BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. I5I 
Of Rh. galactinum flower is as yet unknown and the flowers in 
Forrest’s specimen of Rh. preptum are few. It is impossible 
therefore to make a precise comparison of the two species. But 
whilst their indumentum hairs are much alike and the surfaces 
upper and under of the leaves have a close resemblance, the form 
of the leaf at once separates the species. In Rh. preptum the 
leaf is always broadest above the middle, in Rh. galactinum at 
the middle—in Rh. preptum they are oblong-obovate or oblong- 
lanceolate, in Rh. galactinum oblong-ovate. 
» Rhododendron protistum,* Balf. f. et Forrest. (Grande.) 
Robust shrub reaching 9 m. in height. Branches thick when 
a year old as much as I cm. in diameter tomentose with a dense 
yellowish-grey tomentum of intricately branched : long hairs 
large petiolate as much as 45 cm. long; lamina thinly leathery 
lanceolate or oblanceolate as much as 40 cm. long 13 cm. broad 
many smaller, apex obtuse with a short prominent mucro, 
margin broadly cartilaginous slightly undulate flat, narrowed 
to a broadly cuneate base and there slightly decurrent on petiole ; 
upper surface dark green mat rugulose glabrous but coated with 
a thin dirty grey scurf as if vestiges of a juvenile indumentum, 
midrib grooved from the base, primary veins as many as 26 on 
each side at first spreading from midrib at a wide angle often 
nearly horizontal then curving upwards towards margin ; under 
surface opaque green but veiled by a thin stratum of white 
cobwebbed hairs mixed with rosette-hairs, at base and margin of 
leaf often forming a grey-white complete indumentum, the hairs 
hardly agglutinate, midrib prominent dark purple-red with a 
ew cobwebbed hairs; petiole as much as 5 cm. long stout 
grooved glabrescent but showing vestiges of withered cobwebbed 
* nodtiotoc, first of the first—in ae to its me 
+ Rhododendron protistum, Balf. f. et Forrest. co eviles cage ad 9 m, 
altus. Rami crassi tomentosi. Poi petiolata ad 45 cm. longa ; lamina tenuiter 
coriacea lanceolata vel oblanceolata ad 40 cm. longa 13 cm. lata, apice obtusa, 
margine cartilaginea, deorsum attenuata basi late cuneata; supra atroviridis 
glabra oho jivenstain rene “ap a ae albida vel virile = 
mento tenui p i 
petiolus crassus ad 5 cm. longus sparen slabrescens Inflorescentia racemo- 
umbellata 30-flora (vel ales), rhachi ad a m. pags AraChAIaS®: bracteae 
fertiles magnae ad 6 cm. longae 2 cm. t piculat 
rinque sericeae; bracteolae breves circ. 5 mm. longae sericeae ; pedicelli vix 
2 cm. longi validi tomentosi. Calyx parvus ad 3 mm. longus minute dentatus 
tomentosus. Corolla carnosula agent alba basi roseo-suffusa oblique campanu- 
lata 8-loba. Stamina 16 inaequa eviora ; filamenta glabra. Discus 
glaber. Gynaeceum corolla not brevis: ovarium ovoideum 16-loculare 
sulcatum dense lanato-tomentosum indumenti pilis fasciatis ; stylus glaber. 
