1522 



RHODODENDRON 



RHODODENDRON 



AA. Foliage lepidote or glandular, 



rarely more than 3 in. long: 



ovary lepidote. Lepidorhodium . 



B. Corolla with cylindric tube, 



thrice as long as lobes 11. jasminiflorum 



BB. Corolla campanulate or funnel- 

 form; lobes as long or twice 

 as long as tube. 

 C. IjVs. persistent; corolla lepi- 

 dote outside. 

 D. Style hardly twice as long 

 as ovary, shorter than 

 stamens: Ivs. often 

 slightly crenulate. 

 E. The Ivs. without hairs.l2. ferrugineum 



EE. The his. ciliate V.i. hirsutum 



DD. Style at least thrice as long 

 as ovary. 



E. Fls. pink or white U. punctatum 



15. arbutifolium 

 1(5. myrtifolium 



EE. Fls. pale yellow 17. Keiskei 



CC. Zivs. deciduous or semi-per- 

 sistent : corolla not lepi- 

 dote outside: fls. very early 

 in spring from lateral 1-fld. 

 buds at the ends of 

 branches 18. mucronulatum 



19. Dahuricum 



20. praecox 



1. Calif6rnicum, Hook. Shrub, 8 ft. high, sometimes 

 to 20 ft., glabrous: Ivs. oblong, shortly acuminate, pale 

 green beneath, 3-G in. long, sometimes crowded beneath 

 the fls. : clusters many-fld. : calyx minute ; corolla 

 broadly campanulate, with oval crisped lobes, rosy pur- 

 ple or pink, paler towards the center, spotted yellow 

 within, about 2 in. across, rich carmine in bud; sta- 

 mens 10, with purple anthers: ovary with appressed 

 silky hairs. May, .June. Calif, to Ore. B.M. 4863.- 

 Var. Washingtonianum, Zabel (If. Washing foniannm 

 and probably i?. Californicum, var. maximum, Hort.), 

 is not much different, but has yellow anthers; it has 

 proved as hardy as R. Catawbiense. 



2. Catawbiense, Pursh. Figs. 2109, 2110. Shrub, 6 ft. 

 high, rarely 20 ft. : Ivs. rounded at base, oval to oblong, 

 usually obtuse and mucronulate, glaucous beneath, 3-5 

 in. long: clusters many-fld. ; pedicels rusty pubescent: 

 corolla broadly campanulate, with broad roundish lobes, 

 lilac-purple, about 1% in. across : ovary rusty tomen- 

 tose. June. Va. to Ga., in the nits. B.M. 1671. L.B.C. 

 12:1176. — One of the most beautiful of native shrubs, 

 covering extensive tracts of land in the southern Alle- 

 ghanies. Hardy as far north as New England. 



3. maximum, Linn. Ctkeat Laurel. Fig. 2111. 

 Shrub or small tree, attaining 35 ft. : Ivs. 

 mostly acute at base, narrow-oblong or 

 lanceolate-oblong, acute or shortly acumi- 

 nate, whitish beneath, 4-10 in. long: clus- 

 ters many-fld. ; pedicels viscid: calyx-lobes 

 oval, as long as ovary; corolla campanulate, 

 deeply 5-lobedwith oval lobes, usually rose- 

 colored, spotted greenish within, about IJ^ 

 in. across: ovary glandular. June, July. 

 N. S. and Out. to Ga. B.M. 951. Em. 2:4.35. 

 Mn. 1:1 and 3, p. 22. D. 10. -This is one of 

 the hardiest species, being hardy as far 

 north as Quebec and Ontario. Three vars. 

 have been distinguished: var. Alburn, Pursh 

 (li. Purshii, Don), with white fls.; var. 

 purpvireum, Pursh (li. p^lrpi^reum, Don), 

 with purple fls., and var. roseum, Pursh, 

 with i>iiik flowers. This species and the 

 former are now often extensively used in 

 park-planting and taken by the car-loads 

 from the woods. If pro[)erly handled and 

 taken from a turfy soil with a sufficient ball of earth 

 around the roots, they are usually successfully trans- 

 planted. 



