"hardy" rhododendrons 267 



really important hybrid resulted from crossing R. ar- 

 boreum and R. catawbiense in 1826, and was named 

 R. altaclarense, and the present-day race may be said 

 to date from that period. But this magnificent 

 Himalayan species is less hardy than R. ponticum and 

 is quite unsuited to the climate of New England. 

 Furthermore, it flowers very early, which is another 

 drawback. 



Until about 1850, these were the only species of 

 this section of Rhododendron in cultivation and such 

 hybrids as were raised resulted from their interbreed- 

 ing and that of their offspring. In 1848, R. Griffithi- 

 anum was introduced to England from the Sikkim 

 Himalayas, and in 1855, R. Fortunei from eastern 

 China. These two species have given birth to many 

 wonderful hybrids, but, alas, all of them too tender 

 for this climate. Other Himalayan species have 

 played a part in the evolution of the wonderful 

 variety of Rhododendrons eminently suited to the 

 moist and mild climate of the British Isles, but their 

 influence has not made for a race of value to eastern 

 North America. 



In a general way it may be said that Rhododendron 

 breeders in England until late in the nineteenth 

 century kept away from the species as much as possi- 

 ble and intermingled the blood of the best of the 



