Rhododendron Cultivars M

'Madame Albert Moser'

Flowers 14 to 20 in the truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, 3 to 31⁄2 in. wide, slightly wavy at the margin, mauve, with a large flare of orange-yellow. Style with a pale red stigma. Leaves oblong-elliptic, 7 by 2 in. Late May. A.M.T. 1954. A most handsome and unusual rhododendron, of which there is an old specimen in the Knap Hill nursery.

'Madame Carvalho'

Flowers 16 in a conical truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 23⁄4 in. wide, white flushed with mauve and with a flare of yellowish-green markings. Filaments of stamens white, anthers grey. Style dull white. Leaves oblong-obovate, 4 by 13⁄4 in. Dense habit, medium size. June. (Waterer, Bagshot, 1867.)

'Madame de Bruin'

Flowers about 20 in a dense, conical truss. Corolla 23⁄4 to 3 in. wide, funnel-shaped with a rather angular limb, brilliant cerise-red, paler towards the centre, slightly speckled. Leaves light green, oblong-obovate, 4 to 5 in. long, acute. Medium size. Late May or early June. (M. Koster, 1904.) A remarkably bright and clear colour for a hardy hybrid.

'Madame Fr. J. Chauvin'

Flowers 10 to 12 in a lax truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, deep pink paling to soft pink, with a dark red blotch in the throat. Late May-early June. (Koster, 1916.) A hybrid of R. fortunei. A.M.T. 1933.

'Madame Jules Porges'

This is similar to ‘Madame Albert Moser’, but the flare is greenish brown, heavily embossed, the stigma is pale brown and the leaves are relatively broader and sometimes obovate, about 5 by 21⁄2 in.

'Magnifica'

‘Magnifica’ is similar to ‘Delicatissima’ but less creamy.

'Mahler'

‘Vuyk’s Rosy Red’ crossed with an unnamed seedling has produced ‘Mahler’, with Petunia Purple flowers speckled on the upper lobes, borne in the first half of June.

'Malvaticum'

This azalea was found by the Dutch firm of Koster and Co. in a consignment of ‘Hinodegiri’ received from Japan early this century. It had large, mauve flowers with seven to nine stamens, and was probably a hybrid of ‘Hinodegiri’ (or possibly of R. kaempferi), the other parent almost certainly being some form of Mucronatum. It proved to be very hardy, and was used as a parent in breeding the large race of Malvaticum-Kaempferi hybrids (see page 924). It is doubtful whether what is in commerce as ‘Malvaticum’ is really the true clone.

'Manderley'

Flowers up to 10 in the truss. Corolla about 21⁄2 in. wide, dark red, spotted darker on the centre lobe. Leaves reddish when young. Low, spreading habit. May. A recent introduction, raised in Holland from ‘Scandinavia’ × Fabia (Dendroflora, No. 3 (1966), p. 74).

'Marchioness of Lansdowne'

Flowers about 14 in a compact truss. Corolla broadly funnel-shaped, 23⁄4 in. wide, pale magenta-pink with a very dense almost black flare on the central lobe, appearing to have been burnt on with a poker, and with some speckling on the adjacent lobes. Leaves rather small, about 3 in. long. Compact habit. July. (Waterer, Bagshot, before 1879.)

'Marcia'

This hybrid is a back-cross of R. campylocarpum onto ‘Mary Swaythling’ (R. campylocarpum × fortunei) and therefore bears a quite strong resemblance to that species. The flowers number about ten in each truss; corolla soft yellow, about 3 in. wide, five-lobed, with slight crimson streaking at the base. Stigma dark red. Leaves ovate, 31⁄2 by 2 in., whitish beneath. Late April or early May. Only one plant was raised – by F. J. Rose for Lord Swaythling, at Townhill Park. F.C.C. 1944.

'Marie'

Corolla 21⁄2 to 23⁄4 in. wide, vivid cerise-pink. Calyx petaloid, coloured like the corolla, but some lobes green at the edge. Leaves rather thick. Erect habit, to about 6 ft. May (R. kaempferi × dark red Indian azalea; Roths­child). A very striking but rather tender azalea.

