164 
FLORA AND SVLVA 
rounded tips, and taper towards the base; the 
largest are about 5 inches in length and 2 inches 
wide,and all are coveredwith greyish tomen turn 
underneath. The flowers are white faintly 
tinged with pink, and are rather lax in the 
truss and inches across. A shrub of 8 feet 
high. 
R. Fortunei. — It is nearly fifty years since 
Robert Fortune introduced this plant from the 
Chekiang province of China, and nearly forty 
years since it first flowered, but it is still one 
of therarest of Rhododendrons. It isabeautiful 
shrub and one of the finest of the true species 
that we can grow in the open air. Fortune 
saw it 10 to 12 feet high, but the largest plant 
that I know (though there are doubtless larger 
ones in the country) is in the Rhododendron 
dell at Kew. This is 9 feet high and 12 feet 
through and every year is laden with flowers 
which fill the air with a sweet spicy odour, 
for it is the most fragrant of true Rhododen- 
drons. Its leaves are smooth, of a paler green 
than in most kinds, and 6 to 8 inches long. 
On first opening, the flowers have the petals 
beautifully crinkled and of a clear pale rose ; 
later they become almost white. An interest- 
ing race of hybrids has been raised by crossing 
this Rhododendron with other species. Mr. 
George Paul has raised the largest number of 
varieties, while others have originated with 
the late Mr. Luscombe and at Kev/. This 
Fortunei group is useful as coming into flower 
somewhat earlier than most garden varieties, 
thus extending the season of beauty. 
R. hypoglaucum. — This is one of Dr. Henry's 
discoveries in the province of Hupeh and has 
been introduced to cultivation though it has not 
yet flowered in this country. It bears rigidly 
coriaceous leaves, glaucous-white underneath, 
and measuring (with the stalk) 7.\ to 4 inches 
in length. The flowers are in a loose cluster, 
and the corolla is inches in diameter. The 
plant grows 10 feet or more high. 
R. irroratum. — A native of the Yunnan 
mountains at elevations of 8,000 feet or more, 
this species may possibly prove to be hardy. 
It was discovered by the Abbe Delavay who 
sent seeds to Paris, whence it reached Kew in 
1 890 and flowered there three years later. Its 
flowers are borne in a close head 5 or 6 inches 
across, and are white, sufiiised and spotted 
with rose. The corolla is 2 inches long 
and tubular, expanding at the mouth to 
inches across. This is one of the least pro- 
mising of the Chinese Rhododendrons. 
R. lacteum. — -The finest example of this 
species in the country (and probably in Europe) 
is growing in the garden of Mr. Thomas 
Acton at Kilmacurragh, Ireland. It is now 
seven or eight years since I saw it, but even 
then it was a remarkable plant. Of the older 
species it comes nearest to the Himalayan R. 
Falconeri^ and like that plant it probably takes 
many years to reach the flowering-state, when 
raised fromseed. It hasbroad,stoutleavesafoot 
or more in length and of oblong outline; the 
under-surface when young is covered with a 
beautiful whitefelt which becomes brown with 
age. The bell-shaped flowers are borne in a 
compact truss, each flower being 2 inches 
across. It is described as forming woods on 
the Koulapo Mountains, near Lankong in 
Yunnan. 
R. micranthmn. — As the name suggests, this 
is remarkable for the small size of its flowers, 
which are only ^ inch across. Although 
known for more than half a century it has 
only recently come into cultivation, and is 
described as a bush sometimes reaching 20 
feet in height with small obovate leaves \\ 
inches long, covered underneath with rusty 
scales. The white flowers are bell-shaped and 
borne in terminal, many-flowered clusters. It 
occurs in various localities but is most abund- 
' ant on the mountains near Pekin. 
[ R. pittosporafolimn. — This plant was sent 
home by Mr. Wilson during his first visit to 
China, and young plants are now growing at 
Coombe Wood. It appears to be a well-marked 
species in which the leaves resemble some of 
the larger-leaved Pittosporums. They are 3 
to 4 inches long, quite smooth, lanceolate to 
oblanceolate in outline, and of glossy green. 
The flowers come in a loose terminal truss 
and are white, each flower (there being six or 
more in each cluster) being tubular at the 
base and i to inches long, expanding into 
five deep lobes, and measuring about inches 
across. Hupeh province. 
R. Przewalskii. — About six years ago this 
plant was sent to Kew from St. Petersburg, but 
has not yet flowered. It appears to have been 
