ust 
136 BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. 
Rhododendron Meddianum,* G. Forrest.t (Thomsoni.) 
Shrub barely 2 m. high with stout branches. Branches of 
the year stiff purple with glaucous bloom glabrous about 3 mm. 
in diameter, year-old branches about 6 mm. in diameter brown 
becoming ash-grey before decortication. Foliage-bud ovoid 
pointed not nested ; outermost bud-scales half-foliage the base 
rounded reddened the upper half or less green like foliage ; 
intermediate rounded from acuminate to acute and mucronate 
slightly keeled glabrous outside finely white-ciliate ; innermost 
scales within the bud not sticky, at ae carried _ on the 
elongating shoot, petiolate; young leaves in bud revolute. 
Leaves petiolate as much as 12 cm. long ; ase thickly Saaticteg 
oval or oblong-oval or oblong sometimes a little broader above 
the middle as much as ro cm. long 4.5 cm. broad apex rounded 
somewhat trunculate or retuse with a thick tuberculate mucro, 
margin cartilaginous, base obtuse or rounded not cordulate ; 
upper surface ash-grey with a thin pellicle of wax removable by 
a solvent (such as benzole) when there is exposed a green foveo- 
late surface, midrib slightly pink and shallowly grooved, primary 
veins some 10-12 on each side slightly prominent ; under surface 
bronzed green glabrous, midrib and primary veins pink and 
raised, older leaves showing a raised ultimate reticulum of 
venation (perhaps result of drying) ; petiole broad as much as 
2 cm. long glaucous and purple glabrous grooved above. In- 
florescence a 5-7-flowered terminal umbel; innermost bracts 
red-brown membranous broadly spathulate as much as 3.5 cm. 
long 1 cm. broad whitely ciliate ; bracteoles filiform as long as 
the pedicels glabrous but for a long white hair-crest ; pedicels 
about xr cm. long stout glabrous reddish expanding into the 
* In compliment to George Medd, Esq., Agent I.F. Company, Bhamo, Upper 
Burma, to whom I am indebted for much assistance.—G. FORREST 
+ Rhododendron Meddianum, G. Forrest.—Frutex vix 2 m. vhs Rami 
hornotini glauco-purpurei eglandulosi, annotini circ. 6 mm. diam. epunctulati. 
Alabastra roseo-tincta perulis ciliatis. Folia petiolata ad 12 cm. longa; lamina 
ovalis vel oblongo-ovalis vel oblonga ad 10 cm. longa 4.5 cm. lata apice rotundata 
mucronata, margine cartilaginea, basi obtusa vel rotundata; supra grisea cerae 
pellicula vestita ; subtus aeneo-viridis glaberrima costa media venisque primariis 
erubescentibus ; petiolus ad 2 cm. longus ruber glaberrimus. Flores in umbellam 
5~-7-floram dispositi ; _ bracteae intimae submembranaceae = spathulatae 
c 
ongi validi glauco-purpurei glaberrimi. Calyx ad 6 mm. longus cupularis 
corolla breviora; filamenta glabra. Discus glaber. Gynaeceum corolla paullo 
brevius ; ovarium conoideum truncatum sulcatum glaberrimum ; stylus glaber. 
Capsula cylindrica circ. 2 cm. longa 7 mm, diam. glaberrima. Semina pallida 
complanata elongata circ. 3 mm. longa. 
