DECIDUOUS SPECIES 7 
species cross freely with each other, hybrids from the two 
being now in the nursery of Mr. Thompson, at Mile End." 
American botanists, however, do not accept this view, for 
they continue to call all their deciduous species or Swamp 
Honeysuckles, Azaleas, limiting Rhododendron to the ever- 
green, Laurel-like plants. British horticulturists also prefer 
to keep the two separate, and for garden purposes there is 
no good reason why they should not do so. In gardens, 
therefore, are the following : Rhododendrons, represented 
by R. caucasicum, R. arhoreum, R. hirsutum, and R, javani- 
cum ; Indian Azaleas, represented by R. indicum and R. 
Kcempferi ; and Swamp Honeysuckles, represented by R, 
viscosum, R. calendulaceum, R. sinense, and R. flavum. 
The deciduous species are all natives of North America 
and Northern Asia, including China and Japan. All those 
found in the Himalayas and the Malaya are evergreen. It 
is remarkable that a solitary deciduous species, R. flavum, 
is found in Asia Minor, and another, R, sinense, in China. 
The Malayan Rhododendrons have a well-marked char- 
acter in their flowers, which are fleshy and tubular, as in 
the tuberose ; in colour they are some shade of yellow or 
red, whilst the leaves are coriaceous and evergreen. The 
nearest approach to them among the Himalayan species 
is R. cinnaharinum. A few species differ widely from 
the others ; R, Kamtschaticum, for example, a low-growing 
shrub, 6 inches high, with deciduous leaves and Azalea- 
like, solitary carmine flowers, 2 inches across, is quite 
unlike any other species. Then there are some with 
Heath-like leaves, others with the aspect of Myrtles, and 
so on. 
The genus is decidedly protean, and whilst all the species 
possess special characters which differentiate them from 
