4.
RHODODENDRON WALLICHII, eo o ljh .
Dr. Waliiclis Rhododendron.
T a b . V.
Frutescens, foliis coriaceis ellipticis acutis basi cordatis supra lievissimis petiolisque glaberrimis marginibus revolutis subtus pallidis costam
versus punctis ferrugineis pulverulento-tomentosis, floribus 6-8 capitato-racemosis, ealycibus lobis brevissimis coriaceis subacutis, ovarii
glaberrimi loculis 5.
IT a h . Interior of Sikkim-I-Iimalaya.
A shrub, attaining a height of from eight to ten feet, with the branches rugged, rather tortuous, clothed with dark
brown bark. Leaves mostly confined to the apex of the ultimate branches, three or four inches long, of a remarkably neat
appearance, almost exactly elliptical, coriaceous, full green, very even, most indistinctly nerved, glabrous above, as is
the somewhat wrinkled yjetiole, the base cordate, the margins recurved, the apex suddenly acute, the underside pale green,
very obsoletely nerved, and quite glabrous, except towards the costa, where it is dotted as it were with dark, ferruginous,
pulverulent tomentum. Flowers large, handsome, six to eight in a capitate raceme. Pedicels less than an inch long,
glabrous. Bracteas deciduous, exterior ones glabrous, viscid, or sparingly downy. Calyx very short and small, the lobes
triangular, rather obtuse, glabrous. Corolla lilac-colour; the tube campanulatc, the limb spreading, of five nearly equal,
rounded lobes, the upper one however the largest, all two-lobed, sprinkled with deeper rose-coloured dots within. Stamens
ten, as long as the tube. Filaments white. Anthers purple-brown. Style filiform, longer than the stamens. Ovary glabrous,
oblong-ovate, five-lobed, five-celled.
A very distinct and handsome species, worthy to bear the name of one who may justly be called “ Botanicorum
Indicorum facile princeps.” Its leaves are quite unlike any Indian species, and the flowers in colour and size resemble
those of the much cultivated R. Ponticum.
T ab. V. Rhododendron WallicAii. F ig . 1. Stamen. 2. Calyx and pistil. 8 . Calyx and section of the ovary;—magnified.