QBARS - v32n2 A Note About Some Japanese Rhododendrons

A Note About Some Japanese Rhododendrons
Hideo Suzuki, Tokyo, Japan

R. mucronulatum , full double form. This unique full double R. mucronulatum has recently been produced by Mr. M. Ozawa, President of the Japanese Rhododendron Society. He once had an imperfect semi-double R. mucronulatum . Crossing the best flowers on the plant with each other, he acquired a semi-double form. Then, selecting the best flowers he crossed them again. Repeating this method over and over again he finally succeeded in producing a full double flower. This fantastic, elegant beauty will intrigue R. mucronulatum lovers.

The variation of the flowers of R. poukhanense is very rich and some even have deeper stripes on the lobes. R. weyrichii is different here in colour from that grown in Japan. While in Japan the species has typical brick red flowers, Cheju's variety bears mostly purplish-pink ones. Although there is a limited area in Kyushu, Japan, where the purplish-pink form grows, it is considered a very rare form. A conspicuous feature is that the flower colour ranges from pale to deep. The literature we have says R. weyrichii var. psilostyllum is supposed to have hairs on the lower part of the style. What we observed, however, was that the beautiful silvery-white hairs grow on the ovary, not on the lower part of the style. (The two paragraphs above were reprinted with permission from an article by Mr. Suzuki which appeared in the Bulletin of the Rhododendron Society of Canada. Ed.)