298 



The Dictionary of Gardening, 



Khododendron — continued. 



U'llins. MicHAKi, Watkher, crimson-spotted ; fine. MiNNiE, 

 blush-white, .spottt'tl with chocolate ; distinct. Mont Blanc, 

 white, dwEirf, and free-flowering:. Mrs. John Ci-utton, white ; 

 one of the best in cultivation. Mrs. William Bovill, rich rosy- 

 .scarlet ; one of the most attractive. Mirillo, rich crimson. 

 Nero, dark rosy-purple, richly spotted. Princess Mary or 

 Cambridge, lig^t blush, deeptr cd-in^'. Piritv, white, faint 

 yellow eye; very .showy. REEiUAM ,\i, bright cherry ; very 

 pretty. Rosabel, pale rose ; fine foliage and habit. Sir I.saac 

 Newton, plura-colour, shaded and sjiotted. Sir Thomas Se- 

 BRKiHT, rich purple, distinct brnnze blotch. Snowflake, pure 

 white; conical truss; ilistinct and beautiful. Standard of 

 Flanders, blush, distinctly spotted ; very showy. Stella, pale 

 rose, intense chocolate blotch ; free-floweiing. Svlph, bright 

 rosy-pink; tine truss. The Queen, blush, changing to white; 

 fine shape. Titian, clear rosy-.scarlet ; one of the best. Van- 

 DVCK, rosy -crimson; good. Verschaffeltii, blush, much 

 spotted. Vestal, pale rose, much spotted ; fine truss. William 

 Downing, rich dark puce, finely blotched. 



ItHODOIiIilA {from rhodon, a rose, and leios, smooth ; 

 perhaps referring- to the rose-like flowers and the spine- 

 less stems). Ord. Hinnamelidece. A g'enus comprising a 

 couple of species of small, highly glabrous, greenhouse 

 or stove trees, with the habit of Hhododendron ; one is 

 from Hong Kong, and the other a native of Sumatra. 

 Flowers hermaphrodite, about five in an axillary, peduncu- 

 late, nodding head, girded by a coloured, many-leaved 

 involucre ; petals rose-colour, two to four, very unequal, 

 clawed ; stamens seven to ten, inserted with the petals. 

 Leaves crowded at the tips of the branchlets, spreading, 

 alternate, long-petioled, evergreen, glaucous beneath, ob- 

 long, entire, thickly coriaceous. For culture of R. Chmn- 

 pioni — the only species introduced — see Gardenia. 



R. Champloni (Champion's), /?. 2^iu. in diameter; outer in- 

 vnhicral leaHets (sepals) about twelve ; inner one.s (petals) about 

 eighteen. Feliruary. jr. of five radiating capsules, each the size 

 of a small hazel-nut. I. bright green, elliptic-obovate, obtuse. 

 Hong Kong, 1852. (B. M. 4509.) 



RHODOMYRTUS (from rlwdon, a rose, and Myrtos, 

 Myrtle ; in allusion to the rose-coloured flowers of some 

 species, and the alliance to the Myrtle). Ord. MyrtaceoB. 

 A genus containing five species of stove or greenhouse, 

 villous or tomentose trees or shrubs ; one is dispersed 

 over tropical Asia, from the Indian Archipelago as far 

 as China, and the rest arc natives of Eastern Australia. 

 Flowers often rather large, axillary ; calyx tube scarcely 

 or not produced above the ovary ; limb of four or five 

 herbaceous, persistent segments ; petals four or five, 

 spreading ; stamens densely many-seriate, free ; peduncles 

 one to three-flowered, rarely racemosely five to seven- 

 flowered, rather long or very short. Leaves opposite, 

 penniveined or triplinerved. R. tomentosa is the only 

 species known to gardeners. For culture, see Myrtus. 



R. tomentosa (tonuMitose).* Hill Gooseberry; Indian Hill 

 (_iuav;i. Jl. rose iMlnui- ; calyx five-fid; peduncles one to three- 

 fluwerfd, shnrtur than the leaves, with two ovate bracteoles 

 beneath the flowers. June. I. ovate, the younger ones velvety 

 above, cano-tomentose beneath, three-nerved ; lateral nerves sub- 

 marginal, h. 5ft. China, &c., 1776. (Jreenhouse shrub. (B. M. 

 2.0, under name of Mi/rtus tfjinentoia.) 



RHODORA {from rhodoSf a rose ; alluding to the 

 colour of the showy flowers). Ord. Evicacece. A mono- 

 typic genus. The species is a hardy, deciduous shrub, 

 included by Bentham and Hooker, under Rhododen- 

 dx'ou (which see for culture). 



R. canadensis (Canadian).* fi. rose-purple (rarely white), in 

 shortly-stalked, umbel-like clusters, appearing rather earlier 

 than the leaves, showy. I. oblong, deciduous, whitish and downy 

 beneath, h. 2ft. to 4ft. North America. (B. M. 474 ; T. S. M. 

 441.) The correct botanical name of this plant is Uhododendnm 

 Uhodora. 



