240 BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. 
Flowers light purplish-blue, On open peaty pasture, Forrest. 
No. 5863. June Igro. . 
Yunnan. Western flank of the Lichiang Range. Lat. 27° 20’ 
N. Alt. 12,000-13,000 ft. Shrub of 6-20 ins. Flowers deep 
purplish-blue, throat white. Forming symmetrically rounded 
tufts on alpine meadows. Forrest. No. 5876. June rgro. 
One of the species of the Lapponicum series of Rhododendrons 
which is in cultivation and commonly under the name of RA. 
fastigiatum, Franch. Like that plant in its cushion-habit its 
foliage is very different, and one can distinguish the two plants 
at a glance. Kh. fastigiatum has a grey hoary appearance, Rh. 
impeditum dark green. Both the plants have discontiguous 
under-leaf scales, but whilst in Rh. fastigiatum the bare 
intervals of epidermis are greyish, often tinted slightly red, in 
Rh. impeditum the epidermis is mat green. The flower distin- 
guishes them at once, for the corolla in Rh. fastigiatum is 
lepidote outside, in this new species elepidote. Its nearest 
ally is really Rh. scintillans, Balf. f. et W. W. Sm., but that 
has oblong leaves narrowed to the ends, not elliptic and 
rounded. 
See also p. 300. 
{ sqho\ Rhododendron ixeuticum, Balf. f. et W. W. Sm, 
Frutex ad 3.5 m. altus. Ramuli hornotini viscidissimi circ. 
4mm. diam. glandulis rubris clavatis longe stipitatis setiformibus 
dense obsiti vetustiores vestigiis siccis glandularum setiformium 
et cataphyllorum et bractearum et petiolorum annorum praeteri- 
torum obtecti. Alabastra oblonga cataphyllis brunneis persis- 
tentibus externis oblongo-rotundatis firmis intermediis elongatis 
ligulatis circ. 2.5 cm. longis 5 mm. latis coriaceis extus glabris 
intus caulis secretione vernicosis intimis membranaceis pubes- 
centibus. Folia ad 13 cm. longa; lamina lanceolata vel oblan- 
ceolata ad 11.5 cm. longa ad 3.5 cm. lata apice subacuminata 
margine vix revoluta basi obtusa supra juventute floccis pilorum 
lanatorum glandulisque stipitatis intermixtis tomentosim vestita 
maturitate atro-viridis subnitens glabrescens costa media sulcata 
plus minusve tomentosa venis primariis utrinsecus ad 18 sulcatis 
caeteroquin squali corium simulans subtus dense lanato-tomen- 
tosa primo sublactea postea glandulis rubris stipitatis pilis 
intermixtis rufescens costa media prominula rubescente densius 
glandulosa venis primariis nonnunquam prominulis ; petiolus 
ad 1.5 cm. longus setuloso-glandulosus viscidissimus. Flores 
in umbellam ad 12-floram laxam racemose dispositi; bracteae 
longe caudatae basi rotundatae coriaceae rubro-brunneae extus 
viscidae glandulis tuberculatae ; pedicelli ad 3 cm. longi vis- 
cidissimi glandulis rubris setiformibus brevibus et pilis paucis 
