126 PYROLA ELLIPTICA. WINTERGREEN ; SHIN-LEAF. 



same year in which Nuttall's "Genera" appeared, adopted the 

 name given to our plant by Nuttall, and adds his own observa- 

 tions as follows : " This species I have long observed in this 

 nei"-hborhood. It is very like the common rotundifoUa, but 

 discrepant enough and sufficiently constant in its character to 

 constitute a j^ermanent species." 



The most strikino: differences which the collector will note at 

 first sight when comparing the two plants are to be found in 

 the texture of the leaves and the length of the petioles. The 

 leaves of P. rotundifoUa are always of a thicker texture than 

 those of P. elliptlca; and in the latter the leaf-stalks or petioles 

 are, as a rule, shorter than the leaf-blades, although they may 

 occasionally be at least as long, as shown by the old leaf on the 

 plant represented in our plate. In P. rotundifoUa, on the con- 

 trary, the petioles are always longer than the blade, and form a 

 very striking feature. Dr. Gray, in his " Field, Forest, and 

 Garden Botany," differs from this statement in regard to the 

 length of the petioles, and says that P. rotundifoUa has " leaves 

 on short petioles," while to P. cUiptica he attributes " leaves on 

 rather long and margined petioles." But this is evidently a mis- 

 take, as the relative length of blades and petioles, as given in 

 the same author's " Manual of the Botany of the Northern 

 United States," corresponds with our statement in every partic- 

 ular. The elliptical outline of the leaf-blades of our species has 

 given rise to the specific name elUpiica. This name, however, 

 may mislead the student, as the elliptical form is not confined 

 absolutely to this species, but is also found in some varieties of 

 P. rotundifoUa. Some botanists think they can see a ready 

 means of distinction in the very acute calyx-lobes of P. clliptica, 

 and we have therefore given a view of a flower, showing the 

 calyx, in Fig. 2, But we believe that this character is not 

 constant. 



The o-eneric name, Pyrola, was in use, in connection with our 

 plant, long before the time of Linnceus. Salmon, an old Eng- 

 lish herbalist, says that it was called ''Pyrola by the Latins, on 



