BALFOUR—NEW SPECIES OF RHODODENDRON. I5I 
or sponge-like with a dense coating of stalked imbricate sticky 
peltate scales in several strata, the stalks stout ending in the 
longer ones in a narrow umbo and very broad deflexed mem- 
branous wing irregular at the margin, the whole like a mushroom, 
the under scales in varying degrees of development ; a year old 
slightly thicker and rufescent the scales all more or less full of 
red resin-like secretion, from some the disks have fallen leaving 
the red-topped stalks resembling hairs; older branches soon 
becoming grey and blackening, then decorticating in soft strips 
exposing a bright white under bark. Scale-leaves of the foliage- 
bud falling as bud opens; young foliage-leaves on expansion 
sticky clad on both surfaces (more densely below) with scales 
like those on the young twigs, under surface brownish grey. 
Expanded leaves petiolate as much as 2.5 cm. long ; lamina thick 
leathery oblong or oblong-oval as much as 2.2 cm. long I cm. 
broad, apex obtuse with a horny apiculus, margin recurved entire, 
base obtuse ; upper surface dark green with a grooved midrib 
the venation otherwise hidden, mat or sometimes glistening 
coated with vestiges usually blackening of the juvenile sticky 
peltate scales; under surface with raised midrib and hidden 
veins, blood-red with peltate scales of different sizes in several 
strata infiltrated with red secretion and agglutinated to form a 
somewhat smooth surface in the oldest leaves, in the leaves 
before maturity the longer scales somewhat furfuraceous ; petiole 
about 3 mm. long clad like the young stems. Inflorescence a 
short capituloid terminal raceme many-flowered, rhachis puberu- 
lous and lepidote with discoid fleshy scales; outer bracts un- 
known, inner fertile bracts persistent during flowering obovate 
scaphoid obtuse about 7 mm. long 6 mm. broad inside sparsely 
puberulous, outside puberulous and lepidote, margin ciliate with 
twisted branched somewhat intertwining hairs; bracteoles a 
little shorter than bracts longer than pedicels claviform or 
Spathulate pilose and lepidote on back somewhat membranous 
at margins above, as much as 1.5 mm. broad ; pedicels short 
unequal as much as 4 mm. long lepidote often quasi-setulose 
through fall of disk of scale. Calyx-membranous green or tinted 
slightly red cupular about 8 mm. long or less ; cup about 2 mm. 
long 5-lobed ; lobes unequal one sometimes one-third longer than 
others or all about same length but varying in breadth, as much 
as 2.5 cm. broad, oblong truncate or rounded often erose hair- 
fringed at top with long hairs, glabrous inside, puberulous and 
lepidote outside. Corolla about 1.5 cm. long, limb white, tube 
cire. x cm, longus extus sparsim lepidotus, intus dense villosus ; limbus subcon- 
mina 5; filamenta puberula. Discus 
cavus 5-lobatus tubum subaequans. Sta : 
Puberulus. Gynaeceum calyce dimidio brevius; ovarium globosum ; stylus 
vissimus clavatus ovario dimidio brevior. 
