178 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Sess. lxxxi 



the filaments — a rai-e feature — in one, and gland develop- 

 ment on corolla in the other, is of weight. Taking 

 further into consideration the fact that Henry's plant (Rh. 

 adenosteinonum) is a plant of the extreme south-east of 

 Yunnan, in the basin of the- Red River, somewhere about 

 latitude 23° 25' N., and dwells at an altitude of 8500 feet, 

 whilst R]l. irroratum is a Middle- West and East-North- 

 West Yunnan plant essentially of the Yangtze basin, at its 

 lowest latitude — 25° 40' N., on the Tali range — living at 

 an altitude of 11,000-12,000 feet at its highest latitude, 

 27° 30' N., on the Chungtien plateau, at 9000-10,000 feet, 

 I do not hesitate about regarding them as distinct species. 



With RJi. gymnanthum our species has much less in 

 common. Rh. gymnanthum is a red-flowered species with 

 very narrow leaves, glossy above, with eglandular floccose 

 stems, petioles, inflorescence rhachis, pedicels, and a 

 glabrous style, glabrous fringed calyx, the fringe lobes 

 sometimes gland-tipped, corolla glabrous inside and out, 

 staminal filaments eglandular and most sparingly puberu- 

 lous near base, disk glabrous, ovary glabrous. 



Rhododendron agastum, Balf. f. et W. W. Sm.^ 



Shrub as much as 6 m. high with thick branches. 

 Young branches of the year more or less clad with clavate 



' Rhododendron agastum, Balf. f. et W. W. Sm. — Frutex ad (5 in. altus 

 ramis crassis. Ramuli hornotiiii glandiilis clavatis plus minusve vestiti 

 aniiotini pallide virides glabrescenibes piloriim juveuiliiim vestigiis plus 

 minusve iiotati. Alabastrorum perulae intiiiiae mendjranaceae flavido- 

 brunneae ligulato-spathulatae circ. 2'5 cm. longae circ. 4 mm. latae 

 viscidae e.xtus glaiidulis clavatis plus minusve indutae intuscjue pilis 

 floccosis sebaceis vestitae ad apicem acuminatum pilo-cristatae ; folia 

 juvenilia revoluta supra pilis floccosis multiraiiiosis tomentosa subtus 

 pilis plurimis bievissime stipitatis copiose radiatim ramulosis ramulis 

 patentibus laxe reticulatim intertextis induta ; petiolus juvenilis 

 tomentosus. Folia petiolata ad 14 cm. longa ; lamina coriacea crassa 

 stride ol)longa nunc supra medium ])aullo latior circ. ad 12 cm. longa 

 ad 4 cm. lata baud atteuuata ai)ic(! obtusa corueo-mu(;ronata margine 

 subplaiia cartilagiiiea obscure undulata et pilorum juvenilium pedibus 

 vel pilis ipsis panels praedita basi late obtusa supra opaca olivacea laevis 

 costa media sulcata veiiis primariis utrinsecus ad 15 occultis glabrescens 

 nunc pilorum juvenilium vestigiis obscure notata subtus i'ulvo-olivacea 

 minutissime rufo-punctulata costa media straminea elevata jjIus nunusve 

 glandularum ])ilornmque ve.stigiis praedita venis jirimariis venidannncpie 

 reti prominvdo cum superficie ubi(pie indumento tenui subfurfuraceo e 

 pilis multo-bracbiatis (ramulis ab umbone sessili rubro radiatim patenti- 

 bus) composito vestitis ; petiolus ad 2 cm. longus crassus glabrescens supra 

 sulcatns pilorum vestigiis plus minu.sve praeditus. Floresad 20 racemoso- 



