298 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Rhododendron continued. 



telling. MICHAEL WATERER, crimson-spotted ; fine. MINNIE, 

 blush-white, spotted with chocolate ; distinct. MONT BLANC, 

 white, dwarf, and free-flowering. MRS. JOHN GLUTTON, white ; 

 one oi the best in cultivation. MRS. WILLIAM BOVILL, rich rosy- 

 scarlet; one of the most attractive. MURILLO, rich crimson. 

 NERO, dark rosy-purple, richly spotted. PRINCESS MARY pp 

 CAMBRIDGE, light blush deeper edging. PURITY, white, faint 

 yellow eye vlry showy. REEDIANUM. bright cherry; very 

 pretty ROSABEL, pale rose ; fine foliage and habit. SIR ISAAC 

 ETON plum-colour, shaded and spotted. SIR THOMAS SE- 

 BRIGHT, rich purple, distinct bronze blotch SNOWFLAKE, pure 

 white; conical truss; distinct and beautiful. STANDARD OF 



. 



FLANDERS, blush, distinctly spotted ; very showy. STELLA, pale 

 rose, intense chocolate blotch ; free-flowering. SYLPH, bright 

 rosy-pink; fine truss. THE QUEEN, blush, changing to white; 



. 



fine shape. TITIAN, clear rosy-scarlet ; one of the VAN- 



DYCK, rosy -crimson; good. VERSCHAFPELTII. blush much 



spotted. VESTAL, pale rose, much spotted ; fine truss. WILLIAM 



DOWNING, rich dark puce, finely blotched. 



RHODOIiEIA (from rhodon, a rose, and leios, smooth ; 



perhaps referring to the rose-like flowers and the spine- 



less stems). OED. Hamamelidece. A genus comprising a 



couple of species of small, highly glabrous, greenhouse 



or stove trees, with the habit of Rhododendron ; one is 



from Hong Kong, and the other a native of Sumatra. 



Flowers hermaphrodite, about five in an axillary, peduncu- 



late, nodding head, girded by a coloured, many-leaved 



involucre ; petals rose-colour, two to four, very unequal, 



clawed ; stamens seven to ten, inserted with the petals. 



Leaves crowded at the tips of the branchlets, spreading, 



alternate, long-petioled, evergreen, glaucous beneath, ob- 



long, entire, thickly coriaceous. For culture of JB. Cham- 



pioni the only species introduced see Gardenia. 



B. Champion! (Champion's). /. 2iin. in diameter ; outer in- 



volucral leaflets (sepals) about twelve ; inner ones (petals) about 



eighteen. February, fr. of five radiating capsules, each the size 



of a small hazel-nut. I. bright green, elliptic-obovate, obtuse. 



Hong Kong, 1852. (B. M. 4509.) 



RHODOMYRTUS (from rhodon, a rose, and Myrtos, 



Myrtle; in allusion to the rose-coloured flowers of some 



species, and the alliance to the Myrtle). ORB. Myrtacece. 



A genus containing five species of stove or greenhouse, 



villous or tomentose trees or shrubs ; one is dispersed 



over tropical Asia, from the Indian Archipelago as far 



as China, and the rest are natives of Eastern Australia. 



Flowers often rather large, axillary; calyx tube scarcely 



or not produced above the ovary; limb of four or five 



herbaceous, persistent segments; petals four or five, 



spreading; stamens densely many-seriate, free; peduncles 



one to three-flowered, rarely racemosely five to seven- 



flowered, rather long or very short. Leaves opposite, 



penniveined or triplinerved. R. tomentosa is the only 



species known to gardeners. For culture, see Myrtus. 



B. tomentosa (tomentose).* Hill Gooseberry; Indian Hill 



Guava. /. rose-colour; calyx flve-cleft; peduncles one to three- 



flowered, shorter than the leaves, with two ovate bracteoles 



beneath the flowers. June. I. ovate, the younger ones velvety 



above, cano-tomentose beneath, three-nerved ; lateral nerves sub- 



marginal. h. 5ft. China, &c., 1776. Greenhouse shrub. (B. M. 



250, under name of Myrtug tomentosa.) 



RHODORA (from rhodos, a rose ; alluding to the 

 colour of the showy flowers). ORB. Ericaceae. A mono- 

 typic genus. The species is a hardy, deciduous shrub, 

 included by Bentham and Hooker, under Rhododen- 

 dron (which see for culture). 



B. canadensis (Canadian).* /. rose-purple (rarely white), dis- 

 posed in shortly-stalked, umbel-like clusters, appearing rather 

 earlier than the leaves, showy. I. oblong, whitish and downy 



. . . . . . . . . . 



441.) The correct botanical name of this plant is Rhododendron 



Rhodora. 



RHODORHIZA. Included under Convolvulus. 



RHODOSPATHA (from rhodon, a rose, and spatha, 

 a spathe; alluding to the colour of the spathe in some' 

 species). ORB. Aroidece (Araceae). A genus comprising 

 six or seven species of stove, climbing, tropical American 

 shrubs, with rooting branches. Flowers all hermaphro- 

 dite, or the lower ones female; spathe boat-shaped, 

 rostrate, deciduous ; spadix shorter than the spathe, 

 dense-flowered, cylindrical, elongate-stipitate. Leaves 



Rhodospatha continued. 



distichous, elliptic-oblong, acuminate, with numerous 

 arcuate, parallel nerves ; petioles about as long as the 

 leaves, long-sheathed. The species introduced thrives in 

 a compost of sandy loam and peat, and requires a moist 

 atmosphere. Propagated by seeds, or by cuttings. 



long-stalked, cylimlroid," loosely attenuated towards the apex. 

