HEATH FAMILY 165 



flowers in late winter, when the new leaves appear. This 

 shrub is often infested by a fungus that incites the flowers 

 to rapid and abnormal growth. 



Pieris nitida. Flowers white to red, small, cylindrical, in 

 clusters along the stems. Calyx 5-lobed, corolla 5-toothed, 

 stamens 10. Shrub 2-12 ft. tall. Leaves evergreen, shining, 

 elliptic or oval, entire, 1-3 in. long. Swamps, pinelands, and 

 dry sand. Blooming in winter and spring. Fla. to Va. 

 and La. 



Pieris mariana. Flowers white, bell-shaped, nearly % in, 

 long, clustered, in racemes. Shrub 2-6 ft. tall. Leaves de- 

 ciduous, oblong or oval, 2-3 in. long. Low grounds. Bloom- 

 ing in spring. Fla. to R. I., Tenn., and Ark. 



XoLisMA. Myrtle (Genus Xolisma) 



X. ferruginea, locally called myrtle, is a common shrub 

 in many places, and is variable in growth according to 

 location. The leathery leaves are usually very numerous, 

 and are peculiarly scurfy on the lower surface. The tiny 

 globose flowers are sometimes fragrant, and scent the air 

 with a honey-like odor. 



The closely allied X. fruticosa is also common, and may 

 be distinguished from the former by its leaves, which are 

 less scurfy, and instead of gradually decreasing in size 

 toward the ends of the branches are abruptly smaller. The 

 small flowers are sometimes brownish. 



X. foUosiflora, with deciduous leaves, one to three inches 

 long, and small white flowers in terminal leafy panicles, 

 is sometimes infested with galls, which change the leaves 

 to grotesque inflated pouches of pale green tinged with 

 pink. 



Xolisma ferruginea (Andromeda). Flowers small, white or 

 cream-color, scurfy, globose, 4-6-lobed, many, clustered along 

 leafy branches. Shrub or small tree. Leaves evergreen, 

 entire, 1-2 in. long, chiefly oval. Sandy soil. Blooming 

 in winter and spring. Fla. to S. C. 



