8 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



the other members of Ericaceae, there are certain well- 

 marked differences among them, especially with respect 

 to their breeding with each other. It is noteworthy that 

 whilst the species of each section intercross, as, for ex- 

 ample, R. flavum with R. sinense, R. javanicum with R. 

 malayanum, and R. indicum with R. amcenum, no one has 

 yet raised hybrids between R. arboreum and R. javanicum 

 or between R. indicum and another. There are hybrids 

 between the deciduous Azaleas and the catawbiense section, 

 for which the name Azaleodendron has been proposed. 



Seeing that the cultivated Rhododendrons inside the 

 limits here noted interbreed quite freely, that their flowers 

 are attractive to insects on account of the honey they 

 secrete, and that the reproductive organs are so arranged 

 as to facilitate cross-pollination, it is not unlikely that 

 hybrids sometimes occur amongst the wild plants. Cer- 

 tainly some of the plants recognised as species have what 

 may be termed a mongrel look. This was the subject of 

 observation by the late Mr. H. J. Mangles, who, in answer 

 to an inquiry whether there was any marked variation 

 amongst Rhododendrons when raised from seeds, wrote as 

 follows : 



"In venturing to give an answer to this question, so 

 far as my observation and experience among Himalayan 

 Rhododendrons permits, I will for the present confine the 

 word ' seedlings ' to plants grown from seed imported from 

 their native places, that is to say, plants of the first genera- 

 tion, and my answer must be in the negative. I believe 

 that a packet of seed, gathered from the same species and 

 in the same locality, will yield in Europe seedlings, not, of 

 course, absolutely uniform, but certainly showing no marked 

 difference. This result, although often questioned, was 



