260 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Veitch amongst these seven East Indian species, the above rule 

 was found to fail very generally, in that each parent would 

 impart certain peculiarities either to the flowers or leaves, 

 according to its own prepotency, but the cause of such power is 

 unknown. 



Discussion. 



Sir J ohn Llewelyn said it was not more than twenty years 

 when nothing but B. ponticum, catawbiensc, and maximum were 

 cultivated in this country, and these possessed but a poor variety 

 of colour, the prevailing tints being a dull or rosy purple. By 

 crossing these with the scarlet arborcum from Nepal, a strain 

 was obtained having scarlet flowers, but retaining the tender 

 habit of their Indian parent. This progeny was again crossed 

 with hardy kinds, and so up to the present day when our collec- 

 tions present us with every intermediate shade of colour between 

 intense scarlet, rich purple, and down to a pure white produced 

 in plants in every respect hardy. Amongst the many names of 

 those who have been successful raisers of hybrid Rhododendrons 

 are Mr. Bum, of Tottenham Park, Wilts, and Mr. Carton, late of 

 Highclere, Hants. Mr. Carton was warmly supported by Mr. 

 J. B. Gowen, Messrs. John and Hosea Waterer, of Bagshot and 

 Knap Hill ; Messrs. Lee, of Hammersmith ; Messrs. Standish & 

 Noble, Bagshot ; Mr. Baker, and many others. Several hybrid 

 Azaleas and Rhododendrons had been raised at Highclere, the 

 seat of the Earl of Carnarvon, but it was not until 1831 that a 

 very remarkable and lovely hybrid was obtained. It was duly 

 figured in the Botanical Bcgister, table 1414, under the name of 

 Rhododendron Alta-clerense,* and is described in the words of 

 Dr. Lindley as having flowers of a " clear transparent crimson 

 colour, rendered still more bright by a few distinct spots of a 

 darker hue." This hybrid was raised by Mr. J. R. Gowen, who 

 gave the following particulars concerning it in the Botanical 

 Begister : — " They (the flowers) are intermediate between 

 B. arboreum of Nepal and a seedling Rhododendron from 

 B. catawbiensc, which had been fertilised with pollen from 

 B. ponticum. From the period of the introduction of B. arboreum 

 into the Highclere garden by my friend Dr. Wallich, and more 



* Alta-Clera is the name of Highclere in Domesday Book, and in ancient 

 vrritings. 



