370 RHODODENDRON 



hardy species then in cultivation, especially catawbiense, ponticum, and 

 caucasicum. Of all the plants raised, the one which has acquired the surest 

 place in gardens is R. Nobleanum ; this was raised in the Knap Hill nursery 

 by crossing caucasicum with arboreum about 1832. It forms a small tree up 

 to 15 ft. high, the leaves having a thin, brownish felt beneath. Flowers 

 bright and rich rose, in trusses 4 ins. across. Soon after the New Year (still 

 earlier in the warmer parts of the kingdom) the flowers of this hybrid 

 commence to open, andi they continue for about two months, according to 

 climatic conditions. Very frequently they are destroyed by frost, but usually 

 some of them escape. If the weather be exceptionally favourable, no tree or 

 shrub gives so brilliant a display in the first two months of the year, and for 

 this reason a few examples are worth growing. If possible, a spot sheltered 

 by trees from the north and east should be given them. 



Var. ALBUM. Raised in the Comely Bank nurseries, Edinburgh, by 

 crossing arboreum album with caucasicum. Mr Eraser, the present head of 

 this nursery, informs me that his firm still continues to raise new stock of 

 this variety and the original Nobleanum, by re-making the original crosses. 



R. PULCHERRIMUM is of an origin similar to that of Nobleanum, and was 

 raised at the same time in the Knap Hill nursery. Its flowers are like those 

 of Nobleanum, but paler. It exists, no doubt, in many gardens under that 

 name. 



R. NUDIFLORUM, Torrey. 



(Azalea nudiflora, Linnceus, Bot. Mag., t. 180.) 



A deciduous shrub up to 9 ft. high in its native state ; young wood bristly. 

 Leaves mostly obovate, some oblong, tapering at both ends ; i^ to 3^- ins. 

 long, one-third to half as wide ; green on both sides with a few scattered 

 hairs above, bristly on the midrib beneath and on the margins. Flowers 

 faintly scented, in clusters of six or more, the corolla-tube hairy, pink, f in. 

 long ; the five lobes paler, expanding and giving the flower a diameter of 

 iiy to 2 ins. ; stalk \ to \ in. long, bristly like the small calyx ; stamens five, 

 maroon coloured, standing out well beyond the corolla ; seed-vessels f in. 

 long, bristly. 



Native of Eastern N. America ; introduced by Peter Collinson in 1734. It 

 is one of the chief parents of the great race of garden azaleas, but is itself 

 very rarely seen now. The flowers appear to be variable in colour, even in 

 a wild state, although of some shade of red or pink, or purplish. Of the 

 three north American azaleas whose flowers expand before the leaves, this 

 differs from R. calendulaceum in the longer-tubed, differently coloured corolla, 

 and in the bristly midrib of the leaf, and from A. canescens in the hairy, not 

 glandular, corolla-tube. 



R. OCCIDENTALE, A. Gray. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 5005 ; Azalea occidentalis, Torrey^) 



A deciduous, rounded bush, 8 ft. or more high ; young shoots slightly 

 downy. Leaves oval or obovate, 2 to 4 ins. long, f to \\ ins. wide ; tapering 

 at the base, often rounded at the apex ; upper surface glossy green and 

 furnished with scattered hairs ; lower surface pale, rather glaucous, downy 

 (at least when young) ; stalk downy, \ in. or less long. Flowers fragrant, 

 white with a blotch of yellow on the upper side, i\ to 3 ins. across, produced 

 in terminal clusters of six to twelve after the leaves, during June and July. 

 Corolla-tube i in. or more long, downy ; stamens and style protruded, 2 to 

 2^ ins. long ; calyx-lobes edged with long hairs ; flower-stalk f to I in. long. 



Native of Western N. America ; introduced by Wm. Lobb for Messrs 



