The Flora of the Adirondacks. 75 



Palusire, Labrador Tea, and is one of the order Ericaceae. 

 If the peculiarity of its leaves, with their under gar- 

 ments of dark brown wool attract our attention, much more 

 shall we be pleased with its large clusters of white flowers. 

 We shall find several other plants of the order 

 Ericaceae here, and we have not long to look, for close 

 by the side of the Ledum grows a tall species of Andro- 

 meda, A. Calyculata, with a profusion of pink bell-shaped 

 flowers, and a few steps further on, a smaller species,. 

 A. Polifolia, with nodding white blossoms ; and as we 

 come full into the opening, another little Andromeda with 

 flowers larger than either and more beautiful, the Andro- 

 meda Mariana. A superb shrub scarcely more than a foot 

 high, seems to set the whole mossy surface of the swamp in a 

 bright red blaze. It is the Kalmia Glauca, dwarf laurel, 

 with corymbs of brilliant red cup-shaped flowers. An- 

 other shrub nearly two feet high lines the borders of the 

 pond and occupies many of the little mounds in the space. 

 Its leaves at once betray its relation to the other, and 

 when its buds expand to flowers a little later, we shall 

 find them as bright and as showy as the first. It is the 

 Kalmia Angustifolia. We now spy creeping along the mossy 

 carpet, a delicate vine, almost concealing the moss in many 

 places. It is the Oxyocus Palustris, cranberry, a graceful 

 and delicate plant with light pink corollas and bright 

 crimson berries. We have scarcely entered upon this 

 garden of choice plants when our eye falls upon a group 

 of singularly interesting plants. In a depression where 

 the water rises to the surface of the sphagnum is found 

 the Menyanthes Trifoliala, each plant consisting of a single 

 trifoliate leaf and a spike bearing a pyramidal raceme of 

 flesh colored flowers remarkably distinguished by the 

 delicately fringed petals with soft hairs filling the floral 

 tube. 



