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Description of several New or Rare Plants which have lately 

 flowered in the neighboiirliood of Edinburgh, and chiefly 

 in the Royal Botanic Garden. By Dr Geaham, Profes- 

 sor of Botany in the University of Edinburgh. 



June 10. 1832. 

 Andromeda tetragona. 



A. tetragona ; foliis quadrifariam iinbricatis, appressis, subtriquetris, ob- 



tusisj, glabris (?) ; pcdunculis elongatis, soUtariis unifioris ; corollis 



campanulatis. — Spreng, 

 Andromeda tetragona, Linn. Fl. Suecic. ed. 2. No. 356 — Willd. 2. 607. 



—Wahlenb. Fl. Lappon. No. 200 Pwshy Fl. Amer. sept. 1. 290 



Spreng. 2. 289. 



Andromeda pedunculis solitariis lateralibus, corollis campanulatis, foliis 

 oppositis obtusis imbricatis revolutis.— Gwie/. Fl. Siberic. 4. 120. No. 5. 



Description. — Stem erect, woody (about 5 inches high) naked near the 

 base, and marked by the origin of fallen leaves, much branched ; branches 

 suberect, the lower decumbent at the base and rooting. Leaves (two 

 lines long) in four rows, closely imbricated, sagittate, concave in front, 

 triquetrous and furrowed over the midrib behind, blunt, slightly pu- 

 bescent, particularly in native specimens, but the degree seems to 

 vary, as does the colour, which is bright or dull green. Peduncles 

 axillary, solitary, at first short, afterwards much elongated, slightly 

 pubescent, sheathed with scales at the base. Flower drooping. Ca- 

 lyx 5.parted, greenish, tipped with red, glabrous, persisting, segments 

 gibbous at the base. Corolla while, campanulate, somewhat contracted 

 near the mouth, which is 5-cleft, the segments blunt and spreading. 

 Stamens included, filaments shorter than the pistil, erect Anthers yel- 

 low, each with two slender spreading hispid bristles. Pistil scarcely 

 longer than the stamens; stigma obtuse; style persisting, straight, 

 sli^tly tapering upwards. Germen roundish-oval, obscurely 4-lobed, 

 depressed at the insertion of the style^ and surrounded at the base by a 

 wrinkled glandular ring. Capsule erect, nearly globular, glabrous, ha- 

 ving 5 loculaments, the dissepiments arising from the centre of the 

 valves, which are inflected in their apices. 



The seeds of this interesting little plant, which surely will yet be found 

 indigenous in Britain, were kindly communicated to the Botanic Gar- 

 den, Edinburgh, by Dr Richardson and Mr Drummond, on the return 

 from North America of the last expedition under the command of Cap- 

 tain Franklin. It flowered, for the first time, in April 1832, in the 

 same border with, but a little later than, its beautiful compatriot An- 

 dromeda hypnoides. We have two varieties : one only has yet, by flower- 

 ing, rewarded the judicious cultivation of Mr Macnab. It is the lighter 

 coloured, and considerably the freer growing of the two. 



Arbutus pilosa. 



A.pilosa; caule frutescente, procumbente, piloso : foliis ovato-ellipticis, 

 ciliato-serrulatis, coriaceis, apice muticis, callosis ; pedunculis axillari- 

 bus, unifloris, elongatis, nutantibus ; antheris quadri aristatis. 

 Description — Stem branching from the root, prostrate, red, twiggy, co- 

 vered with thickset, harsh, spreading, rusty-coloured hairs. Leaves (9 

 lines long, 4^ broad) scattered, spreading, and being turned to the light, 

 are disticiious, coriaceous, nakett and shining on both sides, dark green in 



