68 THE AZALEAS OF THE OLD WOKLD 



apex which is furnished with a long gland-tipped mucro; the base is narrowed. 

 Both surfaces arid the petiole are clothed with pubescence similar to that on 

 the shoots; on mature leaves the upper surface is scaberulous from the presence of 

 the tumid persistent base of deciduous hairs; the veins are impressed above, 

 raised and prominently reticulate below. The flowers are borne at the end of the 

 shoots, and at low altitudes appear every month in the year. The corolla is red, 

 funnel-shape, with spreading, rounded lobes, and from 3 to 5 cm. in diameter. The 

 calyx is green and variable in size, and the lobes may be rounded and less than 1 mm. 

 long or triangular-acuminate and as much as 8 mm. long. The ten stamens are of 

 unequal length, the longest almost equalling the corolla but overtopped by the 

 slender, glabrous, exserted style. The fruit is more or less erect, ovoid, from 6 to 

 10 mm. long, densely glandular-setose, on pedicels from 1 to 1.5 cm. long. 



This species varies considerably in size of the leaves and calyx-lobes and some- 

 what in degree of hairiness and glandulosity but is well marked and easily recog- 

 nized among all the species of its section. At its altitudinal limits and on bleak 

 mountain-slopes the leaves, which are scattered on the free shoots and clustered at 

 the end of the branchlets, are tinted blackish purple. It was discovered by Rich- 

 ard Oldham round Tamsui in 1864, and introduced to gardens by Charles Maries 

 who sent seeds to Messers Veitch in 1878. Plants raised from these seeds were 

 exhibited in London in the spring of 1882. Whether plants of this origin are still 

 in cultivation I do not know. In 1918 1 sent seeds to the Arnold Arboretum which 

 were distributed in America and Europe. As a greenhouse plant Oldham's Azalea 

 is worth cultivating. 



In Tokyo I examined the type specimen of R. longiperulatum Hayata and could 

 find no characters by which to separate it from R. Oldhamii. On Mt. Daiton, the 

 type locality given by Hayata for his species, the variable R. OWhamii is abundant 

 but 1 could find no other species of the group growing there. Mr. Shimada who 

 accompanied me told me it was all R. longiperulatum Hayata so-named from his 

 original specimen collected on this mountain. 



Rhododendron mucronatum G. Don, Gen. Syst. III. 846 (1834). 



Azalea rosmarinifolia Burmann, Fl. Ind. 43, t. 3, fig. 3 (1768). — Rehder in 



Bailey, Cycl. Am. Hort. I. 123 (1900). 

 Azalea mucronata Blume, Cat. Gewass. Buitenz. 44 (1823); Bijdr. Fl. Nederl. 



853 (1825). 

 Azalea indica alba Lindley, Bot. Reg. X. t. 811 (1824). — Loddiges, Bot. Cab. 



XIII. t. 1253 (1827). 

 Azalea ledifolia Hooker in Bot. Mag. LVI. t. 2901 (1829). — Hovey, Mag. 



Hort. IV. 135 (1838). 

 Azalea liliiflora Poiteau in Annal. de From. 104 (1829). — Loiseleur, Herb. 



Amat. ser. 2, I. t. 40 (1839). — Carriere in Rev. Hort. 1869, 299. 

 Azalea alba Sweet apud Poiteau in Annal. de From. 104 (1829), as a synonym. 

 Rhododendron leucanthum Bunge in Mem. Soc. Etr. Acad. Sci. St. Petersbonrg, 



II. 115 (Enum. PI. Chin. Bor. 41) (1833). 

 Rhododendron ledifolium G. Don, Gen. Syst. 846 (1834). — Siebold and Zuc- 



carini in Abh. Akad. Munch. IV. pt. III. 131 (Fl. Jap. Fam. Nat. II. 7) 



(1846). — Planchon in Rev. Hort. 1854, 48. — Boissier, Herb. Boiss. V. 918 



(1897).— Bean, Trees and Shrubs Brit. Isl. II. 365 (1914). —Rehder in 



Bailey, Stand. Cycl. Hort. V. 2943 (1916). — Millais, Rhodod. 201, t. 



(1917). 

 Rhododendron Burmanni G. Don, Gen. Syst. III. 846 (1834). 

 Rhododendron macranthum var. albiflorum Souchetianum Lemaire in Loiseleur, 



Herb. Amat. ser. 2, III. t. 15 (1843). 



