described above, a tree with large
massive leaves of a silvery tint beneath. When young, they are
exquisitely beautiful, being encased in long flesh-coloured cones of
large scales, of very ornamental appearance. The flowers are three
inches long, forming a compact globose head.

They secrete a large quantity of honey, which is said to be poisonous,
as is also that of _R. Dalhousiae_.

The grandeur and beauty of the same genus are celebrated by Mr Low, as
he saw the species growing in Borneo, where too their parasitic
character struck him, as it had done Dr Hooker:--

"Perhaps the most gorgeous of the native plants are the various species
of the genus _Rhododendron_, which here assume a peculiar form, being
found epiphytal upon the trunks of trees, as the genera of the tribe
_Orchidace{oe}_. This habit, induced probably by the excessive moisture of
the climate, is not, however, confined to the Ericaceous plants, but
also prevails with the genera _Fagria_, _Combretum_, and many others,
usually terrestrial; the roots of the Rhododendrons, instead of being,
as with the species [which are] inhabitants of cold climates, small and
fibrous, become large and fleshy, winding round the trunks of the forest
trees; the most beautiful one is that which I have named in compliment
to Mr Brooke. Its large heads of flowers are produced in the greatest
abundance throughout the year: they much exceed in size those of any
known species, frequently being formed of eighteen flowers, which are of
all shades, from pale and rich yellow to a rich reddish salmon-colour;
in the sun, the flowers sparkle with a brilliancy resembling that of
gold dust.

"Four other species which I discovered are very gorgeous, but of
different colours, one being crimson and another red, and the third a
rich tint between these two: of the fourth I have not yet seen the
flowers."[223]

Take an example from another order. The Lightning-tree of Madagascar
rises before us in the graphic pages of Mr Ellis:--

"But the most magnificent objects were the fine trees of _Astrapaea
Wallichii_, or _viscosa_. The name of this Malagasy plant was derived
from the word for lightning, on account of the brilliancy of its
flowers; and Sir Joseph Paxton and Dr Lindley have thus spoken of _A.
Wallichii_:--'One of the finest plants ever introduced. And when loaded
with its magnificent flowers, we think nothing can exceed its grandeur.'
I had seen a good-sized plant growing freely at