RHODODENDRON 365 



brown felt ; stalk I to i| ins. long, stout, felted. Flowers in a fine truss 

 5 to 7 ins. across, expanding towards the end of April. Corolla china-white, 

 with a very striking, dark crimson blotch at the base ; bell-shaped, about 

 2 ins. deep .and wide, seven- or eight-lobed. Stamens fourteen or sixteen, 

 very unequal in length, but all shorter than the corolla, downy at the base ; 

 anthers red-brown ; style smooth, ovary felted ; calyx inconspicuous ; flower- 

 stalks i to ij ins. long. 



Native of W. China ; introduced by the Abbe Delavay to Paris about 

 1889. First flowered with Mr F. T3. Godman at Horsham in 1910. One of 

 the finest of rhododendrons, and most nearly allied to R. Falconeri. As it 

 occurs at 10,000 ft. altitude in Yunnan, it may be hardier than that species. 



R. LAPPONICUM, Wahlenberg. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 3106.) 



A dwarf evergreen shrub, rarely more than i to i^ ft. high, the lower 

 branches often prostrate ; young wood very scaly, becoming warted. Leaves 

 oblong, rounded or abruptly tapered at the apex ; % to i in. long, to in. 

 wide ; rough and dark green above, covered beneath with brownish yellow 

 scales ; stalk ^ to ^ in. long. Flowers bright purple, f in. across, produced 

 three to six together in a small cluster. Calyx and flower-stalk very scaly ; 

 calyx-lobes triangular, fringed ; stamens five to eight, about as long as the 

 corolla, quite devoid of down ; flower-stalk J to ^ in. long. 



Native of the high latitudes of Europe, Asia, and N. America ; probably 

 the most northern of -rhododendrons. It is found on mountain tops in 

 Eastern N. America. Introduced in 1825, but long lost to cultivation, until 

 recently re-introduced. It probably requires exceptionally cool, moist condi- 

 tions, somewhat similar to those recommended for R. kamtschaticum. It is a 

 very pretty plant when seen at its best, the colour of the flowers being very 

 bright, and with more blue in it than almost any other species. (See also R. 

 parvifolium.) 



R. LEDIFOLIUM, Don. 



(Azalea ledifolia, Hooker ; Bot. Mag., t. 2901 ; A. indica alba, Lindley.") 



A stiff evergreen shrub, 5 or 6 ft. high in favourable localities ; branches 

 rigid, covered densely with dark bristles the first and second seasons. Leaves 

 narrowly oval-lanceolate, i to 2| ins. long, ^ to f in. wide ; tapering at both 

 ends, hairy all over especially when young, rather dull green ; stalk in . 

 long. Flowers pure white, fragrant, 2^ ins. across, solitary at the end of 

 short lateral twigs, or in pairs or threes ; corolla open bell-shaped, with a 

 short tube ; stamens ten, about as long as the corolla ; calyx with five hairy, 

 viscidly glandular, lanceolate lobes ^ in. long ; flower-stalk hairy, ^ in. long. 



Native of China, Japan, and Corea ; introduced in 1819 from Japan, where 

 it is much cultivated. It is nearly allied to the common greenhouse "Azalea 

 indica," and is largely used as a stock on which the finer varieties of that 

 species are grafted. It is often known even now as "A. indica alba," but is 

 well worthy of the specific rank the elder Hooker gave it in 1829, being 

 distinct in its duller more hairy leaves, in the more fragrant flowers, and in 

 the viscid calyx with more erect lobes. In gardens it has not received the 

 notice it deserves as a hardy evergreen. At Kew, in an exposed position, it 

 has stood for over twenty years, and is still only 3 ft. high ; but it thrives best 

 in the most sheltered spots. When covered, as it generally is about the end 

 of May, with its pure white, fragrant flowers it is exceedingly pretty, and fs 

 well adapted for positions where a slow-growing dwarf shrub is desirable. In 

 Cornwall and similar places it grows much taller. 



