54 THE AZALEAS OF THE OLD WORLD 



Idzu, May 19, 1853, C. Wright (Herb. Gray) ; same place, cultivated, 

 April, 1854, Messers Williams & Morrow (Herb. Gray, type); Mt. 

 Amagi, April 27, 1913, K. Sakurai; prov. Sagami, Hakone, April and 

 May, 1875, H. N. Moseley (Herb. Kew). 



Cultivated: Arnold Arboretum, flowered in greenhouse, March 

 14, 1907; Royal Gardens, Kew, April 14, 1896 (Herb. Kew, type of 

 Bot. Mag. t. 7503). 



During my travels in Japan I did not see this pretty little species in a wild 

 state. On the volcanic mountains of the Hakone region and on those of Idzu 

 province, especially Amagi-san, it is said to be common. This seems to be the 

 northern limit of its range. Matsumura gives two or three other localities in 

 Hondo but I have seen no specimens except one from near Kobe which probably 

 came from a cultivated plant. In the south island of Kyushu it grows on the 

 volcanic Mt. Unzen near Nagasaki, and on Mt. Takakuma in the southern prov- 

 ince of Osumi. Matsumura records it from Okinawa Island in Liukiu but I have 

 seen no material from there. In Japan it appears to be confined to purely volcanic 

 soils. It is also frequently cultivated there, especially in the gardens of the 

 peasantry. 



According to Messers Williams and Morrow its Japanese name signifies 

 " Rice Azalea" and has reference to the leaves which are minute and smaller 

 than those of any other Japanese species. It was introduced into cultivation 

 in England by Messers Veitch, presumably through their collector Charles 

 Maries, and flowered for the first time in England in 1882. Later it was 

 introduced to America but is still very rare. In the Arnold Arboretum it has 

 not proved hardy. The figure in the Botanical Magazine gives a very good idea 

 of this species. 



Differing from the type in color of the corolla only is : 

 Rhododendron serpyllifolium var. albiflorum Makino in Tokyo Bot. 

 Mag. XXII. 57 (1908). Schneider, III. Handb. Laubholzk. II. 507 

 (1911). Komatsu in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXXII. [15] (1918). 



Of this I have seen only Makino's type which he says is from the mountains 

 of western Japan. Makino names it in the vernacular the " Shirobana-unzen- 

 tsutsuji." 



Rhododendron Nakaharai Hayata in Jour. Coll. Sd. Tokyo XXV. 

 art. 19, 153 (Fl Mont. Formos.) (1908). Millais, Rhodod.2W (1917). 

 Kanehira, Formos. Trees, 325, fig. 15 (1917). Komatsu in Tokyo 

 Bot. Mag. XXXII. [14] (1918). 



Rhododendron serpyllifolium Hayata in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XX. 72 (1906), not 

 Miquel. 



Formosa: prov. Taihoku, Mt. Shichisei ex Hayata. 



I did not see this plant growing wild but in Tokyo examined the type specimen 

 and consider it to be a good species. As the author points out it is nearest to R. 

 serpyllifolium Miq. from which it is at once distinguished by its larger flowers, 

 each with 10 stamens. 