Mariloo ('Dr Stocker' × lacteum)

Truss with 15–20 flowers, on red pedicels. Corolla broad-campanulate, 4 in. wide, slightly frilled, pale cream, sometimes tinged with crimson on the reverse along the three upper lobes and with markings of the same colour within. Leaves broad elliptic, mat green, 81⁄2 by 31⁄4 in., lateral veins impressed above. (Rothschild.) The description is of the clone ‘Mariloo Eugenie’ (A.M. 1950). In ‘Mariloo Gilbury’ (A.M. 1943) the corollas are creamy pink, striped with crimson on the reverse down the centre of the lobes. In the original clone – ‘Mariloo’ – the flowers are soft yellow, green-tinged at first (Rothschild Rhododendrons, pl. 29). The Mariloo clones flower in April and need a sheltered position.

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

'Mariloo Eugenie'

see notes for Mariloo group

'Mariloo Gilbury'

In ‘Mariloo Gilbury’ (A.M. 1943) the corollas are creamy pink, striped with crimson on the reverse down the centre of the lobes.

See notes for Mariloo group

'Marion Merriman'

Chrome-yellow, flushed darker yellow, flare orange-yellow, six-lobed, truss with up to thirty flowers. (Knap Hill; raised by Anthony Waterer II and named the year after his death). A.M. 1925; A.M.T. May 31, 1950.

'Mars'

Flowers 12–14 in a dense truss. Corolla between funnel-shaped and saucer-shaped, with relatively broad, rounded lobes, pure deep red without shading or spots. Calyx rim-like. Stamen-filaments hairy almost throughout, with off-white anthers. Leaves elliptic, obtuse, 6 by 21⁄4 in. Compact, spreading. May. (Waterer, Bagshot. A.M. 1928, F.C.C. 1935.) A fine red, with unusually shaped flowers, said to be a hybrid of ‘Corona’. The statement in the International Register that it was raised before 1875 is the result of confusion between this and an early hybrid of R. arboreum, raised by Lee of Hammersmith before 1843 and also called ‘Mars’. The hybrid here described was a novelty in 1928.

'Martha Hitchcock'

Corolla 21⁄2 to 3 in. wide, slightly frilled, white with a margin of magenta, self-coloured on strong shoots, speckled with reddish brown on the upper lobes. Leaves dull, dark green. Late May or early June. Low spreading habit, to about 4 ft high (Mucronatum × ‘Shinnyo-no-tsuki’; Glenn Dale, USA). A.M.T. June 1, 1972. Lee, The Azalea Book, plates VI and 51. The second parent of this hybrid derives partly from R. indicum, partly from R. simsii (through ‘Elizabeth’, one of the many sports of the famous Indian azalea ‘Vervaeneana’).

'Martine'

Similar to ‘Hardijzer Beauty’ but of dwarfer habit with smaller leaves; the ovary is scaly.

Matador (griersonianum × strigillosum)

Truss with 9 to 12 flowers; pedicels and calyx densely covered with long, erect, glandular hairs. Corolla funnel-campanulate, 21⁄2 in. wide, scarlet with darker nectaries, speckled on the upper lobes. Style bright red. Anthers black. Leaves thinly woolly beneath, oblong-elliptic, acute, 6 by 13⁄4 in.; petioles with erect, glandular hairs. Medium size. Late April or early May. (Aberconway. F.C.C. 1946.) A fine red, with distinctive foliage. The cross was also made at Exbury and it may be that the plant described is of that provenance and slightly different from the F.C.C. clone.

Rhododendron Matador in Ray Wood, Castle Howard, North Yorkshire, UK, 5 April 2026. Image John Grimshaw.

'Maximum Triumphans'

Flowers about 14 in a dense hemispherical truss; rachis 7⁄8 in. long. Corolla campanulate, slightly over 2 in. wide, crimson, slightly brown-spotted in the tube, nectaries brown-red. Style glabrous. Ovary white-felted and somewhat glandular. An old hybrid, deriving mainly from R. arboreum and R. maximum, which probably originated in the 1840s, and was still in commerce until recently. According to A. J. Ivens, to whose manuscript notes we are indebted for the above description, there are (or were) fine specimens at Townhill Park and Embley Park in Hampshire. ‘They are not tall, but exceedingly dense, forming banks of hoary foliage which is an ideal foil for-the richly coloured flower-trusses.’

