Rhododendron Cultivars B

'B. de Bruin'

Flowers about 20 in a shapely conical truss. Corolla funnel-campanulate, 23⁄4 in. wide, dark rich scarlet spotted black on the upper lobe. Stamens conspicuously white-hairy. Style and ovary glabrous. Early to mid-June. A fine colour, but poor foliage and straggly habit. The name is believed to commemorate Bas de Bruin, a member of the firm M. Koster and Sons, not Baron de Bruin, as stated in the International Register. But it was raised by A. Waterer at the Knap Hill Nursery.

'Babeuff'

Apricot with an orange flare. Compact erect habit (Mollis; Gebr. Kersbergen, 1918).

'Bagshot Ruby'

Flowers 14 to 18 in a rounded truss, on glandular-downy pedicels. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, about 13⁄4 in. across, ruby-red, upper lobe with a flare of dark brown spots on a lighter ground. Stamens with whitish or pinkish anthers. Style reddish, with a dark crimson stigma. Medium size. Late May or early June. (Waterer, Bagshot. A.M. 1916.)

'Ballerina'

White, very large, frilled at the edge, with a small, conspicuous orange flare (Knap Hill-Exbury).

'Balzac'

Deep orange with a darker, redder tube; flare flame-coloured (Knap Hill–Exbury). A.M. May 29, 1934 (Rothschild Rhododendrons, plate 43).

Barclayi ('Glory of Penjerrick' × thomsonii)

This cross, made at Penjerrick early this century, unites R. thomsonii with R. arboreum (blood-red) and R. griffithianum. Several plants were raised, of which some were propagated, the best known clone being ‘Robert Fox’ (A.M. 1922). The truss has about eight flowers. Corolla blood-red, with black nectaries, shaped as in R. thomsonii and also inheriting from that species the large calyx, coloured like the corolla. Leaves obovate, abruptly short-acuminate, about 5 in. long, half as wide. It is hardy, but flowers very early – late March or early April.

'Baron Schroeder'

Flowers about 20 in a large, dense truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 21⁄2–3 in. wide, dark reddish purple with a flare of yellowish green on a white ground at the base of the central lobe. Stamens and style crimson. Leaves rather narrow, 5 by 13⁄8 in. Moderate growth, dense habit. Early June. (Waterer, Bagshot.) Named after Baron Sir Henry Schroeder, Bt (d. 1910), one of the leading orchid-growers of his time and a benefactor of the Royal Horticultural Society, who made a substantial contribution to the building of the Old Hall. He preferred to be known by his German title.

'Baroness Henry Schroeder'

Flowers about 20 in the truss, on brownish-red glandular pedicels. Corolla 21⁄2 in. wide, white flushed with magenta pink, fading to pure white, with a flare of deep crimson speckles. Medium size. Late May or early June. (Waterer, Bagshot.) There is a clump of this hybrid on the Broad Walk at Kew. The F.C.C. of 1883 belongs to a hybrid of R. javanicum, raised by Messrs Veitch and given the same name.

'Baroness Lionel de Rothschild'

Flowers about 16 in a dense, rounded truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 23⁄4 in. wide, deep crimson at the margins, lighter at the centre, with a greenish-brown flare on a light ground. Anthers dark brown. Stigma crimson. Leaves lanceolate, 51⁄2 by 13⁄4 in., deep green and rather bullate above, thinly brown-felted beneath. End May. (Waterer, Bagshot, before 1880.)

'Basilisk'

Deep yellow, flushed with salmon-pink outside and on the margins; lobes frilled; flare deep orange (Knap Hill-Exbury). A.M. May 29, 1934.

