RHODODENDRON. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



RHODODENDRON. 



trict ; its flowers are pure white. Syn. R. 

 Griffithiamim. 



R. BARBATUM is described as being in a wild 

 state 40 ft. to 60 ft. high ; I have seen it about 

 12 ft. high in Cornwall. The leaves are 5 ins. 

 to 7 ins. long, with ilowers of a rich blood-red 

 colour borne in a compact truss 4 ins. or more 

 in diameter. There are many seedling forms 

 of R. batbatiim, one with flesh-pink flowers 

 being especially good. 



R. CAMPANU LATUM. — Among the hardiest 

 of the Himalayan species, flowering in April 

 and forming a widely spreading bush. The 

 leaves are coated beneath with a brightly 

 coloured reddish felt, and the flowers are pale 

 purple, changing to nearly white. 



R. CAMPYLOCARPUM is closely allied to the 

 preceding and it is of similar habit, but the 

 flowers are pale yellow, borne in a loose truss 

 and scented like honey. 



R. ciLiATUM. — A bushy plant which thrives 

 well in sheltered positions near London. Its 

 leaves are densely covered with hairs when 

 young, less so as they get older ; the flowers 

 are borne loosely in small trusses, rosy white 

 on opening, whiter with age. It has been 

 used for hybridisation, and amongst others R. 

 pracox and Rosy Bell have been raised from 

 it. 



R. CINNABARINUM. — In "The Flora of 

 British India " this name is made to include 

 what have previously been known as R. Roylei 

 and R. blandforduTjloi-um. The species is, 

 indeed, a most variable one, having flowers of 

 a brick-red, rich crimson, or sometimes 

 greenish colour. They are all distinguished 

 by the long narrow corolla, resembling a Lapa- 

 geria. 



R. Falconeri.— A noble kind thriving in 

 Cornish gardens, with oblong leaves about 10 

 ins. long, coated beneath with reddish down, 

 dark green, slightly downy and curiously 

 wrinkled above. The flowers are of a curious 

 shade of creamy white tinged with lilac to- 

 wards the base. R. eximiiim is a fine variety 

 of this, diff"ering in its l^right pink flowers and 

 the thicker reddish brown fluff on the upper 

 surface of the leaves. 



R. FORMOSUM. — There are two very distinct 

 varieties of this in cultivation ; the one has 

 narrow leaves, in shape and size almost like 

 those of an Indian Azalea ; the other has them 

 many times larger, obovate, and 5 ins. long. 

 Both have the margins ciliated. The flowers 

 are in each variety white, although in the bud 

 stage quite rosy pink. They are about 3 ins. 

 wide and as much in depth. R. Gibsoni and 

 R. Johnstoiii are forms of this species, differing 

 chiefly in the larger leaves. 



R. FUi.GENs. — One of the hardiest and 

 rarest of Himalayan Rhododendrons, blooming 

 out of doors early in March, and not always 

 escaping the damaging spring frosts, but if it 

 does, it is the most brilliantly coloured shrub 

 flowering at that time. The flowers are in 

 compact rounded trusses aljout 4 ins. across, a 

 bright blood-red, the leaves coated beneath 

 wiih a rusty felt. 'I'he true plant has been 



grown outside for many years in the Rhodo- 

 dendron dell at Kew, and it has never been 

 injured by frost, nor does it ever fail to set 

 abundance of bloom. Himalaya, at elevations 

 of 12,000 ft. to 14,000 ft. 



R. HoDGSONi. — A spreading shrub or small 

 tree, rarely more than 12 ft. high, the stout 

 leaves upwards of i ft. long, covered beneath 

 with a grey tomentum, the upper side a bright 

 shade of green, and flowers are of a pale rose- 

 purple. It is hardy in both the Welsh and 

 Cornish gardens. 



R. HoOKERi. — A native of Bhotan, and on 

 the Oola Mountain this is said to form entire 

 thickets accompanied by Finns excelsa. The 

 leaves are oblong or oval, 4 ins. long and 

 glaucous beneath, the flowers of a bright red. 



R. Keysi. — A curious species, with flowers, 

 more like those of a Correa, brick-red, about 

 I in. long, the lobes of the tubular corolla 

 being almost straight. 



R. Lanatum. — The young branches, both 

 surfaces of the leaves, and the petioles are 

 covered with a dull white or tawny tomen- 

 tum ; the sulphur-yellow flowers are 2 ins. 

 across. 



R. Maddeni.— A shrub 8 ft. to 10 ft. high, 

 with bright green lanceolate leaves. The 

 corolla is pure white, bell-shaped, and about 

 3 ins. across the mouth. It is known also as 

 R. Jenkinsi. R. calophylluiii is practically 

 the same thing, but a distinction is founded on 

 the shorter calyx lobes and much smaller seed 

 vessels. 



R. MVEUM. — One of the hardiest species, 

 but far from the most showy, the young leaves 

 being covered with a white tomentum, the 

 upper surface afterwards becoming deep green 

 and glabrous, the purplish lilac flowers close 

 in a small head. 



R. Thomson:. — The flowers of this species, 

 of a fine red, are borne in loose trusses, hardy 

 in the London district and flowering in the 

 early part of April ; the leaves 3 ins. to 4 ins. 

 long, very dark green above. This is a plant 

 of bushy habit ; the largest I have seen is 

 growing at Tremough, near Falmouth — a 

 magnificent garden for these Rhododendrons. 

 It was 12 ft. high and 15 ft. through. 



R. WiGHTi. — A small tree, found at eleva- 

 tions of 11,000 ft. to 14,000 ft., bearing yellow 

 flowers 2\ inches across in large rounded 

 trusses. The leaves are firm and stout, 6 ins. 

 to 10 ins. in length, and when young quite 

 white underneath, becoming grey with age. 



R. anthopogon, flowers sulphur-yellow ; R. 

 glaiicum, flowers dull rose-purple ; and R. 

 peiidii/itiii, flowers white, are small-leaved 

 dwarf shrubs, chiefly of botanical interest. 



New Himalayan Hybrids.— By far 

 the greater number of our garden Rho- 

 dodendrons are the product of only four 

 species which have been closely inbred, 

 these iDeing catawbicnse, pon/icmii, cau- 

 casiciim, and arhoreum. For many years 

 raisers confined their attention to these 

 species, but of late the field has been 



