"hardy" rhododendrons 269 



perate parts of the Northern Hemisphere and a certain 

 group extends through the tropics of Malaysia to 

 northern Australia, but for the purpose of this article 

 this group may be eliminated for reasons which are 

 obvious. Evergreen Rhododendrons are essentially 

 mountain plants where a majority grow naturally 

 in woods and not a few are purely alpine. No species 

 has been found in Africa nor in South America. 

 Of the large-leaved section only four species (R. 

 ponticum, R. caucasicum, R. Smirnowii, and R. 

 Ungernii) are found in Europe and Asia Minor 

 including the Caucasus. In North America only 

 three species (R. maximum, R. catawbiense, and R. 

 californicum) occur. Japan has but three (R. Metter- 

 nichii, R. brachycarpum, and R. chrysanthum). The 

 great concentration is in western China and the 

 Himalayas where more than one hundred species have 

 been discovered. It had been expected that the 

 floral wealth of central and western China would 

 add a few species to the list of large-leaved 

 Rhododendrons hardy in New England even though 

 the Himalayan region had failed us, but, unfortu- 

 nately, these hopes have not been realized. Admit- 

 ting that this is disappointing nothing is gained by 

 dwelling upon it despondently and some of these 

 Chinese species will yet stand us in good stead. 