 - tic, slightly ' 



B. blanda (charming), fl., spathe greenish-ochre ; spadix rather 



' ylincfroid, ' ' 

 ig-elliptii 

 narrowed towards the apex, acute. 



I. oblonc 



obtuse at base, loosely arcuate and 

 Brazil, 1860. 



RHODOSTACHYS (from rhodon, a rose, and 

 stachys, a flower-spike ; alluding to the rose-coloured 

 flowers of some species). SYN. Ruckia. ORB. Brome- 

 liacece. A small genus (six or seven species have been 

 described) of stove herbs, natives of Chili, Columbia, 

 and Guiana. Flowers sub-sessile, on an hemispherical 

 or shortly conical receptacle ; sepals distinct above the 

 ovary, erect, closely imbricated; petals free, imbricated, 

 glandular, or with two small scales at the base within ; 

 heads terminal, sessile within an involucre of numerous 

 floral leaves. Leaves rosulate, long-linear, slightly rigid, 

 spinuloso- serrate. The only species introduced require 

 culture similar to Bromelia (which see). 

 B. andina (Andine). fl. soft rose-colour, crowded on a hemi- 

 spherical receptacle, each subtended by an oval-oblong, cucul- 

 late, cuspidate, toothed, bract. Summer. 1. 1ft. to IJft long, 

 margined with robust spines, numerous, rigid, thick, fleshy, 

 glaucous-green, powdered with white, arranged in a dense, 

 regular rosette, h. 1ft. Andes of Chili, 1850. (R. H. 1885, 

 540.) SYNS. Bromelia carnea, B. longifolia (of Lindley) (L. <fc 

 P. F. G. ii. 65). R. ffrandiflora and'A littoralis are probably 

 only forms of this species. 



B. blcolor (two-coloured), fl. rose-colour ; inflorescence close, 

 sessile, surrounded by a tuft of linear-ensiform, channelled, re- 

 curved, spiny-edged leaves. 1851. An interesting, almost stem- 

 less perennial. The following are probably slight forms : Bro- 

 melia bicolor (B. H. 1873, 14), B. Joinviltei (R. H. 1876, 10), 

 Hechtia pitcairnicefolia (R. H. 1868, 211), Ruckia Ellemeeti (R. G. 

 571). 



RHODOSTOMA. Included under Palicourea 

 (which see). 



RHODOTHAMNUS (from rhodon, a rose, and 

 thamnos, a shoot or branch ; alluding to the rosy colour 

 of the flowers). ORB. Ericaceae. A monotypic genus. 

 The species is a small, hardy, branched shrub, in in- 

 florescence and habit resembling Azalea (which see for 

 culture). 

 B. Chamsecistus (Chamsecistus).* fl. pink, sub-erect, solitary at 



the tips of the branchlets, on long, slender peduncles ; corolla 



rotate, nearly lin. in diameter. May. 1. scattered, shortly petio- 



late, elliptic-lanceolate, entire, setose-ciliated, evergreen, shining. 



Branchlets glabrous, h. 6in. Alps of Eastern Europe, 1786. 



(B. M. 488, under name of Rhododendron Chamcecistus.). 



RHODOTYFOS (from rhodon, a rose, and typos, a 

 type or model; the flowers resemble those of a Rose). 

 ORB. Rosacece. A monotypic genus. The species is a 

 hardy shrub, allied to Kerria (which see for culture). 

 B. Uerrioldes (Kerria-like).* White Kerria. fl. white, solitary, 

 ample, terminating the branchlets, shortly pedicellate ; calyx 

 persistent, villous within ; petals four, ample, orbiculate, shortly 

 clawed. April. I. decussately opposite, petiolate, simple, ovate, 

 acuminate, argutely serrated, silky beneath ; stipules free, mem- 

 branous. Branches decussate, twiggy, h. 15ft. Japan, 1866. 

 (B. M. 5805 ; R. G. 505 ; R. H. 1866, Fig. 54 , S. Z. F. J. 99.) 



RHOEO (name not explained by its author). ORB. 



Commelinacece. A monotypic genus. The species is a 



stove, perennial herb, often classed under Tradescantia 



(which see for culture). 



B. discolor (party-coloured).* /. blue or purple, almost included 

 within the bracts, many, umbellately -crowded ; sepals and petals 

 three, free ; peduncles axillary, sometimes divided. June. 

 I. much imbricated, rather large, narrow-lanceo- 

 late, sessile, and sheathed at base, often purplish 

 beneath. Stem short, or wanting. Central America. 

 (B. M. 1192, 5079 ; F. d. S. 1169-70 and Ref. B. 48, 

 under name of Tradescantia discolor.) 



RHOMBOID. Approaching a rhomb in 

 shape; quadrangular, with the lateral angles 

 obtuse. A Ehomboid leaf is shown at Fig. RHOMBOID 

 370. LEAP. 



