i65 
at first collected in the province of Kansu in 
1 872, by the well-known Russian traveller after 
whom it is named. It has leathery leaves 3 
to 5 inches long, and the white flowers are 
produced 12 to 15 together in a corymbose 
head. The corolla is bell-shaped with five 
rounded lobes. 
R. racemosum. — The most distinct and so 
far the most useful of the Chinese species. It 
is a low shrub, probably never much more 
than 3 feet high, and is specially adapted for 
the rock-garden, growing slowly, needing little 
root-room, and flowering in unfailing profu- 
sion. Its leaves are dark green above, glaucous 
beneath, and varyfromf to inchesinlength. 
The flowers are an inch or a little more in 
diameter, white or pale rose in colour, and 
slightly fragrant. It is their arrangement how- 
ever that makes the species so distinct. Instead 
of being confined to the usual rounded truss 
so characteristic of the Rhododendron, the 
flowers come also asside-clustersspringingfrom 
the leaf-axils. At the flowering season in April, 
each mature growth is transformed into a 
raceme of flowers, and hence the specific name. 
This charming little plant thrives under culti- 
vation as well as any Rhododendron we possess. 
It is perfectly hardy, can be freely increased 
by seed or cuttings, and flowers when 2 or 3 
inches high. Yunnan, at elevations of 8,000 
to 10,000 feet. 
i?. rubiginosum. — The first time I saw this 
plant was at Coombe Wood in 1894. It was 
then a small plant and had not flowered or been 
identified. Messrs. V eitch sent a plant to Kew 
where it flowered in 1897 and produced seed. 
Unless it has been reintroduced recently, this 
plant is the parent of all those now in culti- 
vation, and although several groups of it exist 
at Kew it is still very scarce. Although a 
pretty shrub it is not what nurserymen call a 
market-plant. It stands stiffly erect, reaching 
4 to 6 feet high, with dull dark-green leaves 
2 to 3 inches long and broadly lance-shaped. 
The flowers, produced in small trusses, are 2 
inches in diameter and bright rose spotted with 
crimson at the base of the upper petals. Yunnan. 
R. scabr'ifoHum. — This pretty little plant was 
one of the discoveries of the Abbe Delavay 
and was first sent to Paris, coming to Kew in 
1888 where it flowered in 1 890. It is a small, 
I somewhat sparsely habited shrub, its leaves 
\ and stems thickly covered with bristly hairs. 
The flowers, each rather less than \\ inches 
in diameter, are white flushed with rose ; the 
corolla is deeply cleft into five flatly-spreading 
lobes. Yunnan, at elevations of 8,000 feet. 
R. yunnatiense. — To Messrs. Veitch belongs 
the credit of having introduced this charming 
plant to our gardens. I first saw it at Coombe 
I Wood in 1894, and, a plant having been 
I obtained for Kew, it flowered there three years 
! later and was identified. It has not yet ripened 
good seed freely but can be easily increased by 
I cuttings. In the Himalayan house at Kew it 
j is already 6 feet high, forming a rather thin 
} but not ungraceful shrub, somewhat scantily 
j furnished with leaves. These are 2 to 3 inches 
1 long, elliptic-lanceolate and pointed, dark 
green, and covered with short bristles on the 
j upper surface. The flowers are 2 inches or so 
I in diameter, few in the cluster, white spotted 
j with dark red on the upper.part of the corolla, 
I The species comes from Yunnan, and although 
j hardy should be given a sheltered spot. It 
j blooms late in April or early in May. 
: W. J. BEAN, Kew. 
I THE NEW INCARVILLEAS. 
' (To the Editor of Flora). 
Sir, — I consider the May number of Flora 
. quite the most generally interesting yet issued, 
and both the colour plates are excellent. I 
1 have however found some inaccuracies in the 
I article upon Incarvilleas which I should be 
glad to notice. By a printer's error it refers 
to the Incarvilleas as perennial Begonias^ evi- 
dently meaning Bignonias^ from the reference 
to handsome climbers in the context. Then 
as to the statement that seedlings of Incarvilka 
Delavay i flower in the second (or even the 
I first) year of their existence, I do not think 
I this possible, as I got seed from M. de Vil- 
I morin when first sent out in 1893, '^^^ ^^is 
I came up very well but not one of the seed- 
lings flowered till 1 896 and many not till 1897. 
' I have seedlings of /. grandijiora (or Fargesi 
as I think it should be called, having been 
first sent out by the Abbe Farges) sown in 
July of 1902 or as soon as ripe, now flower- 
ing nicely with three flowers on one stalk 6 
inches high ; I have not found them to last 