'Maxwellii'

Corolla funnel-shaped, 23⁄4 in. wide, 2 in. long, Rose Bengal (57c) with heavy brown speckling on the upper lobes. Calyx-lobes awl-shaped, spreading, 5⁄8 in. long, acute. Leaves rather thin, hairy on both sides, up to 2 in. long. Late May. Low-growing. It is a plant of Japanese gardens, introduced early this century. See further under ‘Phoeniceum’.

May Day (griersonianum × haematodes)

Flowers about eight in a lax truss; pedicels with erect, crisped hairs, not glandular. Corolla funnel-campanulate, 3 in. wide, scarlet, speckled within, mainly on the central lobe. Anthers black. Style and stigma red. Leaves mat-green, oblanceolate, 6 by 11⁄2 in., clad beneath with a light brown indumentum. Usually not more than 5 ft high. Late April or early May. (A. M. Williams. A.M. 1932.) A thoroughly good garden plant, hardy, flowering freely and not too early. The cross was also made at Bodnant, Exbury and Borde Hill, so the plant described above, from a commercial clone, may not represent the original cross. Some plants have a petaloid calyx, and there is some variation in size of leaf and size and colour of flower.

'Michael Waterer'

Truss compact, with about 15 flowers, on glandular pedicels. Corolla funnel-shaped, 21⁄4 in. wide, crimson-red with a black flare. Stamen-filaments rosy crimson. Style brighter red. Leaves narrowish elliptic, acute. It has attained 15 ft in the Rhododendron Dell at Kew but is normally of moderate size and fairly compact. End May or early June. (Waterer, Bagshot, before 1969.) There is a clump of this hybrid on the Broad Walk at Kew.

'Midsummer'

Flowers about 13 in a compact truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 23⁄4 in. wide, bright rosy pink with a V-shaped flare of ochre-yellow spots. Anthers mauve, filaments white. (Waterer, Bagshot.) One of the latest to flower of the old hardy hybrids, sometimes even at the beginning of July.

'Moerheim'

Truss few flowered. Corolla 11⁄8 in. wide, widely funnel-shaped, lavender-mauve tube about 1⁄4 in. long, Calyx deeply lobed, about 3⁄16 in. long. Leaves medium green, glossy, elliptic, sometimes broadly so, to about 7⁄8 in. long, scaly on both sides. Dwarf and compact, vigorous. March or early April. Raised in Germany and originally distributed as “R. impeditum ‘Moerheimii’”.

'Moerheim Pink'

Flowers five to eight in a compact truss, on green pedicels. Corolla 3 in. wide, between cup-shaped and funnel-shaped, 5– or 6-lobed, slightly frilled, Neyron Rose, deeper outside along the ridges. Leaves elliptic, subacute to acute, to 23⁄4 in. long, dull green. May. An attractive, fairly dwarf hybrid of R. williamsianum raised by Dietrich Hobbie in Germany. A.M.T. 1972.

Moonshine ('Adriaan Koster' × litiense)

This cross was made in the R.H.S. Garden at Wisley by Francis Hanger, in an effort to produce a hardy yellow of compact habit with a full, upstanding truss. It was made in 1946, and the first of the batch to flower, named ‘Moonshine’, received an A.M. in 1952. This, however, was surpassed by ‘Moonshine Supreme’, which received the same award in the following year. This has the flowers in a fine conical truss, on ascending pedicels. Corolla campanulate, 31⁄2 in. wide, primrose-yellow. Leaves elliptic, 4 in. long, lateral veins slightly impressed. Compact habit. Late April or early May. Another named clone in this grex is ‘Moonshine Glow’. For the history of this cross, see: Journ. R.H.S., Vol. 81 (1956), p. 486.

'Moonshine Glow'

see notes for Moonshine group

'Moonshine Supreme'

see notes for Moonshine group

Moonstone (campylocarpum × williamsianum)

Flowers about six in a lax truss; pedicels glandular. Corolla broad-campanulate with more or less erect lobes, 21⁄2 in. wide, ivory coloured with a slight red mark at the base inside. Style glandular to the tip. Compact and fairly dwarf. April. (J. C.Williams.) There are also forms with pink flowers.

'Morning Cloud'

Flowers 15 to 18 in a compact, rounded truss. Corolla 21⁄4 in. wide, white flushed with pink, with greenish-yellow markings in the throat. Leaves narrow-elliptic, dark green above, covered beneath with a brown woolly tomentum. Low-growing and compact. May. A hybrid between R. yakushimanum and ‘Springbok’ (griersonianum × ponticum); raised at the Hydon Nurseries, Godalming, A.M. May 24, 1971. Other clones from this cross have been named ‘Hydon Ball’, ‘Hydon Dawn’, and ‘Hydon Glow’.

