第四届国际杜鹃花学术讨论会于1988年9月30日至10月5日在澳大利亚的伍伦贡市举行。出席这次会议的有:美国、英国、中国、日本、新西兰、澳大利亚等七个国家的代表200余人。笔者作为中国代表出席了这次会议。会议的主要议题是讨论落叶杜鹃亚属、有鳞杜鹃亚属内热带杜鹃组及其它有关问题。英国在杜鹃花的研究方面有最为悠久的历史,并从世界各地引种、栽培了许多种类。会议上,英国代表在发言中介绍了当前的研究概况。中国是杜鹃花的故乡,全世界的800余种杜鹃花中,约有600种生长在中国。中国代表报告了常绿 The 4th International Rhododendron Symposium was held in Wollongong, Australia from September 30 to October 5, 1988. Attend this meeting are: the United States, Britain, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and other seven representatives of more than 200 people. The author attended this meeting as a representative of China. The main topics of the meeting were discussing the subgenus Rhododendron, the Cuckoo subgenus Cuckoo and other related issues. Britain has the longest history of rhododendron research and has introduced and cultivated many species from all over the world. During the meeting, the representative of the United Kingdom introduced the current research profile in his speech. China is the hometown of azaleas. About 600 of the more than 800 species of azaleas in the world grow in China. The representative of China reported evergreen