QUALITY RATINGS: The quality of the variety as indicating its 
ornamental and general garden value is expressed, according to 
the A.R.S. rating system, by xxxx for the best varieties. Varieties 
unworthy of even one x should be preceded by o. Varieties in 
this list which are preceded by no rating symbol have not yet 
been given an American rating. The English rating, similar to 
that of the A.R.S. but using asterisks (*) is given certain var- 
ieties for which no A.R.S. rating has been established. The 
symbols A.M. and F.C.C. mean Award of Merit and First Class 
Certificate respectively, which have been granted to these var- 
ieties by the Royal Horticultural Society of England. 
HOW RHODODENDRONS ARE NAMED: The method of naming. 
Rhododendron varieties in England, from whence have come 
many of our best varieties has differed from accepted horticultur- 
al practice in this country. The American Rhododendron Society, 
therefore, has prepared the following statement for the protec- 
tion of prospective Rhododendron growers: 
“Two types of Horticultural varieties of Rhododendrons are 
in the nursery trade. The first type includes those varieties 
which have been propagated asexually by cuttings, layers, 
or grafts from one original selected seedling. Such varieties 
are called clones or clonal varieties and all plants of such a 
variety have identical characters except as they are influ- 
enced by environment. The second type of variety consists 
of a group of seedlings of a particular cross, usually between 
two species, or between a species and a variety. Such “group” 
varieties exhibit more or less variation, so that two plants of 
such a variety may be quite different. As recommended in 
the Preliminary Code of Nomenclature published by the 
American Rhododendron Society, we are marking all “group” 
varieties by the abbreviation “gr.” All varieties not so 
marked are clones. All special award varieties, marked A.M. 
F.C.C., etc., are clones which have been propagated asexually 
from the original plant receiving the award.” 
The listing of group varieties in this catalog is based on in- 
formation in “The Rhododendron Handbook” (1952) of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. Some of those so listed, especially the 
older varieties, are probably in the trade in only one clonal form. 
However, according to English practice, the original cross pro- 
ducing such varieties could be made again, and any of the seed- 
lings Biven the group variety name. The American Rhododen- 
dron Society strongly recommends that American breeders name 
only superior individual plants and propagate them as clones. 
The group varieties we list have been propagated asexually from 
selected plants and are not simply lots of unselected seedlings. 
