Gard. 

 Chron. ser. 3, lxxi. 42, fig. 21 (1922). 



Bush from 1 to 6 m. tall with many moderately thick, glabrous 

 branches, often bloomy purple the first year; winterbuds ovoid to sub- 

 globose, glabrous. Leaves tufted, coriaceous, glabrous, elliptic to oblong- 



