86 THE AZALEAS OP THE OLD WORLD 



the leaves tend toward a rhombic shape, in fact this predominates and from this 

 they vary to broad-ovate and occasionally to ovate. An attempt to make leaf- 

 distinctions in this plant of specific value breaks down on the first bush examined. 

 Maximowicz who had flowering specimens and young leaves added to Miquel's 

 description of R. dilatatum the 5 stamens and glandular ovary which subsequent 

 authors have used to distinguish Miquel's two species. That Maximowicz was 

 not justified in this is abundantly proved by the material before me. As to 

 Makino's R. Wadanum I have specimens from Shikoku with slightly spotted 

 flowers but can find no other difference and do not consider that they can be 

 separated even as a variety. It is unfortunate that both Miquel's names should 

 have to be dropped but G. Don's description, brief as it is, leaves no doubt that 

 the plant he had was the same as that later described by Miquel. It has long been 

 accepted that Don's name belonged to one of Miquel's species but the question 

 remained to which? With the acceptance of the view first suggested by K. Koch 

 that both represent one species the question disappears and Don's name becomes 

 the valid, as it is the oldest, name. I have taken the form with ten stamens as 

 representing the type since it is by far the more common. 



According to G. Don this Azalea was first introduced into England from Japan 

 by Messers Knight of Chelsea and evidently about 1832-33, but it must have been 

 lost. It was introduced by Maximowicz into the Petrograd Botanic Gardens in 

 1865, and is figured in the Gartenflora for 1868 but the color is poor. It was in- 

 troduced into the Arnold Arboretum by Professor Sargent who sent seeds from the 

 Nikko region in the autumn of 1892. The plants have grown slowly but have 

 proved perfectly hardy and each spring for a number of years past have flowered 

 profusely. Apparently it is rare in Europe and is one of the plants which will 

 probably thrive better in eastern North America than in England. 



The specimen cited from Kintoki on the Hakone mountains is simply an ab- 

 normal condition of typical R. reticulatum G. Don in which the flowers have 

 been retarded and are open when the leaves are well grown. There are two 

 flowers and the pistil of a third, and a small deformed flower on the specimen, and 

 one flower with two unfolding leaves. The leaves have the characteristic rhombic 

 shape and the flowers have from 8 to 10 stamens. Branches bearing late flowers 

 and leaves together may be found occasionally on any species of precocious 

 flowering Rhododendron. 



A variety with white flowers is: — 



Rhododendron reticulatum var. albiflorum Wilson, n. comb. 



Rhododendron rhombicum var. albiflorum Makino in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XVHI. 

 66 (1904). — Rehder in Bailey, Stand. Cycl. Hort. V. 2943 (1916). 



Makino describes this plant from Tosa province in Shikoku and states that it 

 is very rare. It is unknown to me and is not cultivated in western gardens. 



The form adopted by Maximowicz as the typical R. dilatatum 

 Miquel, and so considered by subsequent authors, and which is char- 

 acterised by having 5 stamens only may be distinguished as: — 



Rhododendron reticulatum f . pentandrum Wilson, n. nom. 



Rhododendron dilatatum Maximowicz in Mem. Acad. Sci. St. PStersbourg, 

 s6r. 7, XVI. No. 9, 27 (Rhodod. As. Or.) (1870), in part, not Miquel. - 

 Franchet & Savatier, Enum. PI. Jap. I. 289 (1875). — Matsumura, PL 

 Nikko 71 (1894); Ind. PI. Jap. II. pt. 2, 459 (1912). — Boissier in Bv&. 



