350 RHODODENDRON 



erect sheathing scales, pale green, membranous and downy, which beset the 

 base of the flower-stalks even whilst the flowers are fully open. 



R. CHARTOPHYLLUM, Franchet. 



An evergreen shrub of lax, free-growing habit, up to 8 or 9 ft. high ; young 

 shoots slender, sparsely scaly, bearing leaves the whole length. Leaves thin, 

 lanceolate to narrowly oblong ; 2 to 4 ins. long, \ to \\ ins. wide ; tapered at 

 both ends, but more slenderly towards the apex f smooth bright green above, 

 paler and slightly scaly, otherwise quite smooth beneath ; stalk \ in. or less 

 long. Flowers produced in one to three clusters at the apex of the shoot, 

 two to four flowers in each ; corolla widely funnel-shaped, i to \\ ins. wide, 

 varying in colour from white to lavender, the upper side richly spotted with 

 brown crimson ; stamens ten, protruded, downy at the base, ovary densely 

 scaly ; calyx minute, flower-stalk \ to I in. long, scaly. 



Native of Yunnan and Szechuen, China ; first cultivated in Europe by 

 Mr de Vilmorin at Les Barres, and flowered in this country by Mr Osgood 

 H. Mackenzie, at Inverewe, in Ross-shire, in May 1911. It is extremely 

 closely allied to R. yunnanense in botanical characters, but is distinct in 

 general appearance, being a freer-growing shrub with larger, less scaly leaves. 

 A slight distinction is afforded by the sometimes bristly upper surface of the 

 young leaves of yunnanense and their ciliate margins. 

 I 



R. CILIATUM, Hooker fil 



An evergreen shrub of stiff, wide-spreading habit, rarely more than 3 to 

 4 ft. high out-of-doors near London, but 9 ft. high and twice as much in 

 diameter in Cornwall ; young branchlets covered with bristly hairs. Leaves 

 oval or obovate, tapering sometimes equally to both ends, sometimes more 

 gradually towards the base ; 2 to 4 ins. long, f 'to \\ ins. wide ; bristly on the 

 upper surface and on the margins, scaly beneath ; stalk bristly, J to \ in. long. 

 Flowers beautiful rosy -red in bud, pale pink on, opening, becoming almost 

 white with age ; 2^ ins. across, produced three to five in a cluster during 

 March and April ; corolla widely bell-shaped, with broad notched lobes ; 

 calyx-lobes rounded ovate, bristly on the margins, stamens ten, hairy at the 

 base, flower-stalks J in. long, bristly. 



Native of Sikklm ; introduced to Kew in 1850. It is hardy there, but 

 really needs milder conditions to bring out its best qualities. In Mr Shilson's 

 garden at Tremough, near Falmouth, some years ago I saw a specimen of 

 the larger dimensions given above. Near London it needs a very sheltered 

 position, and in such a spot, although. it grows slowly, it frequently gives a 

 very charming display in April if the weather be kind. As a shrub for 

 the cool, unheated greenhouse it makes a fine display in February and 

 March. 



R. ciliatum has been extensively used for crossing with other species, but 

 most of its progeny are more tender than itself and are greenhouse plants. 

 Of the hardy ones the best is 



R. ' PRJECOX, ^Carnere, raised about 1860 by Mr Isaac Davies of the 

 Ormskirk nurseries, by crossing ciliatum with dauricum. The flowers are 

 i to 2 ins. across, of a beautiful, bright rosy purple ; leaves dark glossy green 

 and bristly above, scaly beneath. No early flowering shrub is more lovely 

 than this, but as it comes into flower in March or even February its flowers 

 rarely pass through their natural term of existence, being almost invariably 

 cut off by frost, sometimes before they are fully open. The plant itself, a 

 bush not so spreading in habit or strictly evergreen as ciliatum, and with 

 deeper green foliage, is perfectly hardy. 



