1925] WILSON, THE RHODODENDRONS OF EASTERN CHINA 175 



across, 5-lobed, lobes oblong-obovate; stamens 10, shorter than the 

 corolla, filaments densely paleaceous-tomentose on the lower half; pistil 

 over-topping the stamens; stigma obconic. 



Habitat: eastern China; exact locality unknown. 



This species is unknown to me, neither have I seen any material which 

 can be referred to it. According to Maximowicz it is most closely related 

 to R. ovatum Planch, which is distinguished by having five stamens and 

 glandular-pilose pedicels and much smaller leaves. Maximowicz, who 

 is always very accurate in his descriptions, describes the corolla as rotate 

 which is of course the shape of the corolla in R. ovatum Planch. The 

 Liukiu plant collected by Tashiro which Maximowicz also refers to his 

 R. ellipticum has a distinctly funnelform corolla with a narrow tube and 

 spreading lobes. I can only imagine that the material was in poor 

 condition and that he could not make out the shape of the corolla in the 

 Liukiu plant now called R. leiopodum Hayata. 



We do not know where R. ellipticum Maxim, was collected. There are 

 no herbarium specimens of it in this country and so far I have been 

 unable to discover that it has been seen by any subsequent explorer. 

 Until this happens it must remain an obscure species. 



Sect. II. CIIONIASTRUM Francii. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



Corolla funnelform-campanulate 



Fascicles 1 -flowered; leaves glabrous, coriaceous or subcoriaceous 



Bud-scales pubescent; calyx ciliate 19. R. Tanakai 



Bud-scales glabrous; calyx not ciliate 



Leaves ovate-lanceolate 20. R. Wilsonae 



Leaves oblong-lanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate 



Leaves short-acuminate, venation prominently reticulate. .21. R. leiopodum 

 Leaves long-acuminate, venation not prominently reticulate 



22. R. Latoucheae 



Fascicles several-flowered; leaves pubescent, membranous or chartaceous; 



petioles and pedicels densely bearded and glandular 23. R. Championae 



Rhododendron Tanakai Hayata, Icon. PI. Formos. iv. 15 (1914). 

 Kanehira, Formos. Trees, 328 (1917). 



Bush 2-5 m. or small tree 6 m. tall, with trunk 0.6 m. in girth; branches 

 subverticillate, slender, rigid, glabrous; buds clustered, acute, bud-scales 

 acute, clothed with short pale gray pubescence on outer side, ciliolate. 

 Leaves glabrous, clustered at end of shoot, subverticillate, sub-coriaceous, 

 lanceolate-oblong, 5-12 cm., usually 8-10 cm. long, 1.5-4 cm., usually 

 2.5-3.5 cm. wide, acute or short-acuminate, apiculate, base narrowed, 

 cuneate, margin slightly recurved, upper surface lustrous dark green, 

 lower pale green, secondary veins spreading, slightly ascending, branch- 

 ing; petiole glabrous, 1-1.8 cm. long, channelled above. Flowers fascicled, 

 fascicles lateral about the end of shoots, 1-flowered; pedicels glabrous 

 spreading, 2.5-3 cm. long; calyx discoid, with 5 minute, rounded, pectin- 

 ate-ciliate teeth; corolla funnelform-campanulate, about 5 cm. long and 



