CLASSIFICATION 17 



(Prodr. 286 (1796)) was the first to point out that Azalea and Rhodo- 

 dendron could not be maintained as distinct genera. In 1834 G. Don 

 (Gen. Syst. III. 843) placed all the known species under Rhododendron. 

 Indiscriminate naming, however continued, and in 1854 Planchon, in 

 Flore des Serves, IX. (1854), and in Revue Horticole (1854), reviewed the 

 varieties from the Orient, placed all under Rhododendron and multi- 

 plied considerably the specific names. In 1870 Maximowicz (Mem. 

 Acad. Sci. St. Pttersbourg, ser. 7, XVI. No. 9 (Rhodod. As. Or.)) 

 monographed the Rhododendrons of eastern Asia, and his work has 

 remained the basis of all subsequent studies. Maximowicz dealt 

 with the subject in a thorough and masterly manner. I differ from 

 him widely in the conception and limits of certain sections and species, 

 and in the systematic position of some varieties and forms, but I am 

 none the less sensible of the great value of his pioneer work. 



Many will regret the change of names involved but none more so 

 than myself. These changes are as unfortunate as they are unavoid- 

 able. I adhere strictly to the rule of priority as laid down in the 

 Vienna rules, and while this may sometimes be deemed a nuisance its 

 fairness cannot be questioned. Moreover, if we are ever to enjoy fixed 

 order in plant nomenclature it can only be brought about through 

 strict adherence to accepted and established rules. 



It is a pity that Planchon's name Azalea cannot be used for the sub- 

 genus. It is based on the genus Azalea of Linnaeus, the type of which 

 is Azalea procumbens L., now known as Loiseleuria procumbens Desv. 

 The six species enumerated under Azalea by Linnaeus (Spec. 150 

 (1753)) belong to two subgenera and one distinct genus, namely, 

 Loiseleuria. With Planchon's name eliminated the oldest valid name 

 for the subgenus is Anthodendron Endlicher. 1 



Of the four sections of the subgenus with which we are concerned 

 three were established by G. Don (Gen. Hist. III. (1834)) and one 

 (Sciadorhodion) is proposed here. The section Tsutsutsi G. Don was 

 based on the plant figured by Kaempfer (Amoen. Exot. (1712)), which 

 is R. obtusum var. Kaempferi and is an excellent type of this homo- 

 geneous group. G. Don included R. reticulatum and R. Farrerae, but 

 these have deciduous leaves, no appressed, flattened, bristle-like 

 hairs and lack other features characteristic of Tsutsutsi proper. For 

 this reason I refer them to a new section, Sciadorhodion. G. Don also 

 includes R. molle which belongs to his section Pentanthera. Planchon 



1 For full details see page 115. 