'Moser's Maroon'

Flowers about 16 in the truss, on dark crimson pedicels. Corolla funnel-shaped, 23⁄8 in. wide, dark maroon crimson, with black spots on the centre lobe, hairy in the throat. Style red, glandular. Young leaves brownish, as if varnished above, coated beneath with cobwebby hairs; mature leaves dull green above, brownish green beneath, 6 by 25⁄8 in.; stems purplish. Lanky habit. Early June. A remarkable rhododendron, evidently the result of hybridisation combined with a mutation similar to that which produced ‘Elizabeth Lockhart’ (q.v. under Humming Bird). It was raised by Moser of Versailles, but named by Lionel de Rothschild, and received an Award of Merit when shown by him in 1932. According to information given by the raisers to Messrs Hillier in that year, it is the same as the hybrid they called ‘Marcel Moser’, though it is not the same as what is grown in Holland under that name. It is a parent of some of the best-known Exbury hybrids.

'Mother of Pearl'

Less well-known than ‘Pink Pearl’ is its branch-sport ‘Mother of Pearl’, in which the flowers are pale mauvish pink in the bud when first open, becoming pure white. It received an Award of Merit in 1930.

'Mother's Day'

Corolla 21⁄4 in. wide, with overlapping lobes, crimson (53b), speckled near the bases of the upper lobes. Calyx green with obtuse lobes. Stamens seven, petaloid in some flowers or with petaloid excrescences at the tip. Leaves glossy darkish green, bronze-tinted in winter, broad-elliptic, obtuse, up to 1 in. long or slightly more on strong shoots. Late May. Low spreading habit (Auguste van Hecke, Belgium). F.C.C.T. May 27, 1970.

'Mount Everest'

Flowers slightly fragrant, 10 to 12 in a well-formed truss; rachis 21⁄2 to 3 in. long. Corolla 23⁄4 in. wide, funnel-shaped, purest white, with slight brownish or maroon pencilling in the throat. Style glabrous, with a green or yellow stigma. Calyx small, scarcely lobed. Leaves elliptic, 51⁄2 by 21⁄4 in. A vigorous shrub of medium size. May. (Slocock, 1930. F.C.C.T. 1958.) One of the finest white-flowered rhododendrons.

'Mrs A. C. Kenrick'

Truss conical, with 12 to 16 flowers. Corolla funnel-shaped, 3 in. wide, slightly wavy at the edge, rosy pink, fading to paler at the centre, with slight crimson speckling on the upper lobes. Medium size. Early June. (M. Koster and Sons (?) A.M. 1925.)

'Mrs A. M. Williams'

Flowers about 10 in a compact truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, 3 in. across, wavy at the margin, bright crimson-scarlet (near Cardinal Red), spotted dark brown on the upper lobe. Low-growing and compact (the plant in the Wisley Trials was 6 ft high and 15 ft wide in 1954). Early May. Raised by Otto Schulz at the Porcelain Factory, Berlin, at the end of the last century, from R. griffithianum crossed with some hardy hybrid and put into commerce by C. B. van Nes and Sons in the 1920s. F.C.C.T. 1954. It is said to be quite hardy.

'Mrs A. T. de la Mare'

Flowers slightly fragrant, 12 to 14 in a lax truss. Corolla funnel-campanulate, five-lobed, 4 in. wide, pale pink in bud, opening pure white with a dense flare of green speckles in the throat that become sparser and greenish brown towards its edge. Compact, spreading habit. May. (‘Sir Charles Butler’ × ‘White Pearl’. A.M.T. 1958.) A beautiful white, with a pronounced green eye. The first-named parent is a form of R. fortunei or near to that species. The other, probably the same as ‘Halopeanum’, is a hybrid of R. griffithianum.

'Mrs Anthony Waterer'

Flowers about 14 in the truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, lobes broadly rounded at the apex, overlapping, white, slightly flushed with pink or mauve and with a large flare of yellow to brown markings on the central lobe. Calyx variable, some lobes to 3⁄8 in. long. Style white with a small red stigma. Leaves elliptic, light green. Medium size. Early June. (Waterer, Knap Hill, before 1915.)