'Beauty of Littleworth'

Flowers 15 to 18 in a large conical truss. Corolla widely funnel-campanulate, 41⁄2 in. wide, white from mauvish-pink buds, speckled with purplish red on the upper lobe. Style glabrous. Leaves elliptic to 8 by 31⁄4 in. A tall, vigorous grower. May. F.C.C. This splendid hybrid is quite hardy, needing only shelter from wind and slight shade. In woodland it is apt to grow so fast that it becomes lanky and the young growths are so long that they bend under their own weight. Like the more famous ‘Loder’s White’, it is the creation of J. H. Mangles of Valewood, Haslemere; after his untimely death in 1884 it passed to his brother and sister, who lived at Littleworth Cross near Farnham, and received an F.C.C. when shown by the former in 1904. The same award was given to it in 1953 after trial at Wisley. It is a hybrid of R. griffithianum, probably crossed with a white-flowered Hardy Hybrid.

Beauty of Tremough (arboreum × griffithianum)

This cross was made in several Cornish gardens, but the named clones, with the exception of ‘John Tremayne’, raised at Heligan, were mainly the creation of Richard Gill, who was head gardener to Henry Shilson of Tremough, and later set up his own nursery there. Using a blood-red form of R. arboreum he raised and distributed many seedlings, some of which were named and propagated, notably: ‘Beauty of Tremough’ (F.C.C. 1920); ‘Glory of Penjerrick’ (A.M. 1904); ‘Gill’s Triumph’ (A.M. 1906); and ‘Gillii’ (A.M. 1919). However, these hybrids are not really satisfactory outside the milder parts and are not further dealt with here.

'Beefeater'

Flowers about 22 (sometimes a few more) in a flat-topped truss. Corolla fleshy, tubular-campanulate, 3 in. wide, with broad, rounded lobes, Geranium Lake, finely speckled near the base of the upper lobes, nectaries dark crimson. Stigma red. Anthers black. Leaves dull green above, undersides bright green with traces of flock, 8 by 21⁄2 in. May. A back-cross of R. elliottii onto Fusilier (elliottii × griersonianum), raised in the R.H.S. Garden at Wisley. F.C.C. 1959. The truss is excessively large and poorly formed.

'Beethoven'

Corolla 23⁄4 in. wide, lilac mauve (78b) with faint speckling, lobes undulated but not frilled (Vuyk van Nes; said to be a hybrid of ‘Maxwellii’). One of the best purples.

'Beethoven'

Corolla 23⁄4 in. wide, lilac mauve (78b) with faint speckling, lobes undulated but not frilled (Vuyk van Nes; said to be a hybrid of ‘Max- wellii’). One of the best purples.

'Bengal Beauty'

Corolla Neyron Rose with darker speckling, 2 in. wide, margins slightly wavy. Calyx with lobes up to 1⁄4 in. long. Early June. Compact habit (R. kaempferi ‘Daimio’ × R. simsii; M. Haworth-Booth). A.M.T. June 3, 1966. Of recent introduction, valuable for its late flowering and holding its colour well. Another clone with flowers in a ‘browner’ shade of pink has been named ‘Final Blush’.

Bengal Fire (kaempferi × oldhamit)

This hybrid, raised at Exbury, shows the influence of the second parent in its conspicuously hairy young leaves and stems. The flowers are about 13⁄4 in. wide, and in one clone are dark orange-red, in another lighter and brighter. It is hardy once established and attains about 6 ft.

'Berryrose'

Salmon-pink with a tube of deep red; flare yellow (Knap Hill-Exbury). A.M. May 29, 1934.

Rhododendron 'Berryrose' at Exbury, Hampshire, UK. 10 May 2011. Image John Anderson.

Rhododendron 'Berryrose' at Exbury, Hampshire, UK. 10 May 2011. Image John Anderson.

'Betty'

Corolla near Neyron Rose (58c/d) shading to darker along the centre of each lobe, rather narrowly funnel-shaped, about 13⁄8 in. wide, with a dark red style and stamen filaments. Calyx-lobes short and broad, obtuse. Upright habit. May. (kaempferi × ‘Malvaticum’; C. B. van Nes). One of the best pinks in this group. It is sometimes grown under the name ‘Kathleen’. What is believed to be the true ‘Kathleen’ has flowers of a similar but more uniform colour, with slight darker speckling near the base of the centre lobe. The style and filaments are pale pink, and the calyx-lobes are large and spreading, up to 1⁄4 in. long. It belongs to the same group as ‘Betty’ and is of similar habit.