4. Pdnticum, Ijinn. Shrub, 10 ft. high: Ivs. elliptic 

 to oblong, acute, Y>ale green beneath, .3-5 in. long: clus- 

 ters many-fld.; pedicels longer than fls.: calyx-lobes as 

 iong as ovary, the lower ones half as long; corolla cam- 



panulate with oval lobes, purple, spotted brownish with- 

 in, about 2 in. across: ovary glandular. May, June. 

 Spain, Portugal, Asia Minor. B.M. 650. — This species 

 is less hardy than the two preceding and now rarely 

 found in cultivation in its typical form. Var. dlbum, 

 Hort., has white flowers. There are also vars. with va- 

 riegated and one with purplish leaves. 



5. azaleoides, Desf. (-B. frctgrans, Hort. H. odordtnm, 

 Hort.). Hybrid between H. Ponticum and Azalea nu- 

 diflora. Slii'ub, a few ft. high: Ivs. leathery but thin, 

 elliptic to oblong, acute at both ends, dark green above, 

 paler beneath, sometimes pubescent when young: fls. 

 funnelform-carapanulate, pinkish or whitish, fragrant, 

 l>2-2 in. across; calyx with ciliate lobes. May, June. 

 — Of garden origin. There are many allied forms of simi- 

 lar origin described under different names. The name 

 Azaleodendron has been proposed as a generic name for 

 the hybrids between Azalea and Rhododendron. 



6. arbdreum, Smith. Fig. 2112. Large shrub or tree, 

 attaining 40 ft.: Ivs. oblong to lanceolate, acute, rugose 

 above, distinctly veined and whitish or ferrugineous- 

 tomentose beneath, 4-6 in. long: clusters dense, pedi- 

 cels short: calyx minute; corolla campanulate, blood- 

 red, pink or white, usually spotted, 1-13^ in. across: 

 ovary ferrugineous-woolly or mealy, usually 7-9-celled. 

 March-May. Himalayas. B.R. 11:890. P.M. 1:101.- 

 Var. dlbum, DC. (R. album. Sweet, not Blume). Fls. 

 white, spotted purple: Ivs. ferrugineous beneath. 

 S.B.F.G. 5:148. Var. cinnamdmeum, Lindl. Pis. white, 

 slightly blushed, darker spotted than the preceding: 

 Ivs. cinnamon-brown beneath. B.R. 23:1982. Var. lim- 

 bd.tuin, Hook. Fls. with rosy limb and white throat, 

 blotched purple at base: Ivs. white beneath. B.M. 

 5311. Var. Kingil,num, Hook. [11. Kingicinum, Watt.). 

 Shrub: Ivs. broader, sti-ongly bullate, very dark: fls. 

 deep scarlet; filaments rose-colored; calyx larger. G.C. 

 III. 26:306. Var. Nilagiricum, Clarke. Fls. rose-colored 

 to deep crimson, spotted: Ivs. ferrugineous beneath. 

 B.M. 4381. Gn. 36:710. Var. puniceum, DC. Fls. purple 

 or scarlet: Ivs. white beneath. Var. Windsorii, Voss 

 (B. Windsorii, Nutt. ). Fls. deep crimson-scarlet; 

 calvx with elongated lobes: Ivs. white beneath. 

 B.M. 5008. 



7. Caucdsicum, Pall. Dense low shrub, 2 ft. high, often 

 with procumbent branches: Ivs. oval-oblong or narrow- 



2109. Flovkrer-bud of Rhododendron Catawbiense (X >2). 



These buds are full-formed in the fall. Unless these large terminal buds are 



produced, the bush will not bloom the following spring. 



elliptic, acute, dark green above, ferrugineous tomen- 

 tose beneath, 2-4 in. long: clusters 7-10-fl(l.; pedicels 

 short: calyx minute; corolla funiielform-caiiipanulate, 

 with emarginate rounded lobes, pink to yellowish white, 

 spotted greenish within, VA in. across. June, July. 

 Caucasus. B.M. 1145.- A dwarf, quite hardy species; 

 late-flowering. Var. fld,vidum, Regel. Fls. straw-col- 



