10 
which are about three inches in diameter and marked on one of the 
lobes of the corolla with red-brown spots, are perhaps more beautiful 
than those of any other Azalea, certainly of any Azalea which has 
proved hardy in the Arboretum. R. Schlippenbachii is one of the 
commonest shrubs of Korea and often forms the dominant undergrowth 
in open woods. From Korea it crosses into northeastern Manchuria 
where it grows on the shores of Possiet Bay; it occurs, too, in two 
localities in northern Japan. Wilson found it extraordinarily abundant 
in Korea on the lower slopes of Chiri-san and on the Diamond Moun- 
tains, which were where he visited this region in June “a wonderful 
sight with literally miles and miles of the purest pink from the millions 
of flowers of this Azalea.” In Korea this Azalea on the wind-swept 
grass-covered cliffs of the coast grow less than a foot high but flov/ers 
abundantly. In the forests of the interior it often grows to a height 
of fifteen feet and forms a tall and slender or a broad and shapely 
shrub. The leaves are large for an Azalea, being from three and a half 
inches to four inches long and sometimes nearly three inches wide, and 
are arranged in whorls of five at the end of the branches. This plant 
grows further north than any other Azalea, with the exception of the 
North American Rhodora. The thermometer in the region of the Dia- 
mond Mountains usually registers every winter a temperature of 85° to 
40° below zero Fahrenheit. There ,is therefore no reason why this 
Azalea should not flourish in the coldest parts of New England. It has 
flowered now for several years in the Arboretum, and planted in an 
exposed sunny position has never suffered. Its hardiness and the beauty 
of its flowers make it one of the most valuable shrubs, if not the most 
valuable, which northeastern North America has obtained from North- 
eastern Asia. This Azalea is still rare in gardens, but large quantities 
of seeds collected by Wilson in Korea in 1917 and 1918 were distributed 
in this country and in England. The seedlings, however, only make 
one growth during the season and the young plants increase slowly in 
size. The time, however, is not far distant when this inhabitant of 
the Diamond Mountains will, during the early days of the month of 
May, be one of the chief ornaments of the gardens of New England. 
Rhododendron reticulatum is the name now adopted for the Japan- 
ese Azalea better known as R. rhombicum. This is a common and 
widely distributed Japanese plant which sometimes forms a bushy tree 
from twenty to twenty-five feet in height, but is more often a shrub three 
or four feet tall. The flowers appear before the leaves and vary from 
rose-color to red-purple or magenta. They are handsom.e but of a color 
which makes it desirable to so place the plants that the flowers will 
not be contrasted with any but white flowers. This Azalea now on the 
lower end of Azalea Path has been growing in the Arboretum since 
1893; it is perfectly hardy, but has not before been as full of flowers 
as it is this spring. 
Rhododendron obtusum var. Kaempferi, or as it has usually been 
called in this country Rhododendron or Azalea Kaempferi, introduced 
by the Arboretum into gardens in 1892, is now gradually becoming 
known and appreciated in the north Atlantic states where it has proved 