'Betty Wormald'

Flowers 10 to 12 in a tall truss; rachis 3 to 33⁄4 in. long; pedicels to 21⁄4 in. long. Corolla 3 to 4 in. wide, broadly funnel-shaped, slightly frilled, Tyrian Rose at the edge, paling towards the centre, with heavy brownish-crimson speckling on the upper lobe, nectaries red. Style upswept, with a dark red stigma. Leaves dark green, to 7 by 21⁄2 in. Medium height. Late May. (Koster and Sons, before 1922, from ‘George Hardy’ crossed with a red hybrid. F.C.C.T. 1964.) Of the ‘Pink Pearl’ type, but with larger, more vividly coloured flowers. ‘Marinus Koster’, also raised by Koster and Sons, is very like ‘Betty Wormald’. F.C.C.T. 1948.

'Bianchi'

Flowers about 18 in the truss on upright pedicels. Corolla 2 in. wide, almost bowl-shaped, pale pink, with crimson or green speckling on and below the central lobe. Anthers mauve. Style pale pink with a crimson stigma. Leaves elliptic, dull dark green. A charming old hybrid, now very rare. There is an authentic plant in Mr Frederick Street’s garden at West End, near Woking, and a matching one, of large size, at Grayswood Hill, Haslemere. For its history see F. Street, Hardy Rhododendrons (1954), pp. 74–6, and Gard. Chron., Vol. 132 (1952), p. 66.

Bibiani (arboreum × 'Moser's Maroon')

Flowers about 14 in a dense rounded truss. Corolla tubular-campanulate, dark red with brown spotting. Leaves elliptic, acute, dull green above, brownish or silvery beneath, about 6 by 2 in. April. (Rothschild. A.M. 1934.) A perfectly hardy though rather early-flowering hybrid, showing strongly the influence of R. arboreum. There is an example 15 ft high in the Rhododendron Dell at Kew.

Rhododendron 'Bibiani' at Exbury, Hampshire, UK. 17 April 2023. Image Tom Christian.

'Billy Budd'

Flowers 10 to 12 in a dense, flat-topped truss. Corolla tubular-campanulate, 2 in. wide, lobes broad and shallow, Turkey Red. Pedicels, calyx ovary and style all glandular. Leaves elliptic, slightly wavy at the margin, with traces of floccose tomentum beneath. May. (R. elliottii × May Day; R.H.S. Garden, Wisley. A.M. 1957.)

'Binfield'

Using ‘Crest’ as one parent, T. H. Findlay has raised a number of fine hybrids for the Crown Estate Commissioners, Windsor, which are not yet generally available (1975). The following have received awards and been described in the Rhododendron and Camellia Year Book (the second parent is given in brackets): ‘Binfield’ ([x] ‘China A’), A.M. May 5, 1964, R.C.Y.B. 1965, p. 166 and fig. 41

Rhododendron 'Binfield' in the Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park, UK. 27 April 2021. Image John Anderson.

Flower trusses on Rhododendron 'Binfield' in the Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park, UK. 27 April 2021. Image John Anderson.

Biskra

(ambiguum × cinnabarinum var. roylei). – Flowers pendent, in trusses of about eight. Corolla widely tubular-funnel-shaped, about 11⁄2 in. long, 2 in. wide, vermilion. April. Tall-growing. (L. de Rothschild, 1934. A.M. 1940.)

'Blaauw's Pink'

Flowers hose-in-hose. Corolla 11⁄2 in. wide, salmon- pink (38a) but a little darker at the edge and paling at the centre, with slight spotting. Stamens partly petaloid. Calyx almost as long as corolla and of the same colour (J. Blaauw and Co., 1953).

'Blandyanum'

Flowers up to 25 in a dense hemispherical truss; pedicels densely glandular. Corolla narrowly funnel-shaped, 3 in. wide, rosy crimson with a few black spots on the centre lobe. Style glabrous, rosy crimson, stigma purple. Ovary white-felted. Calyx glabrous, membranous. Leaves elliptic to oblanceolate, 51⁄2 by 21⁄8 in. obtuse at the apex, cuneate at the base, thinly brown-felted beneath; petiole grey-felted. A dense, rounded shrub. Mid-May. An old hybrid, raised by Standish and Noble, from R. catawbiense pollinated by Altaclerense, and therefore composed of R. arboreum, R. catawbiense (two doses) and R. ponticum. They received a Silver Knightian Medal for it in 1848.

