25 
RHODODENDRON Rollissonii. 
Garden Variety. 
In many respects this very striking plant so much resem- 
bles Rhododendron nobile, the Ceylon variety of R. arboreum, 
especially in its deep red flowers, and the closeness with which 
they are arranged, that we supposed it must be it. But upon 
comparing it with wild specimens from Ceylon we find that 
the Rhododendron of that island has leaves silvery under- 
neath, while in the plant before us they are rusty. It is there- 
fore clear that.R. Rollissonii has had some other origin, but 
what that origin was we do not know. 
It is among the handsomest of the crowd of varieties, 
called hybrids, which tempt the buyer at every shop, and 
seems in colour to resemble most a plant called Mars bv 
Mr. Lee, of Hammersmith ; but its flowers are much more 
compact. 
And now a word or two concerning the habits of the 
Indian Rhododendron. There is a common belief that the 
plant ought to be hardy, because it is found in Nepal. But 
Dr. Royle tells us ( Illustrations , p. 258) that it is only found 
at the lowest elevations and in the most southern latitudes of 
the Himalaya. It is true that it sustains considerable cold in 
winter in these places, but the rise and fall in temperature 
are gradual, and better enable a plant to resist the climate. 
If the most northern stations for the Rhododendrons are 
thus comparatively mild, how much more so must those be 
to the southward, and how small the chance of acclimatizing- 
H. nobile ; notwithstanding that Mrs. Walker assures us that 
the shoots of the Rhododendron are shrivelled up in Ceylon, 
as if. they were scorched, in consequence of continued cold 
mornings which blight every thing. 
This variety is rather more tender, and requires a much 
w aimer situation than the old R. arboreum. 