'Mrs Anthony Waterer'

Creamy white, about 2 in. wide, with a yellow flare and pink tube, very fragrant. Late. Good autumn colour. Raised at the Knap Hill Nursery, 1886. F.C.C. May 25, 1892. This is one of the elder Anthony Waterer’s hybrids of R. occidentale (see p. 914).

'Mrs C. B. van Nes'

Flowers about 12 in the truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 31⁄2 in. across, bright crimson in the bud, opening rich pink, darker on the reverse, with inconspicuous markings. Compact habit. Mid-May. A hybrid of ‘Princess Juliana’ raised by C. B. van Nes.

'Mrs Carmichael'

This azalea, which received a First Class Certificate in 1877, was one of the hybrids from ‘Amoenum’ raised by William Carmichael (1815–1904), who was trained in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden under William M’Nab and served as head gardener to the Prince of Wales at Sandringham 1863–73. They were distributed by B. S.Williams of Holloway. ‘Mrs Carmichael’, the other parent of which was the Indian (greenhouse) azalea ‘Stella’, has deep purplish-rose flowers with a darker blotch, and is half-hardy (Millais). It seems to have dropped out of cultivation in this country, but is a parent of some of the American Glenn Dale hybrids.

'Mrs Charles E. Pearson'

Flowers 10 to 12 in a compact, domeshaped truss; rachis 11⁄2 in. long. Corolla 4 in. wide, broadly funnel-shaped, mauve in the bud, opening very pale lavender, sometimes with a deeper flush at the edge, becoming pure white for a time before falling, spotted with chestnut on the upper lobes. Anthers pale purplish pink. Style white with a red stigma, glandular at the base. Leaves medium green, glossy, elliptic, 51⁄2 by 21⁄4 in. Moderate size. Late May or early June. (‘Catawbiense Grandiflorum’ × ‘Coombe Royal’; Koster, cross made 1909. F.C.C.T. 1955.) A beautiful rhododendron, resembling ‘George Hardy’, ‘Beauty of Littleworth’, etc., in general aspect, but with icy mauve flowers. It is named after the wife of C. E. Pearson, v.m.h. (d. 1929), a partner in the firm of J. R. Pearson and Sons of Lowdham, Notts, founder of the Horticultural Trades Association and a member of the R.H.S. Floral Committee for forty years.

'Mrs Davies Evans'

Flowers 16 to 20 in a dense globular truss. Corolla almost flat when fully open, 3 in. wide, frilled, deep mauve with a white, speckled patch on the central lobe. Stamens with large white anthers. Medium size. Late May. (Waterer, Knap Hill, before 1915. A.M.T. 1958.) A hybrid of great charm and character.

'Mrs Furnivall'

Flowers 10 to 14 in a compact truss. Corolla funnel-campanulate with a short tube, 3 in. wide, light rosy pink, with a heavy flare of dark brown and crimson markings. Leaves drooping, elliptic to oblong-obovate, 4 by 13⁄4 in., rounded at the apex. Medium size. Late May or early June. (Waterer, Knap Hill, around 1920. F.C.C.T. 1948.) One of the finest and most popular of hardy hybrids, though now rivalled by its offspring ‘Furnivall’s Daughter’. It is sometimes confused with ‘Mrs G. W. Leak’, but that flowers a fortnight earlier, has different leaves, the corollas have coloured nectaries, and the ovary is densely glandular (sparsely hairy in ‘Mrs Furnivall’).

'Mrs G. W. Leak'

Flowers about 12 in a conical truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 31⁄2 in. across, light pink, shading to deeper on the three upper lobes, and with a heavy flare of brown and crimson markings; nectaries deep crimson. Leaves dull green, elliptic, 71⁄4 × 25⁄8 in. Medium size, fairly compact, erect habit. Mid-May. (‘Chevalier Felix de Sauvage’ × ‘Coombe Royal’; Koster 1916. F.C.C.T. 1934.) It is named after the wife of G. W. Leak, who was manager of R. H. Bath Ltd, Wisbech, early this century. This handsome rhododendron derives its markings from the first-named parent, which is a hybrid o R. caucasicum, and its large flowers and truss from the second, a hybrid of R. griffithianum.

