tirije ^tlo^JotienlJron ^ocietp 
Series from those of the Grande Series. But I interject this warning : the under 
surface of the leaf of one of the Falconeri Series which has detersile indumentum 
may in the older stages, when the smooth grey pellicle of under-stratum is \dsible 
all over it, present some resemblance to the under surface of the leaf of one of 
the Grande Series. Careful examination, however, will always show a few of the 
cup-shaped hairs lurking under protection of the midrib or primary veins and 
prevent mistake in identification. 
Everyone knows the conical terminal bud which appears in R. Falcoxeri 
in the midst of the circle of leaves. It takes its shape from the few outer scale- 
leaves enclosing it. These have thick cushion-bases from which the long tapered 
sharp-pointed upper part of the scale-leaf is prolonged, the tips often shghtly 
twisted around one another. Within These outer scale-leaves are the oblong 
overlapping ones sealing the bud. This type of bud is if not characteristic of 
the Falconeri Series as a whole, certainly conspicuous in the largest-leaved forms 
in it. We do not know the buds in several of the species and on our 5 ^oung plants 
of R. GALACTiNUM the outer bud-scales of the terminal foliage-bud are short. I do 
not say it is not to be found elsewhere—-we Icnow so few species of Rhododendron 
as yet in their mature state. This form of bud may be either a foliage-bud or a 
flower-bud. I know of no mark by which to make a sure prognosis of the destiny 
of a terminal bud in the Falconeri Series until it begins to swell in growth. The 
lateral buds are different from the terminal. They never have these outer 
tailed scale-leaves. They are fohage-buds. Yet on occasion I have seen one of 
these lateral buds develop into a flower-truss whilst the terminal became a 
foliage-shoot. 
The Flower and Fruit. We are justified in making the broad statement 
that large truss and large flower are characters of the Falconeri Series, some are 
less large than others. The truss is a more or less racemose umbel, the pedicels 
are long and tomentose, the bracts silky, the bracteoles very short. The obhque 
form of the flower with a more convex shghtly ventricose upper side and set on at 
a conspicuous angle to the pedicel is characteristic. The calyx is hardly visible, 
only a series of small teeth usually representing it. The corolla fleshy bell-shaped 
is most commonly creamy-white or pale-yellow with some degree of crimson 
blotching at the base on the posterior side within and sometimes spotted above 
the blotch, occasionally the crimson-coloration is absent, frequently the corolla 
is rose or rose-pink, more rarely carmine to purple. The corolla is mamly tube, 
the lobes, eight to ten, rarely seven, are relatively short and overlap, in the end 
recurving more or less. The stamens, from 14 to 20, are alwa 5 ^s much shorter 
than the corolla, are unequal in size and bunched around the style, their filaments 
slightly widened to the base and either puberulous or without hairs bear dark- 
coloured anthers rather small for the size of flower. The ovary-chambers varj' 
in number from 7 to 18, and the outer surface may be glandular onlj^ the 
glands short stalked and very sticky, or have glands and tomentum mixed or 
may be only tomentose and profusely so, this last the commonest condition ; 
and the hairs of the tomentum are differential, usually some fonn of fasciate 
hair with long or short stalk and varying form of branches, or flock-Hke hairs 
with fat, short pointed branches. The style which is stout, shorter than the 
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