1924] WILSON, THE RHODODENDRONS OF IIUPEH 95 



the Hupeh species. Its foliage and habit of growth, exuberance of blossoms, 

 compact trusses and the cheery color of its flowers are pleasing qualities 

 dear to me. It won my affection the first time I saw it capping a wind- 

 wept ridge in May, 1901 and has held it ever since. 



According to Millais this species has been crossed at Leonardslea with 

 a blood-red form of R. arboreum Smith. 



The form with white flowers spotted with rose-red may be distinguished 



as: 



Rhododendron Fargesii f. album Wilson, n. forma. 



Rhododendron Houlstonii Hemsley & Wilson in Kew Bull. Misc. 

 Inform. 1910, 110.— Bean, Trees & Shrubs Brit. Isles, n. 361 (1914); in 

 Rhod. Soc. Not. i. 189 (1918).— Magor in Rhod. Soc. Not. II. 120 (1922). 



Rhododendron Fortnnei var. Houlstonii Rehder & Wilson in Sargent, PL 

 Wilson, i. 541 (1913).— Millais, Rhodod. 169 (1917). 



Bush from 2 to 4 m. tall, wide-branching, with many moderately 

 stout stems, glabrous, often reddish and bloomy the first year; winter- 

 buds ovoid, glabrous or puberulous. Leaves coriaceous, glabrous, oblong- 

 oblanceolate to elliptic-oblong, without petiole 7.5-15 cm. long, 2.5-4 cm. 

 wide, rounded, short apiculate, base rounded or cuneate, sometimes 

 oblique, dark green above, under surface pallid; petiole purplish, 1.5-2.5 

 cm. long. Flowers from 6 to 10 or more in a terminal umbellate raceme; 

 rhachis 2-6 cm. long, glabrous; pedicel ascending-spreading, 2-4 cm. 



long, sparsely and densely glandular often stipitately so; calyx oblique, 

 annular, minutely toothed, sparsely glandular; corolla 7-lobed, oblique 

 in bud, pink, wide-funnelform, 4-6 cm. deep, 5-8 cm. wide, often with a 

 few faint lines of mixed green and dull crimson on the posterior part, 

 lobes erect-spreading, rounded or truncate; stamens 14, unequal in length, 

 shorter than corolla, filaments pale, flattened, quite glabrous, anthers 

 oval; pistil over-topping stamens, as long or nearly as long as the corolla, 

 glandular, ovary ovoid, style greenish, stout, curved in upper part, stigma 

 capitate. Fruit bloomy purple, oblong, 2.5-3 cm. long, 0.8 cm. wide, 

 furrowed, smooth or glandular; seed shining pale brown, flattened, oblong, 

 0.4-0.6 cm. long, surrounded by a prominent wing. 



A very beautiful species distinguished by its foliage, by its glandular 

 pedicels, its nearly obsolete calyx and by its wide-funnelform nearly 

 bell-shaped corolla with relatively short ascending-spreading lobes. It is a 

 critical species closely related to R. Fortunei Lindl. and to R. discolor 

 Franch. but flowers three weeks earlier than the former and six weeks 

 earlier than the latter. Though nowhere common it is widespread in Hupeh 

 and eastern Szechuan growing in mixed woods at elevation of from 4600 

 to 7000 ft. It is usually a shrub from 6 to 10 ft. tall and broad and I have 

 not seen plants exceeding dimensions of 15 ft. The habit is compact and 

 fairly dense and the trusses of flowers are borne well above the foliage. 

 In color the flowers are most pleasing shades of pink and the marking 

 when present is inconspicuous. The glands on the pedicels and pistil 