'Blewbury'

Flowers up to 20 in a compact truss. Corolla campanulate, about 11⁄2 in. wide, white, spotted with reddish purple on the upper side. Leaves narrow-elliptic, about 31⁄2 in. long and 1 in. wide, rather rigid, dark green above, clad beneath with a thin brown indumentum, recurved at the margin, midrib impressed above. Late April or early May, compact and probably not more than 5 ft high (anhweiense × roxieanum; Crown Estate Commissioners). A charming hybrid of great individuality, taking after R. roxieanum but probably making a better garden plant. A.M. April 30, 1968.

Blue Diamond (augustinii × Intrifast)

Flowers four or five per truss. Corolla almost flat with a short tube, deep violet-blue, about 13⁄4 in. wide. Leaves elliptic, subacute, up to 13⁄8 by 5⁄8 in. April. Taller growing than most of the R. augustinii × Lapponicum series hybrids, to about 7 ft or so high, but of dense habit. (Crossfield. A.M. 1935. F.C.C. 1939, to a better coloured form than the one previously shown.)

This is a variable grex. The plant described above is probably the same as the ‘F.C.C. form’ but there is another clone in commerce with relatively much wider leaves, broad-elliptic, roundish at the apex, dark mat green. This has attained 7 ft in 18 years in poor dry soil and sets flower-bud on every shoot, though in the same garden both Bluebird and Blue Tit seldom flower well.

'Blue Peter'

Flowers about 15 in a conical truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, strongly ridged, about 23⁄4 in. wide, with frilled margin, Cobalt Violet fading to almost white at the centre, with coarse speckling on the upper lobe. Stamens very unequal, conspicuously white-hairy at the base. Late May. (Waterer, Bag-shot. A.M. 1933. F.C.C.T. 1958.) A fine near-blue hybrid. As always, the lighter centre enhances the colouring of the flowers when seen from a distance.

Blue Tit (augustinii × impeditum)

Flowers two or three per cluster, of which more than one is usually borne at the end of each shoot. Corolla pale lavender-blue, about 11⁄2 in. wide, with faint brownish speckles on the upper lobe. Leaves light green, broadish elliptic, obtuse, to about 1 in. long. Dense habit, attaining 4 by 6 ft in 15 years. (J. C. Williams, 1933.) A charming hybrid, but usually flowering rather patchily, on the strong shoots only.

The Augfast grex (augustinii × fastigiatum) is related to Blue Tit, but the flowers are darker in colour and borne somewhat later. It is also taller-growing. The cross was made by E. J. P. Magor, who named it, later by Messrs Hillier and Messrs Reuthe.

Bluebird (augustinii × intricatum)

Flowers four or five in a small cluster. Corolla almost flat, 11⁄2 to 2 in. wide, with a short tube, rich violet-blue. Leaves mostly elliptic, acute or subacute, up to 11⁄4 in. long, rather yellowish green when young, in one clone almost chlorotic. April. Low, spreading habit. (Aberconway, 1930. A.M. 1943.) Bluestone, also raised at Bodnant, is a back-cross of Bluebird with R. augustinii.

Bluestone

Bluestone, raised at Bodnant, is a back-cross of Bluebird with R. augustinii.

Bo-peep (lutescens × moupinense)

Flowers solitary or in twos. Corolla pale creamy yellow, deeper in the bud, with two lines of darker speckles, broadly funnel-shaped, about 2 in. across. March. A loose bush to about 4 ft high. (Rothschild, 1934. A.M. 1937.) A charming hybrid which unfortunately does not quite coincide in flowering time with Praecox.

Rhododendron 'Bo-peep' (RHS Rosemoor, Devon, UK; 15 March 2022). Image Julian Sutton.

