ROSE DAY (Rhododendron califdrnicum, Hook). Flowers 

 rose-pink, about 2 inches in diameter, somewhat bell-shaped, 

 the upper corolla-lobe spotted with yellow; borne in terminal 

 many-flowered umbels, without fragrance, in the midst of 

 clustered, leathery, evergreen leaves from 4 to 6 inches long or 

 even more. A shrub from 3 to 15 feet high, sometimes forming 

 dense thickets, acres in extent, in the mountains from Northern 

 California northward through Oregon and Washington. 

 Blooming in the spring and early summer. 



The compelling beauty of the Rose Bay has caused it to 

 be popularly adopted in Washington as that State's floral 

 emblem. It resembles, but exceeds in charm of flower, the 

 famous Carolina Rhododendron (C. Catawbiense) which flori- 

 culturists long ago hybridized with a Mediterranean species 

 to produce the variety most commonly cultivated nowadays 

 in American gardens. Our R. Californicum has been intro- 

 duced into English gardens where it has proved a success. 



Rhododendron is a name that comes down to us from classic 

 times and means Rose-tree. The ancients, however, did not 

 use the word for the plants we call so, but to designate the 

 oleander. 



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