Rhododendron 'Mrs G. W. Leak' in Park Wood at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire, UK. 7 May 2023. Image Tom Christian.

Rhododendron 'Mrs G. W. Leak' in Park Wood at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire, UK. 7 May 2023. Image Tom Christian.

'Mrs J. C. Williams'

Flowers 16 to 20 in a globular, compact truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, 31⁄2 in. wide, lobes much overlapped, white, slightly tinged with pink at the margins, with a rather small reddish-brown flare. Stigma red. Anthers pale brown. Compact, rather spreading habit. Late May or early June. (Waterer, Knap Hill. A.M.T. 1960.)

'Mrs J. G. Millais'

Truss with about 14 flowers. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, almost flat, upper lateral lobes not much overlapped by the central, white, with a flare of solid yellow. Style greenish white, stigma red. Anthers pale mauve. Ovary glabrous. June. (Waterer, Knap Hill.)

'Mrs John Clutton'

Truss conical, with 15 to 18 flowers. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 23⁄4 in. wide, pinkish mauve in the bud, opening pure white, with a small flare of greenish or reddish-brown marking. Dense habit, medium size. (Waterer, Knap Hill. F.C.C. 1865.) In the last century this was ranked as one of the best whites.

'Mrs John Kelk'

Flowers 14 in a compact rounded truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, 2 in. wide, lobes much rounded at the apex, rose-pink, paler at the centre, with a small flare of brownish-crimson spots. Leaves oblong-obovate, lined and puckered longitudinally, with traces of brown indumentum beneath. Compact, rather low-growing. Mid- to late June. (Waterer, Bagshot.)

'Mrs John Waterer'

Flowers about 18 in a well-formed truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, slightly over 2 in. wide, deep rose, with a flare of dark crimson markings. Stamen-filaments densely hairy, purplish red. Ovary glabrous. Leaves stiffly leathery, oblong-elliptic, more or less acute, slightly convex on each side of the midrib. Very tall and vigorous. Mid- to late June. This, with ‘John Waterer’, is one of the first of the really late-flowering hybrids from R. arboreum and was put into commerce in the same year – 1855 – by the Bagshot firm. It is still of value for screening, owing to its large size and toughness.

'Mrs Kingsmill'

The first gardener to make the cross between R. campylocarpum and R. griffithianum was H. J. Mangles of Valewood, Haslemere. After his death the seedlings were taken to the garden of his brother and sister at Littleworth Cross, and one of these, named ‘Mrs Kingsmill’, received an A.M. in 1911, when shown by Miss Mangles. This was said in the original description to have creamy white flowers, though what is sometimes seen under the name at the present time has light yellow flowers with green pedicels.

see notes for Penjerrick group.

'Mrs Lindsay Smith'

Flowers about ten per truss. Corolla 5– or 6-lobed, funnel-shaped with a rather broad tube, 33⁄4 to 43⁄4 in. long, lobes overlapping, mauve in the bud, opening white with a slight mauvish tinge, and with a flare of brown, crimson or greenish speckles. Leaves elliptic, lateral veins impressed above. Lank habit, vigorous. Late May. (‘Duchess of Edinburgh’ × ‘George Hardy’; Koster 1910. A.M.T. 1930.) A beautiful flower, but ugly habit.

'Mrs Lionel de Rothschild'

Truss fairly compact, with about 16 flowers. Corolla 3 to 31⁄2 in. wide, funnel-shaped, white edged with apple-blossom pink and with dark crimson spotting on the upper lobe. Medium height. June. (Waterer, Knap Hill. A.M. 1931.) A free-flowering rhododendron, with R. griffithianum in its ancestry.

'Mrs Mary Ashley'

Truss lax, with about eight flowers. Corolla funnel-campanulate, 3 in. wide, Phlox Pink at the edges, creamy pink in the centre, with a red mark in the throat and slight speckling. Leaves elliptic, 5 by 21⁄8 in. Medium height. Early May. (Slocock.) A pleasing but uncommon hybrid.

'Mrs Oliver Slocock'

Orange-yellow flushed terra-cotta. A hybrid between the yellow ‘Altaclarense’ and a Mollis azalea, raised by Messrs W. C. Slocock. A.M. May 9, 1933. A fine azalea, usually classified as a Mollis.

