CHAPTER II 
BOTANICAL CHARACTERS 
Rhododendrons, including Azaleas, are either trees or 
shrubs, varying considerably in stature and habit, with 
hard, close-grained wood. Their leaves, which are either 
deciduous or evergreen, are entire, thick and leathery, or 
herbaceous, glabrous or clothed with hairs or scales, often 
felted beneath. Before developing they are enclosed in 
scaly bracts, which are often gummy. The flowers are 
produced in terminal heads, rarely axillary, and when in 
bud they are enclosed in scales, like the leaves. The 
calyx has five lobes, but it is sometimes almost obsolete ; 
corolla campanulate or funnel-shaped or tubular, usually 
five-lobed ; stamens five or ten or more ; anthers oblong, 
dehiscing by terminal pores ; style long or short ; stigma 
capitate ; ovary five to twenty celled ; ovules very numerous ; 
fruit a woody capsule containing very many small seeds. 
The genus now includes all the plants previously known 
as Azaleas, Indian, Chinese, and North American. It is 
generally thought that the merging of Azalea into Rhodo- 
dendron is recent ; but, as a matter of fact, it was proposed by 
the botanist Salisbury over one hundred years ago. He then 
wrote : ^^To the genus Rhododendron I have no hesitation 
in referring all the Azaleas of other authors. They agree 
minutely in habit, inflorescence, filaments, anthers, pollen, 
fruit and seeds. Mere number of stamens appear to be 
of no consequence whatever. The deciduous and evergreen 
