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RHODODENDRON, Lin. THE RHODODENDRON. 
Nat. Ord. Ericacese. Lin. Syst. Pentandria.—Decandria Monogynia. 
Generic Character. —-Calyx 5-parted. Corolla somewhat funnel-shaped, or campanulate ; 
rarely rotate or 5-parted ; limb 5-cleft, somewhat bilabiate; upper lip the broadest, and 
usually spotted. Stamens 5-10, usually exserted, declinate; anthers opening by two 
terminal pores. Capsule 5-celled, 5-valved, rarely 10-celled and 10-valved, as in 
R. Arboreum , with septicidal dehiscence at the apex. "Placentas simple, angular. Seeds 
compressed, scobiform, winged.—Shrubs or trees, usually evergreen. Leaves alternate, 
quite entire, terminated by a spacelate apex, or yellow gland. Flowers terminal, corym¬ 
bose, showy.— (G. Don.) 
Description, &c.—-There is, perhaps, no genus which contains a 
greater variety of beautiful plants than the Rhododendron. The different 
species vary in size, from the dwarf Rhododendron hirsutum and R. fer- 
rugineum , which scarcely rise above the ground, to the magnificent Tree 
Rhododendron, now so beautifully in flower in Knight’s nursery at 
Chelsea, which in its native forests, in Nepaul, is upwards of forty feet 
high. They also vary in colour, from white to pale blush, and through 
all the various shades to deep crimson, or sometimes purple ; and in the case 
of the Tree Rhododendron, to dark scarlet; while sometimes, as in the 
case of one of the species figured in Plate 6, the flowers are yellow. A 
very beautiful garden may be formed of Rhododendrons only, if flowers 
should be wanted, principally at the season when the Rhododendrons are 
in full perfection; and, in large places, there is almost always an American • 
ground, of which the Rhododendrons are the principal ornaments. Many 
persons were formerly deterred from cultivating Rhododendrons, from the 
idea that they could only be grown in peat earth ; but this is found to be 
a mistake, as they will thrive luxuriantly in sandy loam, provided they 
are allowed plenty of water. They have a very good effect when planted 
as undergrowth in woods, as is done at High Clere and in Bagshot Park. 
Some of the plants may be trained as standards, by constantly taking off 
the lower branches ; and thus treated, they have a fine effect on a lawn. 
There are some beautiful specimens of Rhododendrons, thus trained, in 
the Knap-hill nursery, near Bagshot. Among the valuable kinds for a 
shrubbery, may be reckoned some white-flowered kinds which I saw in 
flower in Mr. Knight’s nursery, at Chelsea, in May. These plants were 
in pots; but there were other specimens of the same species in the open 
ground, four or five feet high, which I was assured had stood in the open 
air through the late trying winter, without the slightest protection. The 
names of these plants are Rhododendron guttatum , R. oculatum , and 
R. maculatum , all with white flowers, very slightly spotted at the 
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