Part 54

EMPALEMENT. Cup double, and coloured; the outer three-leaved, the leaves of a broad oval-shape, the ends greenish: the inner is four-leaved, broader and larger than the former.

BLOSSOM cone-shaped, near an inch long, smooth, deep red; the segments of the mouth upright.

CHIVES. Eight flat threads, much longer than the blossom, fixed into the receptacle; the tips beardless, without the blossom, and tapering into the filaments.

POINTAL. Seed-vessel egg-shaped, and slightly furrowed. Shaft thread-shaped. Summit four-cornered.

Native of the Cape of Good Hope.

Flowers from August till December.

REFERENCE.

1. The Empalement and Blossom.

2. The Empalement magnified.

3. The Chives and Pointal.

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

5. The Shaft and Summit magnified.

ERICA mucosa.

CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.

ERICA, antheris aristatis, inclusis; corollis globosis, mucosis, fasciculatis, cernuo-patentibus, terminalibus; foliis quaternis.

DESCRIPTIO.

CAULIS fruticosus, tripedalis, ad basin fere ramosus, ramis longis, virgatis, flexuosis.

FOLIA quaterna, subtriangularia, linearia, apice recurvata, obtusa, glaberrima, subtus sulcata; brevissimis petiolis instructa.

FLORES plures, terminales, fasciculati, cernuo-patentes, mucosi, purpurei fulgenti; pedunculis longis, purpureis, 2 seu 3 bracteis, instructis.

CALYX. Perianthium tetraphyllum, foliolis ovatis, obtusis, erectis, corolla dimidio brevioribus.

COROLLA globosa, limbo quadrilobo, laciniis semiorbiculatis, æqualibus, erectis.

STAMINA. Filamenta octo capillaria, corolla breviora, receptaculo inserta. Antheræ aristatæ, inclusæ.

PISTILLUM. Germen subrotundum. Stylus filamentis crassior, erectus. Stigma tetragonum.

Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.

Floret a mensi Augusti ad Decembrem.

REFERENTIA.

1. Calyx et Corolla.

2. Calyx et Bractea lente aucta.