72 THE AZALEAS OF THE OLD WORLD 



Rhododendron rosmarinifolium var. narcissifiorum Schneider, III. Handb. 



Laubholzk. II. 504 (1911). 

 Rhododendron rosmarinifolium f. narcissiflorum a. Shiromanyo Komatsu in 



Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXXII. [36] (1918). 



Japan: Kyushu, prov. Chikugo, Kurume, cultivated, May 3, 1918, 

 E. H. Wilson. 



Under the name of " Shiro-manyo-tsutsuji " this double-flowered form has been 

 cultivated in Japan for a long time probably centuries. It was introduced into 

 England by Robert Fortune who sent plants from China to Messers Standish & 

 Noble about 1850 or 1851. It was imported into this country by C. M. Hovey in 

 1855. Hovey (Mag. Hort. V. 25 [1839]) speaks of an Azalea ledifolia alba pleno 

 having been introduced into Boston in 1838. The name suggests that the form nar- 

 cissiflorum may have been in gardens prior to Fortune's introduction but I have 

 been unable to find any further reference to the plant mentioned by Hovey. Mil- 

 lais suggests this may be a hybrid R. indicum x R. linearifolium ? but it is 

 difficult to understand why it should be regarded as anything but the common 

 R. mucronatum G. Don (Azalea ledifolia Hook.) with double flowers. The habit, 

 fragrance, calyx and pubescence are identical. Maximowicz refers the double rose- 

 colored form (f . plenum Wils.) to this f . narcissiflorum and Millais does the same 

 but for horticultural purposes it is best kept distinct. 



A fine garden form of the type is: 



Rhododendron mucronatum f. sekidera Wilson, n. comb. 



Rhododendron rosmarinifolium f. Sekidera Komatsu in Tokyo Bot. Mag. 

 XXXII. [35] (1918). 



Rhododendron Sekidera (Rhod. indicum X Rhod. Kaempferi) Komatsu in 

 Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXXII. [46] (1918). 



Azalea magniflca Hort. Yokohama Nursery Co. Cat. 1918-19, p. 19. 



Azalea indica roseum Hort. Andorra Nurseries, May, 1919. 



Azalea japonica grandiflora superba Hort. Andorra Nurseries, May, 1919. 



Azalea " Damask Rose " Hort. Andorra Nurseries, May, 1919. 



Japan: prov. Musashi, cultivated, May 21, 1914, E. H. Wilson 

 (No. 6670). 



This very handsome plant I saw cultivated in the grounds of the Yokohama 

 Nursery Company. The flowers are as large as those of f. Noordtianum, pure 

 white with the dorsal lobes spotted and splashed with rose, occasionally a flower is 

 rose-colored; the stamens vary in number from 6 to 10 but are usually 10. Under 

 the names Azalea indica roseum and Azalea "Damask Rose" slightly inferior 

 forms were sent to us for determination last year. The true variety is cultivated 

 by Mr. John S. Ames, North Easton, Mass., who imported it in 1917. In 1919 I 

 brought back plants from Japan to the Arnold Arboretum. This most desirable 

 addition to our gardens will probably prove to be as hardy as the typical white- 

 flowered R. mucronatum G. Don. 



A spontaneous variety and undoubtedly the phylogenetic type of 

 the species is : 



Rhododendron mucronatum var. ripense Wilson, n. comb. 

 Rhododendron ripense Makino in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXII. 55 (1908). Schnei- 

 der, III. Handb. Laubholzk. II. 503 (1911). Komatsu in Icon. PI. Koisi- 

 kav. II. 71, t. 120 (1914); in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXXII. [12] (1918). 



