I XLiir. ekicaceje: rhododendron. 583 



I 



tree. Carolina, on hidi mountains. Height 10 ft. to 15 ft. Introduced 

 in 180G. Flowers white; July to October. 



ji 5. C. {a.) sca'bra Pers. The rough-leaved Clethra. 



Identification. Pers. Ench., 1. p. 482. : Don's Mill., 3. p. 842. ; Pursh Sept., 1. p. 302. 

 Engraving. Our fig. 2093. in p. 1107. 



iSpec. Char., <^c. Leaves broad, cuneate-obovate, acute, scabrous on both sur- 

 faces, coarsely serrated ; serratures hooked. Racemes spicate, sub-panicled 

 bracteated, finely tomentose. (Don's Mi/l.) A deciduous shrub. Western 

 parts of Georgia, Height 3 ft. to 4 ft. Introduced in 1806. Flowers 

 white ; July to October. 



j Sect. II. Hhodo^heje. 



I The ^hodoreas include genera of some of the most singularly ornamental 

 , evergreen and deciduous peat-earth shrubs that adorn our gardens ; for what 

 would our American grounds be without rhododendrons and azaleas ? The 

 1 culture of all the species is nearly the same; they all require peat-earth, or, 

 j at least, thrive best in it; and some of them willnot live without it. They 

 [ may all be propagated by cuttings of the growing shoots, planted in fine sand, 

 and covered with a glass, or by layers ; but the best plants of all the spe- 

 cies are procured from seed. The varieties can, of course, only be ocjntinued 

 by cuttings or layers ; and the stools for these require to be ])lanted in beds 

 of peat, which should be kept tolerably moist. The seeds, if ripened in this 

 country, should be sown soon after gathering; and those imported from Ame- 

 rica, immediately on being received : because, though the seeds of all the .Eri- 

 caceag will retain the vital principle for several years, yet the longer they are 

 kept out of the soil, the less likely they are to germinate, and the greater 

 will be the risk of losing some of them. They should be sown in pots or 

 boxes, or in a border shaded from the direct influence of the sun ; and kept in 

 a uniform state of moisture, and protected from the frost. In sowing, the 

 surface of the soil should previously be made quite smooth, and gently 

 j pressed down, or watered till it has settled to a level surface; and, after the 

 j seeds have been equally distributed over this surface, they should be covered 

 with no more soil than is barely requisite to conceal them from the eye. 

 I Seeds sown in autumn will germinate in the following spring, and be fit for 

 I transplanting into nursery lines or pots by the autumn, or by the spring of the 

 j following year. These directions will apply generally to all the species, but 

 jare more particularly applicable to those which are perfectly hardy. In 

 France, some of the species have been increased by herbaceous grafting. 



I 



i Genus XXL 



I 

 I 



IRHODODE'NDRON L. The Rhododendron, or Rose Bay. Lin. Syst. 

 ' Penta-Decandria Monogynia. 



Identification. Lin. Gen., No. 548. ; Don's Mil!., 3. p. S43. 



ii'jnonymes. Azalea sp. of authors ; /ihodcira Lin.; Chamsrhodoiiendros Tourn. Inst. t. 373. ; 

 I Khodortendron, Fr.. Ital., and Span. : AlpbaLsam, Ger. 



\DeT:i:at/un. From rhodon, a rose, and dejidron, a tree ; in reference to the terminal bunches of 

 ! flowers, which are usually red, or rose-colour. 



\Gen. Char. Calyx 5-parted. Corolla somewhat funnel-shaped, or campanu- 

 ' late, rarely rotate or 5-parted ; limb 5 cleft, somewhat bilabiate; upper lip the 

 : broadest, and usually spotted. Stamens 5 10, usually exserted, decHnate. 

 Anthers opening by two terminal pores. Capsule 5-celled, 5-valved, rarely 



P p 4 