'Boddaertianum'

Flowers 18 to 22 in a dense truss; pedicels glandular, to 1 in. long. Calyx variable, rim-like or with linear lobes to 1⁄4 in. long. Corolla funnel-shaped, 21⁄2 in. wide, pink-flushed at first, becoming white, with a flare of maroon-purple spots reaching from the middle of the centre lobe into the throat. Style glabrous. Ovary glabrous except for a few scattered hairs. Leaves narrow, oblong-elliptic, acute, 7 by 11⁄2 in., coated beneath with a very thin indumentum. A large shrub resembling R. arboreum in habit. Late April or early May. A very striking, perfectly hardy rhododendron with a long season of flower.

As pointed out by A. J. Ivens in his manuscript note on this hybrid, the parentage R. arboreum × R. campanulatum usually given for it is unlikely. He suggests R. arboreum crossed with R. ponticum (white-flowered forms on both sides) and this seems very likely, though the latter may have been a hybrid of R. ponticum, not the pure species. In this connection it is significant that a hybrid very similar to what is now known as ‘Boddaertianum’ was in cultivation until recently under the name R. ‘Smithii Album’, and that Smith of Norbiton is known to have crossed R. arboreum with R. ponticum (see R. ‘Smithii’). But judging from the illustration in The Garden, Vol. 75 (1911), p. 264, ‘Smithii Album’ had larger flowers and fewer in the truss than ‘Boddaertianum’.

The history of ‘Boddaertianum’ is not known for certain, but it is said to have been raised by van Houtte and to have been known originally as ‘Gloire d’Anvers’ (Gard. Chron., Vol. 132 (1952), p. 55).

'Bodnant Yellow'

The cross (cinnabarinum var. roylei × Royal Flush, orange form) was also made at Bodnant (‘Bodnant Yellow’, F.C.C. 1944), but in this case a different form of R. cinnabarinum was used.

See notes for Lady Chamberlain Group

'Bonfire'

An earlier example than ‘Vulcan’, from the same raisers, is ‘Bonfire’, which is R. griersonianum crossed with a hybrid between R. discolor and ‘Mrs R. G. Shaw’. This received an A.M. as early as 1933, when the original seedling was exhibited in a pot, bearing one truss, and 18 in. high. The cross had been made in 1928. The flowers in ‘Bonfire’ are geranium-red, speckled on the centre lobe, borne in conical trusses. It grows taller than ‘Vulcan’, and flowers in May.

Bonito (discolor × Luscombei)

Truss with about 15 flowers on stalks 11⁄2 in. long. Corolla about 5 in. wide, funnel-shaped, pink in bud, opening white flushed with pink, with brown and rose markings on upper side of throat. A tall, vigorous shrub. Late May-early June. (Rothschild.) A.M. 1934. A commercial clone differs from the A.M. plant in having greenish-yellow markings in the throat.

'Boule de Neige'

Flowers in a dense hemispherical truss; flower-bud scales persistent. Corolla funnel-shaped, 21⁄4 in. wide, white, freckled with a few brown and green spots on the upper lobe. Ovary white-felted, Calyx very small. Leaves elliptic to obovate, 4 by 2 in. Dense, fairly dwarf habit. Mid-May. (caucasicum × catawbiense hybrid; Oudieu, 1878.) This hybrid is valued in the north-eastern USA for its great hardiness and excellent habit; it was available in commerce in Britain until recently. It bears some resemblance to ‘Cunningham’s White’, but has broader leaves and a denser truss.

Bow Bells ('Corona' × williamsianum)

Flowers about six in a lax truss. Corolla pale bright pink from deeper-coloured buds, slightly red-speckled, broad funnel-campanulate, 23⁄4 in. wide. Leaves ovate, obtuse, cordate at base, petiole purplish; young growths bright bronze coloured. May. Erect habit, usually under 6 ft high, but old plants in woodland at Exbury are taller; some plants in gardens appear to belong to a dwarf, compact clone. (Rothschild, 1934. A.M. 1935.) This remains one of the best hybrids raised from R. williamsianum.

