SUBGEN. ANTHODENDRON x EURHODODENDRON 

 SECT. PENTANTHERA x LEIORHODION 



Rhododendro-Azaka Herbert, AmaryUU. 360 (1837). 



Azaleodendron Rodigas in III. Hart. XXXIX. 53 (1892). — Masters in Gard. 



Chron. ser. 3, XIII. 665 (1893). — Andre in Rev. Hort. 1893, 369. 

 Rhodazalea Croux & fils in Jour. Soc. Hort. France, ser. 4, IX. 328 (1908). — 



G6r6me in Jardin, XXTV. 279 (1910). 



The first hybrid known to have been raised in the genus Rhododendron is one 

 between species of the two subgenera Anthodendron and Eurhododendron, which 

 originated before 1800 in Thompson's Nursery at Mile End near London. Later 

 other hybrids of similar origin were raised at Highclere in the gardens of the Earl of 

 Carnarvon, by William Herbert at Spofforth, by Wm. Smith at Norbiton, who is 

 particularly known for forms with yellow flowers produced by crossing R. molle 

 with various evergreen Rhododendrons, by Isaac Davies of Brook Lane Nursery, 

 Ormskirk, and others. Another race consisting of the hybrids between evergreen 

 Rhododendrons and R. japonicum was raised by Vander Meulen of Ghent about 

 1890 and more recently by Croux & fils, Val d'Aulnay, at Chateney (Seine). 



By those who keep Azalea and Rhododendron distinct new generic names have 

 been coined. The oldest of them is Rhododendro-Azalea of Herbert, mentioned 

 only incidentally by the author and not formally proposed. The second was pro- 

 posed by Rodigas for the hybrids between R. japonicum and evergreen Rhodo- 

 dendrons. The third name was given for hybrids of similar origin, but Rhodazalea 

 Crouxii, the type of this group, has only five stamens and thus differs from Azaleo- 

 dendron which has ten stamens. 



Rhododendron ? nudiflorum x ponticum = Rhododendron azale- 



oides Hort. Lond. apud Dumont de Courset, Bot. Cult. III. 327 (1811); 



VII. 165 (1814).— Desfontaines, Tabl. Jard. Paris, 272 (1815), as 



R. azaloides, name only. 



Rhododendron ponticum var. deciduum Andrews, Bot. Rep. VI. t. 379 (1801). 

 Rhododendron ponticum /3. subdedduum "A. R." apud Sweet, Hort. Brit. 264 



(1826). 

 Rhododendron ponticum b. azaleoides Loudon, Arb. Brit. II. 1131 (1838). — 



De Candolle, Prodr. VII. 722 (1839). 

 Rhododendron azaleoides inodorum Andre 1 , PI. Terre Bruy. 162 (1864). 



According to Andrews this hybrid originated in Thompson's Nursery at Mile 

 End near London and its supposed mother plant is Rhododendron ponticum fer- 

 tilized by some Azalea. The leaves are rather large, oblong and acuminate, and 

 the corolla is pale purple, not spotted or blotched, with the corolla-lobes very wavy 

 at the margin; the stamens have purple anthers. It is likely that a form of R. nudi- 

 florum is the male parent, as there is no indication of R. viscosum in the hybrid and 

 these two species are the only Azaleas well known before 1800. The plant described 

 by Dumont de Courset seems very similar, the flowers are about the same color 

 and nothing is said about fragrance, while the plants described and figured by later 

 authors as R. azaleoides differ in their usually white or nearly white very fragrant 

 flowers and are apparently of different origin. The R. azaleoides of Sprengel (Neu 



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