BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. . 103 
inside densely puberulous, expanding into a slightly concave. 
5-lobed disk ; lobes oval or elliptic rounded at top about 8 
mim. long 6 mm. broad beautifully crenulately fringed. Stamens 
1o alternately long and short shorter than corolla, longest 
about 1.2 cm. long, shortest about 1 cm. long ; filaments 
orange-coloured slightly widened downwards naked at base over 
I-2 mm. then villous to a little above mouth of corolla-tube. 
Disk densely puberulous. Gynaeceum about 1.5 cm. long 
not quite as long as the corolla longer than stamens ; ovary about 
2 mm. long cylindric truncate grooved lepidote with white 
imbricate scales mixed with some hairs which are more numerous 
at top and there form a crest; style red puberulous at base 
expanded at top under the lobulate stigma. 
S.W. Szechwan. Mu-li mountains, valley of the Li-tang 
river. Lat. 28° 12’ N. Alt. 12,000-13,000 ft. In pine forests 
and on open rocky pasture. Shrub of 1}-2}$ ft. Flowers 
bright yellow. G. Forrest. No. 16,252. June 1918. 
Rh. muliense is the last comer of the small number of 
yellow-flowered members of the Lapponicum series. 
Forrest has given special attention to these forms during the 
past two years and has sent home some splendid material of Rh. 
chryseum which is evidently the Yunnan type of the series. 
Now that he has broken into W. Szechwan one of the first- 
fruits is this new species which has come in a postal packet 
to Mr. J. C. Williams of Caerhays Castle. A glance at the 
specimen suffices to tell that this plant is different from all 
others known, and in a few words the diagnostic marks can be 
stated. 
Its indumentum with bicolorous scales dark and light equally 
intermixed and separated by less than the diameter of the 
scale distinguishes it from Rh. flavidum, Franch. and Rh. 
primulinum, Hemsl., which have concolorous dark scales separ- 
ated by more than the diameter of the scales. 
This indumentum character it shares with Rh. chryseum, 
Balf. f. et Ward, and Rh. psilostylum, Balf. f. But Rh. chry- 
seum has 5-8 stamens; Rh. muliense has 10 stamens. Rh. 
psilostylum has a calyx with orbicular lobes ; Rh. muliense has 
a calyx with oblong or ovate lobes. 
The species is a distinct one. Its nearest ally seems to be 
Rh. psilostylum from which other distinguishing characters 
shown by it are :—the scales of the upper leaf-surface are not 
scintillating and full of secretion, the deeply crenulate fringed 
corolla-lobes, stamens shorter than corolla, gynaeceum equalling 
in length not longer than corolla, ovary pilose and hair-crested 
as well as lepidote, style puberulous not glabrous. : 
It is not yet possible to say a final word upon the differ- 
