CHAPTER III 

 RHODODENDRONS IN NATURE 



THE species of Rhododendron are widely distributed. They 

 occupy in the flora of those countries where they are 

 abundant the same position as the Heaths do in others ; 

 indeed, in their effect upon other forms of vegetation, 

 there is a close similarity between Heaths and Rhodo- 

 dendrons. They monopolise considerable areas, few other 

 plants being able to hold their own against them. They 

 object to soils containing lime or chalk, preferring peat, 

 and they love the open country. None of the species 

 can rightly be called tropical, those found in the tropical 

 zone, as, for instance, the Malaya, New Guinea, and 

 Philippine species, occurring at considerable elevations 

 where the conditions are temperate or sub-tropical. The 

 limits of their distribution appear to be the cold of 

 Lapland, Kamtschatka, and Siberia, and the intermediate 

 conditions of the mountains of Java and New Guinea. 

 There are none in New Zealand, none in Africa, where 

 Heaths abound, and none in South America, the plants 

 known as Andean Rhododendrons being Befarias. Con- 

 sidering their abundance in Northern Asia, it is surpris- 

 ing that there are so few in North America, where the 



conditions appear to be suitable for them. 



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