Tab. 7030. 



PENTAPERA sicula. 

 Native of Sicily, Cyprus and Cyrenaica. 



Nat. Ord. Ekicace-E— Tribe Ertce.e. 

 Genus Pentapeha, Klotzsch ; {Benth. et Eook.f. Gen. PL vol. ii. p. 589.) 



1'i::>Tapera sicula; frotiouloa erectus ramosus viscido-puberulus, foliis quaternis 

 palulis linearibus obtusiusculis marginibus recurvis, floribus terminalibus sub- 

 corymbosis uutantibus, bracteis linearibus pallidis, calyce 5-partito, sepal is 

 lineari-oblongis obtusis, petalis utrinque pubescentibus, corollas majuscule 

 tubo ovoideo-urceolato tenuissimo puberulo, limbi lobis 5 raiius 4 late ovatis 

 recurvis, staininibus 5 rarius 4 inclusis, tilamento cotnplanato geniculato, 

 anthers basi doiso affixa? oration profunde 2-fidoe loculis paullo divancatis, 

 ovario 5-loculari pubescente, stylo glabro, stigmate capitato. 



I'. sicula, Klotzsch in IAnnma, vol. xii. p. 497; Benth. in DC Prodr. vol. vii. 

 p. 613 ; Link, Klotttch Sf Otto, Ic. PI. vul. iii. 1. 19. 



Erica sicula, Gussone Prodr. Fl. Sir. vol. i. p. 463, and Fl. Sic. Synapt. vol. i. 

 p. 447. 



The genus Pentapera was founded by Klotzscb on the 

 only known species of Erica in which the flowers are 

 pentamerous, which would be a very sufficient character 

 whereby to distinguish it from the vast host of plants 

 comprised under the tribe Ericece, were it but constant. 

 Such, however, is not the case, some flowers being tetra- 

 merous. It has, however, two other characters which 

 help to distinguish it from the European heaths, namely, 

 the large sepals, and very pubescent ovary, the latter of 

 which characters I believe it shares with E. Tetralir, 

 alone. It is considerably the largest-flowered of the 

 northern Heaths. 



The locality inhabited by Pentapera was long supposed 

 to be the maritime limestone rocks on the west side 

 of the Island of Sicily. It has, however, very recently 

 been found in two distant localities, namely, in Cyprus 

 by Sinterus and Rigo, and by Taubert in Barca (Cyrenaica 

 of the Ancients). 



The Kew plant from which this figure was taken was 

 sent by Professor Todaro from the Botanical Garden 

 of Palermo in 1886, and flowered for the first time in May 



decembeb 1st, 1888. 



