ERICACEAE. — RHODODENDRON 517 



David. II. 90) (1888). — Hemsley & Wilson in Kew Bull Misc. 

 Inform. (1910) 114. 



Rhododendron costulatum Franchct in Jour, de Bat. IX. 309 (1895). 



Western Szech'uan : Mupin, thickets, alt. 2000-2600 m., October 

 1908 (No. 1 195, in part; bush 2 m. tall); Ching-chi Hsien, Ta-hsiang- 

 ling, thickets, alt. 2000-2600 m., October 1908 (No. 1195, in part; 

 bush 1.5 m. tall); Ching-chi Hsien, Ta-hsiang-ling, alt. 1600-2000 m., 

 May and November 1908 (No. 1197"; bush 1-2 m. tall, flowers yellow); 

 west and near Wen-ch'uan Hsien, thickets, alt. 2000-2600 m,, July 

 and September 1908 (No. 1199; bush 1-2 m. tall); Wa-shan, wood- 

 lands, alt. 2000 m., June and October 1908 (No. 1345; bush 2.5-3 m. 

 tall, flowers yellow); south-east of Tachien-lu, thickets, alt. 2000- 

 2600 m., October 1910 (No. 4277; bush 2.5-4 m. tall); without pre- 

 cise locality, alt. 2600-3000 m., May 1904 (Veitch Exped. 3939); 

 without locality, A. Henry (No. 8862). 



This species is very common in thickets and margins of woods fully exposed to 

 the sun, and is one of the earhest of all the Rhododendrons to open its flowers. 

 It varies considerably in the size and texture of the leaves, and in the number of 

 the flowers and stamens. With the material before us we cannot maintain Franchet's 

 R. costulatum as a distinct species or even as a variety. The leaves are always 

 long-acuminate; the inflorescence is normally lateral and one-flowered, but occa- 

 sionally two or more flowers develop in each fascicle. 



Sect. 4. Lepidota Maxim. 



Flowers from terminal buds; corolla campanulate or funnelform, rather large, 

 3-4 cm. diam.; smaller in R. Hanceanum. Leaves sparingly lepidote, sometimes 

 hairy, 2-7 cm. long, rarely only 1 cm. long. 



Group a. 

 Leaves only lepidote. Flowers yellow. 



Rhododendron Hanceanum Hemsley in Jour. Linn. Soc. XXVI. 

 24 (1889). — Hemsley & Wilson in Kew Bull. Misc. Inform. 1910, 

 115. 



Western Szech'uan: Mupin, cliffs and thickets, alt. 2600-3000 

 m., June and September 1908 (Nos. 3413, 882; bush 1 m. tall, flowers 

 clear yellow); Ching-chi Hsien, rocky places, alt. 2800-3000 m., 

 September 15, 1908 (No. 882'*; bush 1 m. tall, forming thickets); 

 Mupin, alt. 2600-3000 m., October 1910 (No. 4255; bush 30-90 cm. 

 tall). 