'Brazil'

Bright tangerine; lobes frilled (Knap Hill-Exbury).

Bric-a-brac (leucaspis × moupinense)

Flowers in threes. Corolla milky white, not or very slightly spotted, about 2 in. wide, similar in shape to that of R. leucaspis and with the style deflexed as in that species. Anthers brownish red. Leaves leathery, elliptic-obovate, about 2 in. long, veiny but lustrous above. February or March. It is of dwarfer, denser habit than R. moupinense, which it resembles less than the other parent (Rothschild, 1934. A.M. 1945.)

'Bridesmaid'

White with a yellow flare; buds pale greenish yellow. Leaves bright green. Dense habit (Occidentale Hybrid; Waterer, Bagshot).

'Britannia'

Flowers 10 to 14 in a conical truss. Corolla with a broad bell-shaped tube (gloxinia-shaped) and a spreading slightly wavy limb, 3 in. wide, soft pinkish scarlet with deeper-coloured nectaries, almost unspotted. Leaves up to 9 in. long and 31⁄2 in. wide in shade. Late May or early June. (‘Queen Wilhelmina’ × ‘Stanley Davies’; Van Nes. A.M. 1921; F.C.C.T. 1937.) After half a century in our gardens, ‘Britannia’, raised in Holland, remains one of the most popular hybrids and is still, perhaps, the best scarlet of its class. Grown in a well-lighted position it makes a compact bush, but shade from the hottest sun is advisable, since the foliage, naturally a rather yellow-green, becomes more so in a hot position. On the other hand, in too much shade it becomes lax, and develops large leaves which are apt to be broken off by wind.

Brocade (? × williamsianum)

Flowers about six in the truss, on glandular-hairy pedicels. Corolla campanulate, 5– or 6-lobed, 2 1⁄4 in. wide, blush-white shaded rose-pink. Leaves oblong ovate, dark green, rather rigid, up to 3 in. long, on reddish-brown slightly glandular petioles. April. Compact habit, to about 5 ft. (Rothschild.) A pretty rhododendron and also a puzzling one. The other parent was recorded in the Exbury stud-book as ‘Vervaeniana’ – an evergreen greenhouse azalea. Even if such a cross were possible, it cannot have been responsible for this hybrid.

A Rhododendron at Achamore, Gigha, off the west coast of Scotland, labelled 'Brocade Plus'. 30 April 2024. Image Tom Christian.

Rhododendron 'Brocade Plus' at Achamore, Gigha, off the west coast of Scotland. 30 April 2024. Image Tom Christian.

Foliage on Rhododendron 'Brocade Plus' at Achamore, Gigha, off the west coast of Scotland. 30 April 2024. Image Tom Christian.

'Broughtonii'

Flowers up to about 20 in a pyramidal truss. Corolla funnel-campanulate, deeply lobed, rosy crimson shading to paler on the three upper lobes, with dark spotting on all the three upper lobes. Leaves fairly glossy, elliptic to narrow-oblanceolate, to about 10 in. long and 3 in. wide, cuneate at the base. A very large and dense shrub, up to 20 ft or even more in height, Mid- to late May. An old hybrid, deriving mainly from R. arboreum and R. maximum, raised before 1853. It somewhat resembles ‘Cynthia’, but the longer, relatively narrower leaves distinguish it, as well as many other characters, e.g. the wider zone of spotting and the paler centre of the corolla.

'Broughtonii Aureum'

Truss 4 in. wide, with eight to sixteen flowers on downy stalks 1 to 11⁄2 in. long. Calyx-lobes pale green, of unequal length, oblong. Corolla 21⁄2 in. wide, of a beautiful soft, primrose yellow, with reddish-brown spots in the upper part. Stamens ten. Leaves narrowly obovate or oblong, 2 to 6 in. long, 3⁄4 to 13⁄4 in. wide, dark dull green above, pale green and prominently net-veined beneath, covered with pale down on both sides. An almost evergreen shrub eventually 6 ft high. Late May or early June.

