108 BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. 
associated with a glabrous style belongs to forms aggregating 
around Rh. selense, Franch. in what we have called the Selense 
series, but the other characters of our plant are much more 
those of Rh. Thomsoni, Hook. f. and its Chinese form RA. 
cyanocarpum, Franch. of the Thomsoni series in its restricted 
sense. And so Rh. eclecteum may be cited as additional evidence 
in support of the view that natural relationships are best ex- 
pressed by grouping together in one rather than by segregatirg 
into three series the plants which have been placed in the series 
Campylocarpum, Selense, and Thomsoni (in limited sense) 
respectively. In this connection should be mentioned Kh. 
Meddianum, G. Forrest, a new species (see p. 136) from the 
Shweli-Salween divide and the nearest ally of Rh. eclecteum. It 
is in fact the southern form of the phylum which finds northern 
representation in Rh. eclecteum. Rh. Meddianum has the same 
type of leaf with ash-grey wax pellicle as occurs in Rh. eclecteum 
but it does not produce glandular shoots and its less glandular 
character extends to the gynaeceum of which the ovary and style 
are alike glabrous. Glands mark the species of the north ; 
are absent from the species of the south. The species are separ- 
able at sight. And the absence of glands on ovary and style 
makes Rh. Meddianum an orderly member of the Thomsoni 
series in the limited sense. 
Of Rh. eclecteum Forrest did not collect specimens in full 
flower so far as his collection shows. He obtained abundant 
fruit and seed and we shall have therefore the plant in culti- 
vation ere long. The only corollas I have seen are imperfect: 
withered ones on No. 15,298 hanging on some flowers beginning 
to pass into fruit. The specimen on which these occur is a 
small one taken out by Forrest from the mass of specimens 
under this number which now lie at the bottom of the sea some- 
where between Britain and China having gone down in a 
steamer torpedoed during the war. We do not yet know the 
flower-colour of the plant. The description I have given is 
open therefore to correction and improvement when perfect 
flowers are available. Of the distinctness of the species there 
is no doubt. 
Rhododendron erileucum,* Balf. f. et Forrest.¢ (Triflorum.) 
A twiggy shrub as much as 2.7 m. high. Branches of the 
year about I mm. in diameter reddened densely lepidote epilose, 
a year old as much as 3 mm. with a glaucous bloom from epi- 
dermal wax-papillae the peltate scales somewhat wart-like, 
* éothevxdc, very white—in allusion to the under-side of the foliage leaves. 
+ Rhododendron erileucum, Balf. f. et Forrest—Frutex ad 2.7 m. altus. Rami 
hornotini rubidi dense lepidoti epilosi ceri-glauci, annotini verruculosi. Alabastra 
pauca. Folia petiolata ad 7.5 cm. longa; lamina chartacea ovalis vel obovalis 
