102 THE AZALEAS OF THE OLD WORLD 



the nurseries round Tokyo and Osaka for export it is but little used by the Japanese 

 in their own gardens, probably because it is not amenable to clipping. 



In western gardens the first to raise and name varieties of R. japonicum from 

 seed was Louis van Houtte of Ghent, Belgium, who published (in the FL des Serr. 

 XIX. 177 [1873]) an article, accompanied by four plates. Enthusiastic on the future 

 possibilities of this plant, he named and described twenty kinds. Among these are 

 some of the best seminal kinds of this Azalea yet produced. The first of them to 

 attain popularity was " Comte de Gomer," which is figured in the Revue Horti- 

 culture Beige, I. 97, t. (1875), by Kerchove de Denterghen under the name of Azalea 

 mollis " Comte de Gomer." In 1879, Messers James Veitch & Sons exhibited it be- 

 fore the Royal Horticultural Society under the same name and it received a First 

 Class certificate. It is figured by Richard Dean in the Floral Magazine, XVIII. t. 

 367 (1879), and is still among the best kinds raised. Others of the same stock are 

 " Alphonse Lavalle"e," " Baron Edmond de Rothschild," " Comte Papadopoli," 

 " Consul Pdcher " and " Charles KSkuleV' In his article Van Houtte makes no 

 mention of using the Chinese plant but his figure 2033 suggests that plant. His 

 t. 2035, depicting white flowers with yellow blotch on upper petal is presumably the 

 variety " Chevalier A. de R6ali," and suggests an albino form of the Chinese plant 

 rather than of the Japanese species. I have seen no specimen of this, but the leaves 

 should tell its origin. In this connection, however, it is well to remember that 

 although only recently definitely known, the yellow-flowered form (f . aureum) of 

 the Japanese species might have been raised from the seedlings distributed by 

 Groenewegen or from the Petrograd stock. I saw the f . aureum in the British Con- 

 sulate garden in Hakodate in 1914 and the plant might well have been growing 

 somewhere in the town when Maximowicz was there in 1861. In reading Van 

 Houtte's account the inference certainly is that all the forms he mentions and 

 figures are of the Japanese plant, and Van Houtte, of course, knew the Chinese 

 plant well. At this late date it is not possible to be sure, but I incline to the belief 

 that the yellow-flowered form of the Japanese species appeared among the seed- 

 lings raised from Groenewegen's or Maximowicz's seeds. 



Rhododendron japonicum f. aureum Wilson, n. f . 



Rhododendron sinense Tanaka, Useful PL Japan, 74, No. 652, fig. (1891), not 



Sweet. 

 Rhododendron sinense var. flavescens Ito, Icon. PI. Jap. I. No. 5, p. 4 (1913), 



not Sweet. 



Japan : Hondo, prov. Musashi, brought from Chichibu mountains, 

 cultivated, Botanic Gardens, Tokyo, May 11, 1917, E. H. Wilson 

 (No. 8414, type); prov. Kawachi, between Yomomoto and Ikedo, 

 cultivated, said to have been brought from round Tokyo, May 8, 

 1918, E. H. Wilson (No. 10,351). 



Except for its rich, deep yellow flowers there is nothing to distinguish this* form 

 from the typical R. japonicum. I was informed by Dr. Nakai that this form grows 

 wild mixed with the type on Chichibu mountains in the northwestern part of Mu- 

 sashi province and that the plant my specimens are from came from there. I did 

 not see it wild but Dr. Nakai' s statement was confirmed to me by various horti- 

 culturists. I saw it in gardens in Hakodate in 1914, and in nurseries not far from 

 Osaka in 1918. The winter-buds are pale colored and afford an easy means of dis- 

 tinguishing it from the type. The Japanese name for this plant is " Ki-tsutsuji " 

 or " Ki-renge-tsutsuji " and Tanaka's figure cited above is quite good. As far as I 



