Part 15

DESCRIPTION.

STEM shrubby, grows a foot high, upright, and thread-shaped; the greater and smaller branches are thread-shaped, twiggy, and smooth.

LEAVES grow by fours, linear, narrow, smooth, and upright; very short foot-stalks, pressed to the branches.

FLOWERS grow mostly solitary, at the end of the smaller branches, hanging down; the foot-stalks are coloured, having three awl-shaped, coloured floral leaves on them.

EMPALEMENT. Cup four-leaved, leaflets egg-shaped, pointed, concave, pressed to the blossom, and coloured.

BLOSSOM, globularly bell-shaped, and yellow; the segments half egg-shaped, and a little reflexed.

CHIVES. Eight hair-like threads, curved inwards. Tips beardless, and within the blossom.

POINTAL. Seed-bud nearly globe-shaped. Shaft pillar-shaped. Summit four-cornered.

Native of the Cape of Good Hope.

Flowers from June, till August.

REFERENCE.

1. The Empalement, and Blossom.

2. The Blossom.

3. The Empalement, magnified.

4. The Chives, and Pointal.

5. A Tip, magnified.

6. The Pointal, magnified.

ERICA capitata.

CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.

ERICA, antheris muticis, sub-inclusis; corollis globosis, albidis, tomentosis, tectis calyce magno, hispido, colorato; foliis ternis, pilosis.

DESCRIPTIO.

CAULIS erectus, laxus, filiformis, fuseus; rami filiformes, villosi; ramuli capillares, frequentes, tomentosi.

FOLIA terna, linearia, obtusa, dorso sulcata, pilis longis hirta; petiolis brevissimis, adpressis.

FLORES in extremis ramulis terminales bini, vel terni, cernuo-patenti; pedunculi brevissimi, bracteis tribus, minutis, adpressis, instructi.

CALYX. Perianthium tetraphyllum, foliolis ovatis, concavis, incurvatis maximis, totis densissime hirtis, adpressis, luteo-viridis.

COROLLA sub-globosa, alba, lanata, in sinu calycis fere recondita.

STAMINA. Filamenta octo capillaria, receptaculo inserta. Antheræ muticæ sub-inclusæ.

PISTILLUM. Germen subrotundum, apice pilosum. Stylus filiformis, exsertus. Stigma tetragonum.