RHODODENDRON 



brushes against the filaments, which fly up and scatter their 

 pollen over his body. He leaves on the stigma of the next 

 flower he visits the pollen he has gathered in the first, and 

 so on he goes from flower to flower. He probably thinks 

 that gathering honey is his business, but as a matter of fact 

 it is a very small jjart of his duties in the economy of natui-e. 

 The Kfountain Laurel is one of the most satisfactory 

 siirubs for lawn or garden. When in fidl bloom it is of sur- 

 passing beauty, and its bright evergreen leaves make it con- 

 spicuous at any time. These lca\'es are believed to be poi- 

 sonous to cattle, and the species, Kaliiiia aiigiistifolia, a low 

 shrub in pastures, is ])opiilarly called Lambkill ; but the 

 probabilit)^ is that its noxious qualities have been overrated. 

 The best observers are inclined to refer what deleterious 

 qualities there may be to the coarse, resinous character of 

 the leaves which make tiieni indigestible than to any positive 

 noxious principle contained in them. 



RHODODENDRON. GREAT LAUREL. ROSE BAY 



7\/!oJoifi'i/iiioi! nidxhfuij}/. 



In the north a shrub with many divcigciit stems and contorted 

 branches, ten or twelve feet t:ill. I'ionts filji'ous. Distributed from 

 Nova Scotia to shores of Lake Eric and southward to northern Geor- 

 gia. Common on the mountains of New York, it Ijecomes abundant 

 in Virginia, and on the hiyh lands of Tennessee and the C;n"olinas it 

 forms dense thickets hundreds of acres in extent. Flourishes in all 

 soils except those containing lime. 



Bark. — Reddish brown, scaly. Branchlets at first green, covered 

 with red or rusty tomentum, later become reddish brown or gray 

 tinged with red. 



Wood. — Light brown; heavy, hard, close-grained. Sp. gr., 

 0.6303 ; weight of cu. ft., 39. 28 lbs. 



Winter Buds. — Leaf buds clc.irl)' seen in midsummei', conical, 

 dark green, axillary or tcrininnl, on banx-n shoots covered with 

 closely imbricated scales. Outer scales persist unul shoot is half 

 grown ; inner scales enlarge with the growing shoot and are carried 

 up with it. pdower buds are full grown by September, terminal, 

 -cone-like, an inch and a half long, covered with many imbricated 

 bracts which contract at the apex into long slender points. 