'Mrs P. D. Williams'

Flowers 15 to 17 in the truss; pedicels with spreading, curled hairs. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, about 31⁄2 in. across, ivory white with a flare of brown spots on a yellow ground. Leaves dark green, oblanceolate, 5 to 6 in. long, 11⁄2 to 13⁄4 in. wide. Medium height. Early June. (Waterer, Knap Hill. A.M.T. 1936.)

'Mrs Peter Koster'

Scarlet, with a flare of brownish orange (Mollis; M. Koster and Sons). A.M.T. May 11, 1953.

'Mrs Philip Martineau'

Flowers about 14 in a rounded truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, 31⁄2 in. wide, with overlapping lobes, rose-pink with a flare of yellow brown on a light pink ground. Anthers mauve. Style red. Leaves oblong-obovate, dark green, rounded at the apex. Tall-growing. Early June. (Waterer, Knap Hill, F.C.C.T. 1936.)

'Mrs R. S. Holford'

Flowers 15 to 20 in a conical truss. Corolla funnel-shaped, 3 to 31⁄2 in. wide, salmon-pink, with darker spotting on the upper lobe. Medium size. June. (Waterer, Knap Hill, before 1866.) A hybrid of R. catawbiense, with beautifully coloured flowers. Named after the wife of the founder of the Westonbirt Arboretum.

'Mrs T. H. Lowinsky'

Flowers about 14 in a dense truss. Corolla 3 in. across, widely funnel-shaped, upper lobes much overlapped, mauve in the bud, tinged with that colour at first, fading to white, but in some seasons retaining a pinkish-mauve flush until they fall, central lobe with a very large and conspicuous brown-orange flare. Leaves dark green, broad-elliptic to slightly obovate, to 41⁄4 in. long, half as wide. Medium size. Late June. (Waterer, Knap Hill, before 1917.) A delightful, very free-flowering and distinct rhododendron, whose flowers are usually described as ‘orchid-like’. It has R. ponticum, R. maximum and R. catawbiense in its make-up, and seems to be related to ‘Mrs P. D. Williams’. It has been confused with ‘Mrs Tom Lowinsky’, which was raised by T. H. Lowinsky and received an A.M. in 1919. This is a very tender rhododendron, three-quarters R. griffithianum, being a hybrid between that species and ‘White Pearl’. The hybrid described here has never received an award, nor much publicity, though it has become in recent years one of the most popular rhododendrons.

'Mrs Tom Agnew'

Flowers about 16 in the truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 23⁄4 in. across, upper lateral lobes not overlapped by the central, mauve-pink in the bud, opening pure white, with a conspicuous flare of yellow-brown on the central lobe, which becomes redder towards the base and sometimes extends onto the adjoining lobes. Calyx with long, narrow lobes. Leaves small, oblanceolate. Tall. June. (Waterer, Bagshot, before 1877.) There is a clump of this hybrid at Kew on the Broad Walk. In some seasons it flowers late in June with the young growths.

'Mrs William Agnew'

Flowers 16 to 18 in a compact truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 31⁄4 in. across, pale magenta pink, paling to blush at the centre of each lobe, slightly speckled with yellow at the base of the central lobe. Anthers fawn. Style pale pink with a brownish stigma. Tall. Early June. (Waterer, Bagshot.)

Mucronatum

Flowers solitary, in twos or threes; pedicels hairy, sometimes slightly glandular. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, 21⁄2 in. wide, white. Stamens eight to ten. Ovary with long, straggly hairs. Calyx-lobes lanceolate, up to about 3⁄8 in. long. Spring leaves deciduous, dull green, rather thin, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1 to 21⁄2 in. long, 3⁄8 to 3⁄4 in. wide, hairy on both surfaces; summer leaves smaller, thicker, persistent. May. A spreading shrub, usually seen under 4 ft high, but attaining 10 ft in the milder parts.

Mucronatum is a plant of Japanese gardens, also cultivated in China, whence it reached Britain in 1819. Under the names Azalea indica alba or A. ledifolia it was cultivated as a pot-plant in the last century but gradually spread into the open garden once it was found to be hardy. When Millais published the first volume of his work on rhododendrons (1917) Mucronatum was still a scarce plant out-of-doors, but was grown in quantity at Leonardslee and South Lodge, as well as in the south-west (where Sir Charles Lemon of Carclew was growing it outside as early as the 1830s). It is quite hardy, stands full sun, and is very pretty at the end of May when covered with its pure white fragrant flowers. In the 1840s and 1850s other white-flowered varieties were raised from it, but there seems to be little doubt that what is grown as ordinary R. mucronatum in this country is the original ‘Indica Alba’ of greenhouses, which later became known as ‘Old White’. See further on p. 921.

