HYBRIDS 193 



This hybrid was raised by William Smith of Norbiton Common, near Kingston, 

 "in 1829 from seeds of the variety coccinea major of Rhododendron nudifiorum 

 that had been fertilized by arboreum." This handsome hybrid has evergreen, 

 thin, oblong-lanceolate leaves, pubescent beneath and crimson flowers with a 

 rather long tube finely pubescent outside and with the upper lobe dotted dark 

 purple. The varietal name cannot be used for a binomial combination on account 

 of B. eximium Nutt. of 1853. 



Rhododendron molle x arboreum. 



Rhododendron carneum elegantissimum Lemaire in Fl. des Serres, II. pt. 3, t. 3 

 (1846). 



Lemaire states that this is one of the hybrids obtained by William Smith of 

 Norbiton and that it was raised from seed of R. arboreum fertilized by Azalea sinen- 

 sis. It has exactly the habit of R. Smithii aureum, but the flowers are pale pink 

 or lilac, whitish toward the center and the upper lip conspicuously dotted. The 

 name elegantissimum cannot be used for a binomial on account of R. elegan- 

 tissimum Davies (see page 191). 



Rhododendron molle x (maximum x ponticum) = Rhododendron 

 norbitonense Smith apud Andr6, PI. Terre Bruy. 166 (1864); in Rev. 

 Hurt. 1893, 370. 



"Norbiton hybrids" Hort. ex Masters in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, XIII. 665 (1893). 

 Rhododendron sinense x Eurhodendron spec. Zabel in Beissner, Schelle & Zabel, 

 Handb. Laubholz-Ben. 379 (1903). 



This interesting and handsome race of hybrids was raised by Wm. Smith of 

 Norbiton near Kingston, England, about 1830. After they had been exhibited in 

 Ghent in 1839 and before the Horticultural Society in London in 1842, they at- 

 tracted much attention as yellow-flowered Rhododendrons and became widely 

 known. Of their parentage Lindley (in Bot. Reg. XXXI. sub t. 51 [1845]) says: 

 "The yellow and coppery mules of the late Mr. Smith of Norbiton were obtained 

 from that white Rhododendron ["the fine white cross between R. ponticum and 

 maximum"] by the pollen of sinense." Smith apparently raised a large number 

 of different forms; fifteen of them are enumerated by Henderson in his Illustrated 

 Bouquet, t. 46 (1859-61), and by Millais, Rhodod. 26 (1917), and others by Andr6, 

 PI. Terre Bruy. 166 (1864), one of them being "Victoria regina" mentioned on 

 page 99 of this work. Of these many forms only the two following seem to be 

 well known to-day. 



Rhododendron norbitonense var. aureum Rehder, comb. nov. 



Rhododendron Smithii aureum Paxton, Mag. Bot. IX. 79, t. and fig. (1842). — 

 Lemaire in Fl. des Serres, I. 45, t. (1845). — For further literature and syn- 

 onyms, see page 98. 



This variety differs from the typical form, which has orange-yellow flowers, in 

 its golden yellow flowers. It is still in cultivation and well known as R. Smithii 

 aureum, but as there is a R. Smithii Nutt. which is an entirely different Himalayan 

 species, and also a R. Smithii Sweet which is R. arboreum x ponticum, this name 



