QBARS - v15n3 Front Cover

Front Cover
Rudolph Henny

The illustration on the cover of the Bulletin is one of the few plants that exist of this species from the Rock 1949 expedition. This plant in the subseries parishii, has been identified as R. agapetum . R. agapetum was not collected under a field number by Rock in 1949, but the plant appeared as a rogue in and amongst one or more of the seed numbers. Before the 1955 freeze there were a number of these plants growing in my seedlings, and Dr. Corbin would often point them out during his visits to my garden. The cold November of 1955 killed all these plants. Last spring Bob Bovee bloomed one of these rogues, the only plant that survived with him. To date I have heard of no other plants in bloom. The flowers were of a more blood red color than R. griersonianum or R. elliottii , and of greater substance. Each flower was tubular 2½ inches long and 2 inches across. There were fourteen flowers in the truss. The leaves were dark green 2¼ inches wide and varied from 4 to 7 inches long. The transparency was loaned to the Society by Bob Bovee.