RHODORHIZA. Included under Conrolcidus, 

 RHODOSPATHA (from rhodon, a rose, and spaiha, 

 a spathe ; alluding to the colour of the spathe in some 

 species). Ord. Aroidem {Aracew). A genus comprising 

 six or seven species of stove, climbing, tropical American 

 shrubs, with rooting branches. Flowers all hermaphro- 

 dite, or the lower ones female ; spathe boat-shaped, 

 ro.strate, deciduous ; spadis shorter than the spathe, 

 dense-flowered, cylindrical, elongate-stipitate. Leaves 



RHodospatha — continued. 

 distichous, elliptic-oblong, acuminate, with numerous 

 arcuate, parallel nerves ; petioles about as long as the 

 leaves, long-sheathed. The species introduced thrives in 

 a compost of sandy loam and peat, and requires a moi^^t 

 atmosphere. Propagated by seeds, or by cuttings. 



R. blanda (cliarming>. _/f., spathe greenish-ochre ; spadix rather 

 long st;dked. lyliiidroid, loosely attenuated towards the apex. 

 ;. uhlnii^' rlliptic, Nlightly obtu-^e at V)ase. loosfiy arcuate and 

 narrowt'd towards the apex, acute. Brazil, 1860. 



RHODOSTACHYS (from rhodon, a rose, and 

 sfacJi ijs, a flower-spike ; alluding to the rose-coloured 

 flowers of some species). Stn. Rucl-in. Ord. Brome- 

 liacecE. A small genus (six or seven species have been 

 described) of stove herbs, natives of Chili, Columbia, 

 and Guiana. Flowers sub-sessile, on an hemispherical 

 or shortly conical receptacle ; sepals distinct above the 

 ovary, erect, closely imbricated ; petals free, imbricated, 

 glandular, or with two small scales at the base within ; 

 heads terminal, sessile within an involucre of numerous 

 floral leaves. Leaves rosulate, long-linear, slightly rigid, 

 spinuloso- serrate. The only species introduced require 

 culture similar to BromeHa (which see). 



R. andina (Andine). jj. soft rose-colour, crowded on a hemi- 

 spherical receptacle, each subtended by an oval-oblong, cucul- 

 late, cuspidate, toothed, bract. Summer. I. 1ft. to lift, long, 

 margined with robust spines, numerous, rigid, thick, fleshy, 

 glaucous-green, powdered with white, arranged in a dense, 

 regular rosette, h. 1ft. Andes of Chili, 1850. (R. H. 1885, 

 540.) Syns. Bromelia carnea. B. longifoUa (of LintUey) iL. & 

 P. F. G. ii. 65). R. ftrandijiora and R. littoralls are probably 

 only forms of this species. 



R. bicolor (two-coloured). /. rose-colour ; inflorescence close, 

 sessile, surrounded by a tuft of linear-ensifonn, channelled, re- 

 curved, spiny-edged leaves. 1851. An interesting, almost stem- 

 less perennial. The following are probably slight forms : Bro- 

 inelia bicolor (B. H. 1873. 14), B. Joinvillei (R. H. 1876, 10), 

 Bechtia pitcaimioBfolia (R. H. 1868, 211), Ructcia Elieineeti (R. G. 

 571). 



RHOBOSTOMA. Included under Falicourea 



(which see). 



RHOBOTHAMKUS (from rhodon, a rose, and 

 fhamrtvs, a shoot or branch; alluding to the rosy colour 

 of the flowers). Ord. Ericacew. A monotypic genus. 

 The species is a small, hardy, branched shrub, in in- 

 florescence and habit resembling Azalea (which see for 

 culture). 



R. Chamsecistns (Chamfecistus).* jL pink, sub-erect, solitary at 

 the tips of the branchlets, on long, slender peduncles ; corolla 

 rotate, nearly lin. in diameter. May. I. scattered, shortly petio- 

 late, elliptic-lanceolate, entire, setose-ciliated, evergreen, shining. 

 Branchlets glabrous, h. 6in. Alps of Eastern Europe, 1786. 

 (B. M. 488, under name of lilaniodendron Ckamfvcistus.) 



RHODOTYFOS (from rhodon, a rose, and typos, a 

 type or model; the flowers resemble those of a Rose). 

 Ord. Rosacea'. A monotypic genus. The species is a 

 hardy shrub, allied to Eerria (which see for culture). 



R. kerrioides(Kerria-like).* White Kerria. jl wdiite, solitary, 

 ample, terminating the branchlets, shortly pedicellate ; calyx 

 persistent, villous within ; petals four, ample, orbiculate. shortly 

 clawed. April. I. decussately opposite, petiolute, simple, ovate, 

 acuminate, argutely serrated, silky beneatli ; stipules free, mem- 

 branous. Branches decussate, twiggy, h. 15ft. Japan, 1866. 

 (B. M. 5805 ; R. G. 505 ; R. H. 1866, Fig. 54 , S. Z. F. J. 99.) 



RHORO (name not explained by its author). Ord. 

 Commeliimcece. A monotypic genus. The species is a 

 stove, perennial herb, often classed under Tradescantia 

 (which see for culture). 



R. discolor (party-coloured).* _fi. blue or purple, almost included 

 within the biacts, many, umbellately-crowded; sepals and petals 

 three, free ; peduncles axillary, somt'tlmos divided. June. 

 I. much imbricated, rather large, nui row-lanceo- 

 late, sessile, and sheathed at base, often purplish 

 beneath. Stem short, or wanting. Central Americii. 

 (B. M. 1192, 5079 ; F d. S. 1169-70 and Ref. B. 48, 

 under name uf Tradescantia discolor.) 



RHOMBOID. Approaching a rhomb in 

 shape ; quath-angular, with the lateral angles 

 obtuse. A Rhomboid leaf is shown at Fig. rho'mboid 

 370. Leaf. 



