180 BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. 
is perhaps a new species. I can therefore only compare Rh. 
vicarium with Franchet’s description of his species Rh. polifolium 
and this Inowdo. __Franchet says nothing about indumentum 
but places Rh. polifolium near Rh. thymifolium. If that be so 
one would expect the underleaf indumentum to be grey or 
brown of contiguous scales and punctulate. The punctulation 
is not very prominent in Rh. thymifolium however and might 
be missed even by Franchet who first noticed it in Rh. nigro- 
punctatum. Certainly Rh. thymifolium indumentum is very 
different from the bi-coloured fulvo-rufous indumentum of 
Rh. vicartum and our Paris specimen under Rh. polifolium 
(that name has been substituted for thymifolium on the 
ticket) shows the silver-grey shining under surface without 
punctulation such as is seen in the Subseries C * of the Lap- 
ponicum series, in which was included Rh. polifolium on the 
evidence of this Paris specimen. Flowers in Rh. polifolium are 
in a fascicle of 2-3, more often 2; there are many floriferous 
buds side by side at the ends of the branchlets without inter- 
posed leaves; the inflorescence is lateral like that of Rh. race- 
mosum, Franch. only more contracted. (This I do not find in the 
Paris specimen hence my interpretation that Franchet did not 
mean to speak of a fascicle; + perhaps I am quite wrong, for the 
Paris specimen apart from this has a quite short style shorter than 
stamens, whilst true Rh. polifolium has a long one far exceeding 
the stamens.) Taking Rh. polifoliwum as having a fascicled 
inflorescence according to description this is very different from 
the solitary and paired flowers terminal in Rh. vicarium. Then 
Rh. polifolium true has exserted stamens and style far exceeding 
stamens, in Rh. vicayium the stamens are shorter than corolla 
and the style is shorter than the stamens. Calyx-lobes in Rh. 
polifoium are ovate or ovate-deltoid 1-2 mm. long and ciliate, 
whilst in Rh. vicarium there is the obsolete scale-fringed eciliate 
calyx. Certainly Rh. vicarium is not the Rh. polifolium of 
Franchet’s description. 
Rh. psilostylum is easily separated by its indumentum and 
yellow flowers. 
Rh. ramosissimum.—Rehder and Wilson’s plant from Tatsienlu 
is not the true Rh. ramosissimum. What it is I cannot yet say— 
possibly a new species. But Rh. vicarium is not Franchet’s Rh. 
vamosissimum having a puberulous corolla-throat and it is not 
Rehder and Wilson’s species a comparison with which will be 
made at some other time. 
Rh. verruculosum.—This species has pilose as well as lepidote 
twigs, Rh. vicarium has only lepidote ones. The leaves are oval 
or elliptic-ovate, in Rh. vicarium oblong-oval or oval or oblong- 
* See Notes R.B,G. Edin., ix (1916), 310. ft Ibid., /.c. 
