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RHODODENDRON CINNAMOMEUM CUNNINGHAMI. 
RHODODENDEOrT CESraAMOMEUM GTOSTSTNGHAMI. 
Nat. Order.— EiucACEiE \ Rhododendre^:. 
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Generic Character. — Rhododendron, Linnams. — Calyx 
five-parted. Corolla hypogynous, funnel-shaped, or somewhat 
hell-shaped, limb five- or more rarely seven-parted, equal or 
somewhat two-lipped. Stamens hypogynous, or inserted at the 
bottom of the corolla, equal in number to its divisions (five) or 
very often twice as many (ten or fourteen) ; filaments thread- 
like, ascending; anthers unarmed, the cells bursting by an 
oblique pore at the summit. Ovary five- or ten-celled, cells 
with many ovules ; style thread-like ; stigma capitate. Capsule 
globose or oblong, five- or ten-celled, septicidally five- or ten- 
valved, the valves separating from a free central placentiferous 
column. Seeds numerous, with a loose reticulated testa; re- 
sembling fine iron filings to the naked eye. — Shrubs or trees, 
natives of the Alps of Europe and Central Asia, and of North 
America, and the continents and islands of the East Indies ; 
many hybrids existing in gardens through accidental and arti- 
ficial crossing of species ; leaves alternate, quite entire, ever- 
green or deciduous ; flow*ers corymbose, showy, yellow, rose, 
purple, or white. — [Endlicher Gen. Plant. 4341.) 
Rhododendron cinnasiomeum, Wallich. — Leaves lanceolate- 
acute, obtuse at the base, clothed with intense rusty tomentum 
beneath ; limb of calyx short, callous, five-lobed ; ovary tomen- 
tose, ten-celled. 
Tar. Cunninghami. — Cunningham's White Rhododendron. 
— Leaves elliptic, acute at both ends, 7-8 inches long, wrinkled, 
clothed with short close tawny tomentum beneath ; flowers in 
large pyramidal heads, pure white, with deep purple spots. 
Syn. — R. cinnamomeum Cunninghami, Lindley in Paxton's 
Fl. Gard. i., 1. 16. 
f DESCRIPTION. — A noble evergreen hardy shrub. The branches are reddish-brown, stout. 
' The leaves large, measuring seven to eight inches long, broadly lanceolate, more acute at 
the base than in E. cinnamomeum, its male parent, and in this respect more nearly resembling 
those of a white variety of E. maximum, its female parent ; but in their texture, and in the 
sunken veins and wrinkled upper surface, agreeing with cinnamomeum. The under side is 
covered with a short close pile of pale ferruginous scales, in colour, as in size, exactly inter- 
mediate between the two parents ; the leaves approach those of maximum in convexity. The 
flowers form large dense terminal pyramidal trusses ; they are large, with broad rounded 
segments, pure white, marked on the upper segment with rich deep purple spots, and with a 
blotch of purple at the base. 
History, &c. — This fine variety, equalling, no doubt, the best that has been yet obtained, 
was raised from a white variety of the late-flowering maximum, crossed with cinnamomeum. It 
was reared by Mr. Cunningham, nurserynian, of Liverpool, who thus states his object, and the 
result of his attempts to realize it : — 
" In the mountainous regions of India when the snow disappears, the tropical heat soon pushes 
into flower the Rhododendrons found there. In our variable climate, in which wc arc never safe from 
frost till the middle of May is past, the great desideratum must be not only to preserve the noble form 
and beautiful colours of the Himalayan species, but to postpone the period of flowering till the nipping 
frosts have passed away. As the American maximum is nearly a month later in blooming than 
Catawbiense or Ponticum, I selected a pure white variety of that species, and having succeeded, 
though not without some difficult}', iu forcing it into flower, hybridized it with Cinnamomeum, and 
the result is the plant you are about to figure. The pure white colour of each parent is preserved, with 
the rich purple spots of Cinnamomeum, and the period of flowering postponed till the middle of May." 
Ml'. Cunningham informs us that his new variety is perfectly hardy, none of his plants 
having received any protection ; this was indeed to be expected, seeing that its female parent is 
one of the hardiest of the race, and its father capable of enduring any amount of cold, previnusly 
to its starting into growth, which, unfortunately, it does too early for our climate. This 
tendency has, however, in the hybrid, been counteracted by intermixture with one of the Latest 
of all Rhododendrons. The size of the truss of bloom is one-third larger than the size of our page 
would enable us to show it; the individual blossoms measuring fully three inches in diameter. 
Cui/ruitn. — Being perfectly hard)', nothing more is required than the treatment usually given 
to hardy American plants. 
ilr. Glenny's remarks on the points which constitute perfection in the Rhododendron, viewed 
as a florists' flower, arc subjoined : — 
"This noble family lias been mentioned in ' The Properties of Flowers and Plants,' with nine 
rules setting out the points required, the substance of which is, that — the petals should be thick, 
smooth, and stiff; the individual flowers round and campanulated like a globular cup ; the divisions 
imperceptible; size large; truss a close cone ; colour dense or bright; spots richly contrasted; foot- 
stalks stiff and elastic; plant bushy; foliage bright. Ponticum is the worst, and all that show their 
divisions so conspicuously are worthless; though a new colour may save for a time a had shape. 
Hardiness is a great point; though greenhouse varieties are among the richest ornaments of the 
VOL. III. B_ 
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