Similar to this is ‘Smithii Aureum’ (‘Norbitonense Aureum’), which differs in having the leaves very glaucous beneath; its flowers too are of a paler colour and not so flat and open; the flower-stalk is longer and more slender, and the calyx-lobes somewhat narrower. ‘Broughtonii Aureum’ is the better shrub – more beautiful and growing better.

These two azaleodendrons seem to be the only two that have survived of the ‘Norbiton Hybrids’ (R. norbitonense André), also known as ‘Smith’s Yellow Rhododendrons’. They were raised by William Smith, who had been gardener to the Earl of Liverpool at Coombe Wood House, near Kingston-on-Thames, and around 1830 set up his own nursery a mile or so away on Norbiton Common. He was one of the most adventurous hybridisers of his day, his best known production, apart from his yellow azaleodendrons, being the cross between R. arboreum and R. ponticum named after him, various Indian azaleas, and one of the first ‘lepidote × elepidote’ crosses. He died before 1846 and was succeeded by J. B. Smith.

The first of Smith’s ‘yellow rhododendrons’ were raised around 1830 and three were shown in the Ghent Exhibition in 1839 ‘au grand étonnement des amateurs’. A second and larger set was raised in the late 1830s. At least nine were raised in addition to the two described here and all these are listed and described by the French horticulturalist André in 1864. ‘Smithii Aureum’ is the best documented of the set. It was figured in 1842 in Paxton’s Magazine of Botany and is the result of a cross between R. molle (Azalea sinensis) and Smith’s own white-flowered hybrid between R. ponticum and R. maximum. The original plant was bought by Lucombe and Pince of Exeter, who distributed the clone under the name R. aureum (Gard. Chron. (1843), p. 425). The parentage of ‘Broughtonii Aureum’ is not recorded, but in view of its similarity to ‘Smithii Aureum’ it is likely to have been of the same parentage. Watson’s assertion, in Rhododendrons and Azaleas (1911), that ‘Broughtonii Aureum’ was raised at Broughton in Peebles-shire was the result of an uninspired guess. The well-known dendrologist F. R. S. Balfour of Dawyck, in the same county, took the trouble to make enquiries at Broughton when the first edition of this work was being prepared, and found no memory or record of there ever having been a nursery there. The name ‘R. Broughtonianum’ appears in André’s list of the Smith azaleodendrons, and there is little doubt that the name commemorates Sir J. D. Broughton, who had a garden at Kingston not far from Smith’s nursery and held the entire stock of many of his azalea hybrids, which he bought as seedlings after they had first flowered (Gard. Chron. (1842), p. 743). Two azaleas were also named after him, one by Smith, another by Jackson, also of Kingston.

According to André, many of the Smith azaleodendrons were introduced to France by Paillet, and became the vogue in the years 1845–50, when they were ‘le sujet de toutes les conversations horticoles et de tous les soins des cultivateurs’. But the fashion passed when it was found that the plants were of poor constitution and sparse in their foliage. Andre’s account is to be found in his book Plantes de Terre de Bruyères, published in 1864. At that time he was already Chief Gardener of the City of Paris, at the age of twenty-four.

'Bulstrode'

Received by the Sunningdale Nurseries from Bulstrode Park as ‘Oomurasaki’, which clearly it is not (J. Russell, Journ. R.H.S., Vol. 74, p. 148). The flowers are large, beautifully shaped, and have a slight yellow-green eye. For the true ‘Oomurasaki’, see under ‘Phoeniceum’.

See notes for Mucronatum group

'Butterfly'

Flowers 10 in a loose truss on pale green pedicels 2 in. long. Corolla with a short tube and widely spreading limb, butterfly-shaped, 3 in. wide (narrower transversely), pale creamy yellow, heavily speckled with crimson. Erect, open habit. Early May. (campylocarpum × ‘Mrs Milner’; Slocock. A.M. 1940.) Very pretty, aptly named, but needs a fairly sunny position if it is to flower freely.

'Byron'

Double, 2 in. wide, white, outer lobes tinged with Carmine Rose (Rustica fl.-pl.; C. Vuylsteke, 1888). A.M.T. May 11, 1953.