THE RHODODENDRONS OE SIKKIM-HIMALATA. 
269 
and amateur cultivators of every grade, knew 
nothing of Rhododendrons, except as a race 
of evergreen shrubs, requiring to be planted 
in what is called peat earth. The Rhododen- 
drons were, in fact, looked on as being, what 
indeed, they are, the leading family of the 
" American" plants, growing like ordinary 
shrtibs, with their roots planted in the earth. 
To botanists, however, it was known that 
there existed a race in the Eastern Islands, 
which, instead of growing in the soil, like the 
majority of plants, fixed themselves by means 
of their rootlets to the trunks and branches of 
trees, deriving their nourishment from the 
warmth and moisture of the atmosphere. 
Some species having this habit were formerly 
made known by Blume, as inhabitants of the 
island of Java, where it appears there are 
several kinds of this habit. Three or four 
other species, of the same manner of growth, 
were introduced to public notice about twelve 
months since, on the return of Mr. Low, jun., 
from the isle of Borneo ; and these being 
published in the " Journal of the Horticul- 
tural Society^'' the gardening community were, 
in some degree, prepared for the necessity 
which now exists of abandoning the former 
notions as to habit and form, at least, of what 
constitutes a Rhododendron. 
But this is not all. Dr. Hooker, now em- 
ployed in a government botanical mission 
among the mountains of India, has discovered 
sevei-al very distinct species, and among them 
the noblest of the whole race yet known, 
whether it be in respect to the size, form, fra- 
grance, or delicate colouring of its blossoms; 
and this, too, of epiphytal habits, growing 
entirely on the trunks of immense forest trees, 
its roots ramifying among the mosses and 
lichens which clothe their enormous trunks. 
" Thus," writes Dr. Lindley, " with four 
species from Borneo, cne from Java, and one 
from Sikkim, we have now no fewer than six 
epiphytes in a genus which, a few years since, 
was not known to contain one. This is not, 
perhaps, a very surprising thing, for, after all, 
the only difference between an epiphyte and a 
terrestrial plant is one of drainage; the former 
grows in soil, on the branches of trees, where 
no water can lodge, though much may fall, 
and the latter in soil which is liable to becom- 
ing water-logged. It would be a curious 
experiment to try how the common Indian 
Rhododendrons would succeed as epiphytes 
n damp greenhouses." 
Of eleven species obtained by Dr. Hooker 
on the Sikkim-Himalaya, nine were found to 
be previously unknown to science; and the 
work whose title is quoted at the commence- 
ment of these remarks, consists of admirable 
representations and descriptions of these novel 
and splendid shrub?, from materials obtained 
on the spot, and transmitted to England for 
publication. 
This work on the Rhododendrons of Sik- 
kim-Himalaya, is published in imperial folio, 
with beautiful coloured representations of ten 
out of the eleven species discovered in the 
region, the eleventh not being found in flower. 
It contains some prefatory observations on the 
locality, and an historical sketch of the genus, 
by the Editor, Sir "W. J. Hooker ; with re- 
marks on the distribution of the new species, 
and detailed descriptions accompanying the 
plates, from the pen of Dr. Hooker. Both 
the author and editor, as well as the engravers^, 
printers, and publishers, have " well done" 
what they have done in this matter. 
Darjeeling, the locality of the country in 
which these Rhododendrons were found, lies, 
we are told, in the Sikkim portion of the 
Himalaya; and is situated in lat. 27° N., and 
long, the same as Calcutta, from which it is 
distant about 380 miles. Its elevation above 
the sea is 7,200 feet. The mean temperature 
of the year is about 55° Fahr. ; and that of 
each month is given in the following Table, 
in which, for the sake of comparison, we have 
added that of London, the mean temperature 
of which for the year is 49° 3' : — 
London. Darjeeling. 
37° 8' - - - - January 41° 
37" 1' - - - - February 43° 
42° 2' - - - - March 53° 50' 
47° 1' April 57° 
53° 6' - - . - May 59° 
61" 1' - - - - June 64° 
61° 5' July 65° . 
61 2' - - - - August 65° 
57° - - - - September 61° 50' 
49° 3' - - - - October 58" 50' 
44 6' - - - - November 48° 
40° December 44° 
" The mountain Sinchul, upon a spur of 
which, looking north, Darjeeling stands, attains 
an elevation of 9,000 feet ; and to the west of 
it, next Nepal, rises another conspicuous 
mountain, Tonglo, reaching a height of 10,000 
feet. Due north of Darjeeling, at a distance 
of only 60 miles, the horizon is bounded by 
the great snowy range, having for its prin- 
cipal feature the peak of Kinchin-junga, which 
has lately been ascertained to be 28,172 feet 
in elevation, the loftiest mountain yet known 
in the world. Dr. Hooker thus describes his 
first impressions of this scene: — ' Much as I 
had heard and read of the magnificence and 
beauty of Himalayan scenery, my highest 
expectations have been surpassed ! I arrived 
at Darjeeling on a rainy misty day, which did 
not allow me to see ten yards in any direc- 
tion, much less to descry the snowy range, 
distant 60 miles in a straight line. Early 
next morning, I caught my first view ; and 
I literally held my breath in awe and admi- 
