187 
BOTANICAL INTELLIGENCE. 
Rhododendron arboreum. —A very fine hybrid variety of this 
magnificent plant has been obtained by Mr. Knight, of the Exotic 
Nursery, King’s Road, Chelsea. The flowers are collected in terminal 
heads, and the corolla is pure white, and as large as its prototype. 
The anthers protrude, and are of a deep red or crimson colour, and are 
beautifully relieved by the pure white petals, and altogether much 
more striking than the white variety or species of the R. arboreum. 
Magnolia conspicua. — One of the finest specimens of this highly 
ornamental Chinese plant is now (5th April) in flower in Messrs. 
Malcolm and Co.’s nursery at Kensington. It is one of the first that 
was in the trade, and originally planted where it now stands, as a stool 
to propagate from, but has been allowed to grow up into a fine spread¬ 
ing bush, from ten to twelve feet high, and nearly as much in lateral 
extent. It now bears, by computation, two thousand flowers; and is, 
by far, the most conspicuous object, not only in that nursery, but of all 
the vegetable products of the country round. 
Mr. Loudon, in the last number of his Arboretum Britannicum, says, 
that this plant was introduced by Sir Josepli Banks along with Hydrangea 
Hortensia, Pceonia Moutan , and Rosa Indica, about 1789. This is nearly 
correct; but the fact is, M. conspicua had been received both at Kew and 
Low Layton (where Mr. Slater’s country seat then was) before, as well 
as immediately after that year ; but the plants generally died from being 
sickly when received, and from being treated as stove plants after their 
arrival. Mr. Loudon does not mention the Magnolia purpurea (now 
obovata), an equally beautiful plant, though perhaps not quite so hardy 
nor so strong a grower as the conspicua. In China, the M. purpurea 
is always found in company with the conspicua, and in that empire 
equally esteemed: it is one of their court-yard plants; and drawings 
of it may be found in every picture shop in Canton. 
It is probable that the purpurea had been often sent to Kew before 
1790, as well as to Mr. Slater, who usually divided what he received 
by his own ships, with his friend Sir Joseph Banks ; but none of these 
succeeded till it was found in the collection of the late Duke of Port¬ 
land in 1795, who had received it from China a year or two before. 
Mr. Rangecroft, his Grace’s flower gardener, was advised to turn it out 
into a low glass-covered border in front of the stove, where it flowered, 
we think for the first time, in 1796. Mr. Slater, among several other 
Chinese plants which he introduced, is said to have introduced the 
Rosa semperjlorens ; but we have reason to believe that that was 
received through some other channel. The small red, scentless species, 
or variety, called by the Chinese, Cha-kune , was received by Mr. 
