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PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS rhododendeon 



shaped. There are varieties with white, 

 rose, and pale yellow flowers. 



Culture do. as above. 



R. chrysanthum. — A dwarf Siberian 

 shrub, with linear lance-shaped leaves, 

 rusty beneath, and narrowed into a long 

 stalk. Flowers in summer, golden- 

 yellow, about 1 in. across, broadly bell- 

 shaped, in terminal clusters. 



Culture dc. as above. To keep this 

 plant in good condition it should always 

 have a good layer of Sphagnum Moss 

 around the stems and covering the soil. 



R. ciliatum. — A hairy SDckim shrub 

 about 2 ft. high. Leaves elliptic, pointed, 

 leathery, 2-3 in. long, more or less hairy 

 above, smooth and somewhat rusty 

 beneath. Flowers in May, pale reddish- 

 purple, about li in. across. The variety 

 roseo-album has larger flowers than the 

 type, white, tinged with rose. 



Culture dc. as above. 



R. cinnabarinum. — A pretty Sikkim 

 species, 2-3 ft. high. Leaves ovate or 

 oblong lance-shaped acute, 2-3 in. long, 

 rusty beneath. Flowers in April and 

 May, brownish-red, with a long tube, 

 rather small, nodding, 4-8 in a cluster. 

 Stamens 10. 



Culture dc. as above. 



R. collettianum. — A pretty rusty- 

 stemmed species, native of Afghanistan, 

 where it is said to grow 8-10 ft. high. 

 Leaves leathery, elliptic-oblong or lance- 

 shaped, 2-8 in. long. Flowers in May, 

 white, funnel-shaped, about 1 in. across, 

 in dense heads. Stamens 10. 



Culture dc. as above. This species in 

 a small state is useful for planting in the 

 rock garden in sheltered spots. 



R. Dalhousis. — A straggling red- 

 stemmed shrub 6-8 ft. high, native of 

 Sikkim, where it grows on the trunks of 

 trees. Leaves elliptic obovate, 4-5 in. 

 long, with downy stalks ^ in. long. 

 Flowers from April to July, white, tinged 

 with rose, befl-shaped, lemon- scented, 

 3-4 in. across. Stamens 10. 



Culture dc. as above. 



R. dauricum. — A native of Siberia 

 about 3 ft. high. Leaves deciduous, oval 

 oblong, smooth, scaly. Flowers from 

 January to March,rosy,rotate-bell-shaped, 

 solitary or in twos or threes. The variety 

 sempervirens has deep green, persistent 

 leaves, and deep purple flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. This is a very 



valuable little shrub owing to the early 

 period at which it produces its blossoms. 

 Although perhaps not so free as B. nohle- 

 cmum or B. prcecox it seems to be much 

 hardier. Blooming so early in the year 

 the plants should be grown in warm and 

 sheltered nooks so that the blossoms shall 

 suffer as little as possible from cold winds 

 and frosts. B. Keishei from Japan is 

 closely related to this species but is dwarfer 

 in growth. It has ovate leaves about 



3 in. long, and rosy-purple flowers about 

 1 in. across, borne in loose clusters at the 

 ends of the shoots. 



R. Edgeworthi. — A native of Sikkim, 

 2-3 ft. high, with somewhat straggling 

 branches. Leaves ovate laace-shaped 

 acute, 2-4 in. long, upper surface wrinkled. 

 Flowers in May and June, white, often 

 tinged with blush or pale yellow, about 



4 in. across, very fragrant. Stamens 10. 

 Many beautiful greenhouse varieties have 

 been raised from this species. 



Culture dc. as above. 



R. Falconeri. — A magnificent Sikkim 

 tree about 30 ft. high. Leaves very 

 leathery, oblong eUiptio, glossy green 

 above, densely covered with a rusty down 

 beneath, 8-12 in. long, 5-7 broad. Flowers 

 in May, white, numerous, in dense 

 rounded heads. Corolla rather small, 

 10-lobed. 



The variety eximium has purple 

 flowers and may be a hybrid between 

 B. Falconeri and B. ni/veum, as it has 

 the characters of both. 



Culture dc. as above. 



R. ferrugineum (Alpine Base). — A 

 . native of the Alps about 1 ft. high. Leaves 

 oblong, like those of the Box tree, rusty 

 beneath, slightly hairy when young. 

 Flowers from May to July, scarlet or 

 rosy-red, in umbels, funnel-shaped, with 

 grey or yeUow dots. The variety alM- 

 floruin has white flowers. The variety 

 myrtifolium is a native of the Transyl- 

 vanian Mountains and has rosy-red 

 flowers rather larger than those of the 

 type. 



Culture dc. as above. B. ferrugineum 

 and its varieties are very handsome and 

 as a rule free-flowering, but some are 

 more so than others. Besides their value 

 as open air plants they are also amenable 

 to gentle forcing in spring. The plants 

 may be carefully lifted from the open 

 ground in January and potted up. Tifey 

 may then be placed in a cool greenhouse 



