284 BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON, 
and the notes may be of use constructively or destructively 
to some future monographer of the genus. They are perhaps 
better placed together in this way than incorporated with the 
specific descriptions. They refer entirely to species which 
would fall into the Section Osmothamnus. 
MAXIMOWICZ’S SECTION OSMOTHAMNUS. 
When in 1870 * Maximowicz instituted the Section Osmo- 
thamnus of the genus Rhododendron—taking for it the name 
of the genus framed by De Candolle for two North Asian 
aromatic shrublets described first of all as Azalea fragrans, 
Adams and Azalea pallida, Turcz.—he could bring only one 
North Chinese species into his Section, namely, Rh. micranthum, 
Turcz. In the years that have passed since Maximowicz wrote 
upon the East Asiatic Rhododendrons, China has supplied us 
with more Rhododendrons than were then known from the 
whole world. A multitude of these forms would claim entry 
into Maximowicz’s Section Osmothamnus, but the new species 
bring for examination and critical analysis material which 
shows that in the Section Osmothamnus as framed by Maxi- 
mowicz more than one natural phylum is included. The 
groupings of the species within the genus Rhododendron intro- 
duced by Maximowicz were a great advance in the direction 
of natural arrangement over those which were dominant before 
his essay, and now advance in knowledge seems to require some 
modification of Maximowicz’s sections if by such division of 
the genus we are to give expression to phyletic relation- 
ships. 
Maximowicz included eleven species in his Section Osmo- 
thamnus :— 
Rh. anthopogon, D.-Don, 
Rh. ferrugineum, Linn. 
Rh. fragrans, Maxim. 
Rh. hirsutum, Linn. 
Rh. lapponicum, Wahlenb, 
Rh. lepidotum, Wall. c. vars. Hookerianis [that is in- 
cluding Rh. elaeagnoides, Hook. f., Rh. obovatum, 
Hook. f., Rh. salignum, Hook. f.]. 
Rh. micranthum, Turez. 
Rh. nivale, Hook. f. 
Rh. parvifolium, Adams. 
Rh. pumilum, Hook. f. 
Rh. setosum, D. Don. 
* Rhododendreae Asiae Orientalis in Mém. de Acad, Imp. d. Sc., Petrogr., 
xvi, No. g (1870). 
