Flowers were there long before man came into existence. They filled him with awe and wonder, inspired him into composing song and verse, and, when they withered and fell, made him pause and ref;ect on life. India is the home of a large number of floering plants, and many exotics sem to thrive as well in our country as in their own lands. This is not surpriing, for almost any type of floering plant would find a hospitable endologial haven from the sow-clad Himalayas to the surf-washed Kanyakumari,from the sun-scroched palins of Rajasthan to the rain-drenched hills of Assam.

No wonder, therefore, that flowering plants have marched across our plains, ascended hills, dropped over high banks, overhung trellises, clung to walls, clapsed hedges, festoomed fences, clambered up all trees, and soared to the Himalayan heights. No account of flowers is ever said to be complete without a mention of the Rhododendrans, which include most of the Azaleas of the floriculturists.

About 110 species of Rhododendron are found wild in India- and some considr their number to be more, particularly in the Himalayan region. The best known to these is the Himalayan Tree-Rhododendron, introduced in England before 1815. Some of the world's most gorgeous cultivated Rhododendron.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India