RHODODENDRON 355 



R. FASTIGIATUM, Franchet. 



An evergreen shrub, 6 to 18 ins. high, of tufted habit ; the young shoots, 

 both surfaces of the leafand calyx all scaly, the scales being pale and giving 

 a dull greyish tinge to the leaf. Leaves oval or ovate, tapered or rounded at 

 the base, f to in. long, J in. wide; stalk ^ in. long. Flowers slightly 

 fragrant, clustered in twos or threes at the end of the shoot. Corolla I in. 

 across, pale purple ; the lobes five or six, \ in. long, ovate, rounded at the 

 end, spreading horizontally ; tube very short, bearded with pale hairs ; 

 stamens ten to twelve, hairy at the base, much protruded, purple with 

 brownish anthers ; style longer than the stamens, also purple ; calyx-lobes 

 \ in. long, oblong-ovate, ciliate, covered with pale scales. 



Native of W. China; introduced by Forrest in 1911 ; flowered at Kew, 

 Edinburgh, and Caerhays in the autumn of 1912, but this, no doubt, was 

 out of season. It is a dainty little plant, in the way of -R. intricatum, 

 but well distinguished by the long, protruded stamens. Forrest says it is 

 the dominant species on open pasture land on the summit of the Sung-Kivee 

 Pass. Closely allied to R. nigro-punctatum. 



R. FERRUGINEUM, LinncZUS. ROSE DES ALPES. 

 (Loddiges* Botanical Cabinet, t. 65.) 



A dwarf, slow-growing, evergreen shrub of close habit, ultimately 3 or 4 ft. 

 high and wide, forming a dense hemispherical mass ; young shoots covered 

 with rust-coloured scales. Leaves narrow-oblong or oval, tapering at both 

 ends, i to if ins. long, j to ^ in. wide ; dark glossy green and slightly scaly 

 above, but thickly covered beneath with golden brown, ultimately rust-coloured 

 scales. Flowers rosy scarlet or deep rose, \ to f in. wide and long, produced 

 in June in terminal clusters of six to twelve blossoms ; corolla scaly outside, 

 funnel-shaped at the base, with five spreading, oblong lobes ; calyx-lobes 

 very short ; stamens ten, hairy ; flower-stalk \ in. long, scaly. 



Native of the European Alps, occupying the zone of vegetation immedi- 

 ately above the pines and junipers. Said by Aiton to have been introduced 

 in 1752. Visitors to the Alps well know this shrub as the "Alpine rose," often 

 covering miles of mountain side and making one of the most gorgeous of 

 Alpine pictures in July. It finds the conditions of the Thames Valley too 

 hot and dry for it, but in the cooler midland and northern counties is a 

 charming bush of neat, healthy aspect, flowering freely every summer. It 

 has produced several varieties, some, no doubt, of garden origin, which vary 

 chiefly in the colour of the blossom, but even in a wild state one may notice 

 in a day's walk many variations of colour between rosy pink and rosy scarlet, 

 and on rare occasions a white-flowered plant. 



Var. ALBUM. Flowers white. 



Var. ATROCOCCINEUM. The form whose flowers most nearly approach 

 scarlet. 



Var. VARIEGATUM. Leaves bordered with a thin line of creamy white 

 of no value. 



Var. MYRTIFOLIUM (R. myrtifolium, Schott and Kotschy; R. Kotschyi, 

 Stink.}, sometimes regarded as a distinct species, was recognised in the 

 Austrian Alps about 1850. It has the general aspect of R. ferrugineum, but 

 is usually smaller in habit ; its leaves average under i in. in length, the 

 corolla is downy outside, and it is especially distinguished by the much shorter 

 style. In the typical form the flowers are of the same colour as in ferru- 

 gineum, but there is also one with white flowers. 