The taxonomic status of Mucronatum is a controversial matter. Wilson considered it to be no more than a white-flowered form of R. ripense, and accordingly treated it as a species, under which he placed the wild prototype as a variety – R. mucronatum var. ripense (Makino) Wils. But H. Hara the Japanese authority considers that Mucronatum is part of a garden swarm deriving from R. ripense and R. macrosepalum, and in some degree from R. scabrum and R. kaempferi also (R.Y.B. 1948, pp. 122–4). However, what is grown in this country as R. mucronatum is certainly very near to R. ripense, but apparently some forms cultivated in Japan show the influence of R. macrosepalum quite strongly. The cultivar-name Mucronatum should therefore probably be regarded as indicating a group of horticulturally similar clones, differing slightly from each other in their botanical characters. The botanical synonymy of Mucronatum is: R. mucronatum (Bl.) G. Don; Azalea mucronata Blume; Azalea ledifolia Hook.; R. ledifolium (Hook.) G. Don; Azalea indica var. alba Lindl.; Azalea rosmarinifolia Burmann; R. rosmarinifolium (Burmann) Dipp., not Vidal.

Two named clones in the Mucronatum group are ‘Noordtianum’ and ‘Bulstrode’. The former was introduced to Belgium towards the end of the last century. It has larger flowers and leaves than ordinary Mucronatum and narrow, acute calyx-lobes 3⁄4 in. long. For further details, see K. Wada’s note in R.C.Y.B. 1968, pp. 144–5. ‘Bulstrode’ was 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’.

Other members of this group are ‘Lilacinum’, with mauve flowers; ‘Fujimanyo’, with rosy-purple double or semi-double flowers (R. mucronatum f. plenum (Sims) Wils.); and ‘Shiromanyo’ (R. mucronatum f. narcissiflorum (Planch.) Wils.), with double white flowers. The two double forms were introduced to cultivation in the last century, and are mentioned by Millais (1917) as being grown out-of-doors in this country, but seem to have dropped out of commerce.

For another member of the Mucronatum group, see ‘Sekidera’.

Multiflorum (ciliatum × virgatum)

Flowers produced from terminal and upper axillary buds, mostly in pairs from each bud. Corolla funnel-campanulate, 11⁄2 to 2 in. wide, with overlapping lobes, hairy and slightly scaly on the outside, rosy pink in the bud, opening light mauvish pink. Leaves elliptic, oblong-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, medium green, reticulate and glossy above, to 21⁄2 in. long. Low spreading habit. Stems brown, peeling. April. This cross was made and named before 1868 by Isaac Davies of Ormskirk, Lancs, who also raised Praecox. F.C.C. 1870. The Davies plants were said to be white-flowered, but they seem to have been used for forcing under glass, which is apt to bleach the colour. Or the cross may have been repeated later, with different results. Multiflorum is hardy but bud-tender and may lose branches after a hard spring frost. It is prettiest in the early stages of flowering, when the pink buds and mauve open flowers make a delightful combination.

'Mum'

Flowers about 18 in a dense truss. Corolla widely funnel-shaped, with broad lobes, the centre lobe overlapping the upper laterals and often reduplicated, mauve-pink in the bud, opening white with a yellow flare, and with two dark crimson spots at the base of the two upper sinuses. Anthers mauvish. Style white, glabrous, green at the apex, stigma dark, scarcely expanded. Ovary glandular. June. It is very near to R. maximum and it has even been suggested that it is the same as the old hybrid known as ‘Maximum Album’. It was distributed by Messrs Waterer of Bagshot at the end of the last century.

'Myrtifolium'

‘Myrtifolium’ was raised by Loddiges before 1828 from R. minus crossed with R. hirsutum. It differs from ‘Arbutifolium’ in having leaves that are not so dark a green and slightly glossy, more tapered at the apex, somewhat hairy at the edge when young, densely scaly beneath, the larger, darker type of scale being more numerous and more closely spaced; in the larger calyx about half as long as the ovary; and in the taller, laxer habit.