QBARS - v32n2 J. F. Rock Rhododendrons - 1923-4 Expedition

J. F. Rock Rhododendrons - 1923-24 Expedition
Col. and Mrs. R. H. Goodrich

Two years ago we stumbled across the fact that the numbers listed in the Royal Horticultural Society's Rhododendron Handbook, Species, for Joseph F. Rock's 1923-24 expedition were not field numbers but U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Introduction Numbers. As George Bernard Shaw said, Britain and America are two countries separated by the same language. Thinking this an easy mistake to remedy, we took notes from the Plant Introduction files which contained Rock's field numbers and compared these with the species determination in the RHS book. From reading Joseph B. Gable's notebooks, we knew that there were some Plant Introductions Numbers which RHS did not list. In looking for these numbers we found more: some numbers that predated the RHS list and some occurred sequentially after their list. Most of these were without species determination. It seemed a good idea to check past literature in hopes of filling in a& few blanks.

We talked to many kind librarians, explaining our rather odd obsession. There was a dearth of rhododendron information to be found until we called the Botany Department of the U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Here we hit the "Mother Lode'": Rock's original 1922-24 field notes. We transcribed all the rhododendron information in these field books. But there were still a few blanks to fill in.

We thought it would be prudent to check a few herbarium specimens. It soon dawned on us that the Smithsonian had almost the entire 1922-24 collection. We found about a dozen tall cabinets full of beautiful specimens. We took notes on all the Rock specimens and correlated these with our other notes. And there are still a few blanks.

In the July 1976 issue of the Quarterly Bulletin of the ARS we gave a revised list of Rock's plant collection numbers for his 1929 expedition. Here we submit a revision of his rhododendron collections during 1922-24, on his first trip to China.

All of the seed numbers are listed in the order in which they appear in Rock's field notes. While this may prove confusing to those used to the former listing, any other system would have required a long addenda of the missing numbers out of context. We assume that Rock sent the seed back not in the order in which it was collected, but in representative batches to insure that some of the total would reach the West. In view of the uncertainty of transportation in China in the 1920's this was the prudent course of action, however confusing it is to present researchers.

We have begun the listing of Rock's numbers with the first field number for which we can confirm that seed was gathered. In Rock's field notes there are rhododendron numbers from 2762-5597 which correlate with herbarium specimens showing flowers. These numbers may match seed numbers which we list, however we found no confirmation either in Rock's notes or on the herbarium specimens.

The flower numbers which we list beside the seed numbers are taken from Rock's field notes, and were not present on the herbarium specimens. Hence, in some cases there occurred a different species determination for the same plant. In such cases we have listed the determination of the flowering specimen.

In a few cases the determination of the fruiting specimen did not agree with the RHS Species Handbook, and there was no correlation for flowering number in Rock's notes to settle the difference. In such cases determination on the specimen is listed first, followed by RHS designation.

References:

1. Gable, Joseph B., Personal Notebooks

2. Rhododendron Society Notes, Vol. II, No. 5 (1924), Pacific Rhododendron Society reprint.

3. Rhododendron Society Notes, Vol. III, No. 1 (1925), Pacific Rhododendron Society reprint.

4. Rock, Joseph F., Field Notes, 1922-1924.

5. Smithsonian Institution Herbarium

6. Sutton, S .B., "In China's Border Provinces; the Turbulent Career of Joseph F. Rock", Hastings House (1974)

7. U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Introduction files.

8. The Rhododendron Handbook, Species, Part I, Royal Horticultural Society (1967)

(We were unable to correlate the following U. S. D. A. Plant Introduction Numbers with Rock field numbers. Description is from U. S. D. A. Plant Introduction files)