158. RHODODENDRON CALIFORNICUM CALIFORNIA ROSE BAY. 33 



158. RHODODENDRON CALIFORNICUM, HOOK. 

 CALIFORNIA ROSE BAY, RHODODENDRON. 



Ger., Californische Alprose; Fr., Rhododendron de California} Sp., 

 Rhododendron de California. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS : Leaves oblong, 3-6 in. long, obtuse at apex with short 

 acuminate point, acute at base, coriaceous, evergreen, with short thick petioles, 

 bright green above, paler, reticulate veined and with midrib prominent beneath, 

 margins slightly re volute. Flowers large, in showy several-flowered corymbs or 

 umbels with glabrous pedicels; calyx with five very short rounded lobes; corolla 

 rose purple, over 1 in. long, broadly campanulate, with wide undulate lobes, the 

 upper ones yellowish and spotted within; stamens shorter than the corolla and 

 filaments incurved; ovary rusty-hirsute. Fruit capsule oblong. 



Ordinarily the Californian Rose Bay has been ranked as a shrub 3-8 

 or sometimes 16 ft. (1-5 m.) in height and having several stems, but 

 we have found it in the forests of Mendocino County attaining the true 

 stature of a tree. There it may be seen 30 or 40 ft. (10 m.) in height, 

 with slim straight trunk 8 in. (0.2 m.) in thickness and vested in a 

 very thin purple-brown bark which checks with age both longi- 

 tudinally and transversely into very small subrectangular and quite 

 firmly adherent plates. 



HABITAT. The coast region of California from Mendocino County 

 northward to Oregon. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood moderately heavy, strong, of very 

 fine, close grain, with numerous medullary rays and easily worked. It 

 is of quite a uniformly light creamy-brown color. The specific 

 gravity, etc., of this species, we believe, have not been determined. 



USES. The California Rhododendron is of no value except for 

 ornamental purposes, and for that it deserves to be much more exten- 

 sively planted than it is. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. The Rhododendrons generally possess 

 bitter astringent and narcotic properties. 



ORDER LAURACE-SE: LAUREL FAMILY. 



Leaves alternate, simple, generally marked with pelucid dots and (as with the 

 bark) aromatic. Flowers in clusters; sepals 4-6; colored, slightly united at the 

 base, stronglv imbricated in 2 rows in the bud; petals absent; stamens definite, 

 with 2-4-celled anthers which open by recurved lid-like valves; pistil solitary, 

 free, 1-celled, 1-ovuled and with single style. Fruit, a drupe or berry with sin- 

 gle suspended anatropous albumenless seed. Trees and shrubs. 



GENUS UMBELLULARIA. NUTTALL. 



Leaves alternate, evergreen, thick, coriaceous, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, taper- 

 ing to an acute or rounded point, acute or rounded at base, with entire slightly 

 revolute margins and short grooved petioles, exstipulate. of strong spicy flavor 

 and odor when bruised, pubescent at first but finally glabrous, shining dark- 



