BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. 319 
broad fringe is fimbriate; the shorter scales have incomplete 
disks in all degrees. The second year shoots are darker green 
and the long scales more separate. In the third year the shoots 
are brown and many or most of the long scales have now lost 
their disk and the stalk alone remains as a short seta—a pro- 
cedure strikingly characteristic of this plant and its allies—a 
year or two thereafter the grey outer surface of the branch peels 
off. Foliage-bud outer scale-leaves about 6 mm. long and at base 
2mm. wide tapering from base to a sharp point prominently 
keeled lepidote on back and margin puberulous inside, innermost 
scale-leaves oblong spathulate about 1.4 cm. long 3 mm. broad 
lepidote on back where is a prominent midrib with long cilia on 
margin and puberulous inside ; all foliage-bud scale-leaves arise 
at about same level and are persistent becoming woody so that 
bases or annual growth on the branches are marked by rosettes 
of woody scale-leaves. Leaves stalked as much as 4 cm. long ; 
blade thick and leathery about 3.5 cm. long and 1.5 cm. broad 
spreading nearly at right angles to stalk which is at first adpressed 
later acutely diverging oblong obtuse with mid-nerve running out 
into a mucro which is recurved and making leaf appear some- 
what emarginate, margin somewhat cartilaginous roughened by 
bases of fallen setae occasionally one or two setae remain (margin 
of young leaves setulose), base broad with rounded lobes not 
cordulate; upper surface convex in young leaves grey with 
peltate scales hardly contiguous in older leaves dark green shining 
showing traces of fallen scales and often over the sulcate midrib 
setulose from scale-stalks, primary veins on each side of midrib 
about 7 and sulcate at origin ; under surface of young leaves pale 
yellow green of old leaves a dirty fawn colour densely clad with 
a persistent scurf of long and shorter peltate scales the longer 
with broad disks slightly separate from one another covering the 
shorter ones below, the midrib elevated at first concealed by scales 
later pale straw-coloured and sparingly lepidote, other venation 
hidden ; petiole about 5 mm. long stout scurfily lepidote like 
stem and leaf under-surface. Flowers white some 8-10 race- 
mosely arranged in small head-like terminal trusses upon a 
lepidote rhachis the whole inflorescence immersed in the pre- 
cociously developing leafy shoots from below the inflorescence ; 
outer bracts fulvous brown crustaceously leathery broadly ovate 
or rounded about 6 mm. long and 4.5 mm. broad somewhat 
truncate and abruptly apiculate lepidote on back and ciliate at 
margin ; the fertile bracts obovate or subspathulate hooded about 
r cm. long and nearly 5 mm. broad somewhat membranous 
yellowish densely lepidote outside and ciliate with contorted 
hairs at margin puberulous inside ; bracteoles as much as 8 mm. 
long not equalling calyx and 2 mm. broad spathulate greenish 
H 
