15 
Malus theifera when in flower is the handsomest of the wild Asiatic 
Crabapples. It is remarkable in habit, with upright, spreading, rather 
zigzag branches which are densely studded with short spurs which bear 
numerous clusters of flowers white in the bud, becoming pale and 
almost white when fully expanded. The specific name is due to the 
fact that the peasants of central China collect the leaves from which 
they prepare a palatable beverage called “red tea." This is a distinct 
addition to the Crabapples of recent introduction and should be better 
known. 
Lack of space in this Bulletin prevents a discussion of what little is 
known of the large number of Asiatic Crabapples which are supposed 
to be hybrids, and this subject will be taken up in a later Bulletin. 
The handsomest and best known of these are Malus spectabilis, M. 
florihunda, M. arnoldiana, and M. micromalus, which are already in 
flower. Practically nothing is known about these plants beyond the 
fact that they are among the most beautiful of all additions to our 
northern gardens. 
Rhododendron venustum, which is more generally cultivated under 
the name of R. Jacksonii, has been an inhabitant of the Arboretum 
since 1908. It has proved perfectly hardy and is now covered with its 
pink flowers. It is a hybrid of R. arboreum and R. caucasicum, and 
was raised in England by William Smith at Kingston in 1829, where it 
blooms from March to May. By English writers on Rhododendrons it 
is considered one of the most valuable early spring-flowering Rhodo- 
dendrons for all gardens. It is perfectly hardy and will grow in an 
exposed position in the poorest soil; it is easily and cheaply raised from 
layers and probably when better known will be largely used in this 
country for the edging of beds of broad-leaved evergreen plants. There 
is in cultivation in England a white-flowered form which originated in 
Holland, but it is still rare in British gardens and is not yet in the 
Arboretum. 
Early Azaleas. Two plants of Rhododendron (Azalea) Schlippenbachii 
have been in bloom during the last two or three days on the upper 
side of Azalea Path. This Azalea grows on exposed grass-covered 
cliffs on the east coast of Korea with branches clinging to the ground, 
but far northward in Korea it is sometimes a shrub twelve or fifteen 
feet high growing under trees or in open dense forests. It grows fur- 
ther northward than any other Asiatic Azalea and only the Rhodora 
grows further north. The flowers of this Korean Azalea are pale pink 
marked at the upper base of the corolla with dark spots, and are about 
three inches in diameter. There can be little doubt of the hardiness of 
this plant, for in Korea it grows to its largest size where the winter tem- 
perature often falls to 30° below zero Fahrenheit, and in the Arboretum 
it has not been injured by a low temperature. The two largest plants 
in the Arboretum were raised from seeds collected by Professor Jack 
in Korea in 1893, but the Arboretum was not the first institution to 
introduce this plant into European and American gardens, a single 
plant having been obtained by J. H. Veitch in a Japanese garden in 
1892 and sent to England. From this plant were propagated two or 
three large plants now in this country, one in New Jersey being said 
