CLASS DECANDRIA. 105 



natural family, is the elegant vernal flowering Rko- 

 dora, so common and ornamental to the bogs and 

 swamps of the northern states and Canada. It has all 

 the external character of an Azalea, and like the 

 muli flora, is clothed with its clustered purple flowers, 

 previous to the developement of the leaves. But its 

 corolla of 3 unequal petals, slightly united at the 

 base, with the upper one thrice the breadth of the 

 rest, and 3-lobed, at once distinguishes this peculiar 

 American genus from all others in existence, and like 

 the Rhododendrons, rather than the Azaleas, it is 

 destitute of fragrance. 



Of the same natural order as the 2 preceding ge- 

 nera, but very different in the form of the corolla, is 

 the American genus Kalmia, of which the corolla is 

 perfectly regular, and of the form of a deep edged 

 salver, protruding beneath 10 prominent convexities 

 in which the anthers lie for some time concealed, but 

 when liberated, fly up towards the stigma. The cap- 

 sule is short and round, with 5 cells, 5 valves, many small 

 seeds, and the dissepiments formed by the inflected 

 margins of the valves. All the species are shrubs, 

 with evergreen, narcotic leaves, excepting the K. 

 cuneifolia, which is deciduous. They have flowers in 

 corymbs, and are either white or red. The most 

 common species is the K. latifolia, Spoonwood or 

 Calico-bush, which occasionally becomes almost a 

 tree, and bears abundant clusters of white or rosaceous 

 flowers, spotted at the base with deeper red. This 

 species is found in shady and rocky woods, where 

 the Hemlock tree abounds, flowers about June or 

 July, and during its continuance in that state, is cer- 

 tainly one of the greatest ornaments which the Ameri- 

 can forests can boast. 



The K. angustifolia of sandy woods and swamps 

 is likewise very common, and much smaller than the 



