RHODODENDRON 379 



a terminal cluster ; corolla i in. across, reddish purple, lobed to two-thirds of 

 its depth ; calyx comparatively large, scaly and downy, with five ovate lobes 

 j in. long ; stamens hairy at the base ; flower-stalk scaly, slender, in. long. 



Native of the Himalaya up to 16,000 ft. The plant is very distinct in its 

 bristly character and strong resinous odour. Introduced in 1825, this curious 

 Alpine species is now very rare. It thrives well in the Edinburgh Botanic 

 Garden, but in the south misses its winter covering of snow, and is often 

 excited into growth too early. 



R. S HELTONS, Hemsley and Wilson. 



An evergreen shrub, 4 to 6 ft. high ; young branchlets smooth, shining 

 brown. Leaves oval or ovate, rounded at the base, abruptly tapered. at the apex, 

 and terminated by a minute tip ; 2| to 4 ins. long, I to if ins. wide ; dark 

 dull green above, pale and rather glaucous beneath, quite smooth ; stalk \ to 

 i in. long. Flowers pink, if ins. across, in trusses of eight or more ; corolla 

 widely bell-shaped, seven-lobed ; stamens twelve to fourteen, two-thirds the 

 length of the corolla, perfectly smooth ; ovary and pistil glandular ; flower- 

 stalks \ to | in. long, glandular. 



Native of W. China ; introduced by Wilson in 1904 from the neighbour- 

 hood of Tatien-lu, \vhere he had discovered it at 8000 to 9000 ft. altitude. 

 Young plants are thriving in a few gardens. 



R. SIDEROPHYLLUM, Franchet. 



An evergreen shrub, probably 4 to 6 ft. high ; young wood slightly scaly. 

 Leaves aromatic, oval-lanceolate, tapering about equally to each end ; i^ to 

 2^ ins. long, f to f in. wide ; bright green and slightly scaly above, paler and 

 scaly beneath, the scales yellowish ; stalk \ in. long. Flowers ij to i^ ins. 

 across, of a pale blush tint with two groups of dark brown spots on the upper 

 side, produced during May in terminal and axillary clusters of six to eight ; 

 corolla flat, open, short-tubed ; two lower lobes deeper than the upper ones ; 

 stamens ten, pinkish white, hairy at the base, anthers dark red ; ovary scaly ; 

 style i ins. long, smooth : flower-stalk -| in. long, scaly. 



Native of W. China ; introduced by Wilson in 1904. It belongs to the 

 same group as yunnanense, and its flowers are equally pretty. But the leaves 

 are never bristly above, as they often are in yunnanense, they are more scaly 

 beneath, the stamens are not so much protruded beyond the corolla as in that 

 species ; the flowers are smaller and earlier. It frequently produces a con- 

 siderable number of flower-clusters densely packed at the end of the shoot. 



R. SINENSE, Sweet. 



(Azalea sinensis, Loddiges.} 



Under R, molle (q.v.} the differences between it and R. sinense are 

 pointed out. The present species is confined to China, and is much less 

 common in cultivation and perhaps not so hardy. It is a deciduous shrub, 

 the young twigs and the under-surface of the leaves being covered with a 

 dense velvet-like felt. Leaves up to 4^ ins. long and i ins. wide, green or 

 glaucous beneath. Flowers yellow of various shades. Fortune introduced 

 this shrub in 1845 (it had previously been brought to England in 1824), and 

 is very eloquent of its beauty as seen wild in China, especially on the hills 

 about Ningpo, where, he wrote, "the yellow Azalea sinensis seemed to paint 

 the hill sides, so large were the flowers, so vivid the colours." The true plant 

 is now very uncommon, but hybrids between it and molle are abundant. 



