Part 23

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

HEATH, with bearded tips, within the blossoms, which are cylindrically club-shaped and very shewy; the leaves grow by eights or spirally scattered, appear cut off at the ends and arched.

DESCRIPTION.

STEM shrubby, erect, grows two feet high, simple at the base, with but few branches, which are simple, and long.

LEAVES grow by eights, are linear, blunt, rough on their upper, and furrowed on their under surface, tapering into long hair-like foot-stalks.

The FLOWERS are numerous, nearly terminating the branches, in simple whorls, crowded together, and clammy; the foot-stalks are long, bent backward, with three floral leaves.

EMPALEMENT. Cup four-leaved, leaflets lance-shaped, clammy, and pressed to the blossom.

BLOSSOM cylindrically club-shaped, an inch long, bent back at the point, the lower part of a strong flesh colour, the end green, compressed at the mouth, whose segments are straight.

CHIVES. Eight hair-like threads fixed into the receptacle. Tips bearded, and within the blossom.

POINTAL. Seed-vessel club-shaped, and furrowed. Shaft thread-shaped, almost without the blossom. Summit shield-shaped, concave, and green.

Native of the Cape of Good Hope.

Flowers from February, till April.

REFERENCE.

1. A Leaf, with its foot-stalk.

2. The Empalement, and Blossom.

3. The Empalement, magnified.

4. The Chives, and Pointal.

5. The Chives detached from the Pointal; one tip magnified.

6. The Shaft, and its Summit magnified.

ERICA costata.

CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.

ERICA, antheris muticis, inclusis; stylo exserto; corollis sub-cylindraceis, incarnatis, costatis; foliis pubescentibus, ternis.

DESCRIPTIO.

CAULIS fruticosus, bipedalis, erectus ramosus; ramuli frequentissimi.

FOLIA caulina, terna, recta, linearia, obtusa, pubescentia; folia ramea, erectiora, ovata, sub-serrata, acuminata; petiolis adpressis.

FLORES plures, tres, quatuorve ramuli terminates; pedunculi brevissimi.

CALYX. Perianthium duplex; interius, tetraphyllum, foliolis sub-ovatis, acuminatis, serratis, coloratis, apice sulcatis, adpressis; exterius triphyllum, priori brevioribus, virescentibus.

COROLLA sub-cylindracea, apice paulula curvata, incarnata, costata; oris laciniis erectis, albidis, obtusis.