148 BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. 
The flower material for examination is not good and some 
modification of the description may be required when better 
flowers are known. The plant is apparently most floriferous. 
It should be hardy coming from 14,000 ft. in the Tsarong, and 
Forrest’s description of the flowers as crimson raises expecta 
tions of a species of horticultural value. 
Rhododendron thyodocum,* Balf. f. et Cooper. 
A dwarf shrub about 1 m. high loosely branched some- 
times virgate. Branches of the year about 1 mm. in diameter 
lepidote with brown scales, older ones grey more or less warted 
by the old scales. Scale-leaves of the small oblong foliage- 
buds brown-lepidote; young leaves convolute. Leaves dis- 
tinctly petiolate as much as 4.5 cm. long; lamina leathery 
oblong or elliptic-oblong as much as 3.5 cm. long 2 cm. broad, 
apex rounded mucronulate, margin somewhat cartilaginous 
slightly recurved ; obtuse at base: upper surface opaque ver 
dark green when young covered by contiguous superficial peltate 
scales composed of a broad umbo infiltrated with yellow secre- 
tion and a white broad fringe, at maturity desquamated or coated 
with the dry dirty-grey vestiges of the scales, midrib grooved, 
the primary veins concealed ; under surface traversed by a raised 
midrib and lepidote with a compact smooth indumentum of con- 
tiguous biform peltate scales, when young the surface is yellowish 
green most of the scales being short pale green with a concolorous 
* @vodexoc, odorous—in allusion to the odour of the leaves. 
| Rhododendron thyodocum, Balf. f. et Cooper.—Frutex ad 1 m. altus laxe 
famosus nonnunquam virgatus. Ramuli hornotini circ. 1 mm. lati brunneo- 
lepidoti. Alabastrorum oblongorum parvorum perulae paucae punctulatim 
nneo-lepidotae ; folia saritinca convoluta. Folia petiolata ad 4.5 cm. longa ; 
coriacea ad 3.5 cm. longa ad 2 cm. lata oblonga vel elliptico-oblonga apice 
ot ta muc argine subcartilaginea leviter recurvata, basi obtusa ; 
supra opaca fere atro-viridis primum contigue | demum desquamata vel 
vestigus siccis paucis naa riseis notata, costa media sulcata ; 
subtus costa media elevata percurs a, squamis contiguis biformibus indumentum 
compacturh sleeve: _facientibus dense lepidota, in juve <_<? flavido-viridis 
squa nneis longioribus 
: in maturitate cinnamomea vel mutbirnchcaciiia squamis caliaibied concoloribus 
bonatim ru rubro-resinosis ; petiolus ad 1 cm. longus lepidotus. Flores 
pedicellati in racemum brevem terminalem ad 8-floram dispositi ; pedicelli tenues 
* . * Ss 
mm. lati virides eatin ass lepidoti, pects purpurea postice maculata éxtus 
eae minusve albido-lepidota circ. 1.4 cm. longa; tubus circ. 5 mm. longus 4.5 
mm. diam. poculiformis ; limbus in ‘ition 5 rotundatos auriculatos imbricatos 
OS exp us na Io alternatim corolla longiora et breviora ; fila- 
nta intra tubum corollinum dense albido-villosa. arium 3 mm. longum 
sulcatum albi tum ; stylus ovarium aequans deflexus sursum ex 
‘Stigmate lobulato coronatus. Capsula conoidea mh a vestigiis vestita circ- 
aS 4 mm. lata stylo persistente auc 
