1878.] 



AND HOR TICUL TURIST. 



165 



often Hftecn inches long. The ttowers are borne | 

 on long racemes, from which often branch out i 

 ■shorter scapes. The flowers are large, one-half to : 

 one inch in length being the average size. Thev I 

 are of the most brilliant yellow color, and when j 

 the sun shines, they sparkle and glisten as ■ 

 though freshly varnished. This variety, while 

 it lacks much of the graceful habit of the other , 

 varieties, supasses them in brilliancy and show. ! 

 In their natural haunts they grow in a moder- 

 ately light soil, in the vicinity of running 

 streams. In cultivating them it will be best to I 

 plant in similar places, if possible. The finest , 

 flowers I have always found on plants growing 

 in the shade of trees. 



ANDROMEDAS. 



BY MK. VLADEMIR DE NIEDMAN, PHILA. 



Within the great tract of United States, there 

 is rot to be met with a single species of Erica: 

 but in place of the " Blooming Heather," nature 

 has liberally supplied this country with various 

 species of Andromeda vaccinium (Whortle- 

 berries and Cniuberries) •, not to mention other 

 genera which are nearly allied to Erica. [The 

 Heatlier of Europe, Calluna vulgaris, is also 

 indigenous, though rare in the United States. — 

 Ed.] The greater part of Andromeda are 

 natives of North America, a few are found within 

 the tropics, and only one in North Germany, 

 the Andromeda polifolia^ with reddish-white 

 flowei'S ; this plant is strictly poisonous. In 

 the north the Andromeda appears shrubby-like; 

 in the tropical parts,more arboreal. The An- 

 dromedas are in general, far less diffused in our 

 parks and gardens than they should be, and 

 yet the culture is very light ; and as rightly 

 remarked by the Gardener's Monthly, a 

 well worthy one for their graceful habit of flow- 

 ering and the pretty foliage. The fruit is a dry 

 capsule. Whether the Andromeda arborea 

 {Oxydendron arb.' Lyonia aib.) is a native of 

 Pennsylvania it is not easy to ■determine ; but it 

 is safe to say, on an average, it belongs to the 

 Xorthern States, This ta-ee is from thirty to 

 sixty feet in height ; the flowers are pure white, 

 resembling mucli the Lily of the Valley (Con- 

 vallaria majalis), the foliage turnmg red in fall ; 

 tastes sour like the common sorrel ; flowering 

 time, July. As nativts of Pennsylvania, I would 

 refer to Andromeda spicata (Zonobia racemosa, 

 Andr. paniculata, Lyonia Idgustrina) a shrub 

 growing in the wet low lands 4 willow-leaved; 



flower white ; July — August. Quite common in 

 the south of Pennsylvania and Maryland, is 

 the Andromeda 3/ar?a/?a (Cassiope marginata),a 

 shrub ; the flowers yellowish white with red 

 spots ; are very narcotic ; poisonous ; honey 

 gathered from them by the bees is also poisonous, 

 like that from Kalmia angustifolia. To the 

 natives of the Xorthern States belong also the 

 Andromeda rosmarinifolia, an evergreen shrub ; 

 flowers in June ; reddish. 



Andromeda /efrag-ona (Cassiope tetr.) evergreen, 

 creeping ; blosson white, in April, May. 



Andromeda hradeata. Often known under the 

 name of Gaulteria Shallon, a pretty little shrub 

 from the Northwest shores; flowers in May, 

 June; reddish white; fruit black; ripe in 

 August, September; tastes like our common 

 black AVhortleberry. 



Andromeda ccBrulea (Menziesia coerul., Erica 

 arctica, Phyllodoce taxifolia); a very pretty alpic 

 shrub, growing solitary on the northern moun- 

 tains ; blossoms in June, July ; the flowers four 

 and five inches in length ; bluish ; ground color 

 light red ; culture very diflicult. 



Andromeda hypnoides (Cassiope hypnoides); 

 evergreen creeping slnub from Canada; strongly 

 resembling and also growing among mosses; 

 flower, in April, June; either white or of a flesh 

 color. 



' Andromeda calyculata (Cassandra calyculata 

 I Chamtedaphne calyc, Lyonia calyc) ; evergreen 

 i Canadian shrub; flower white in March, May. 

 I And of Andromedas, growing in Southern States 

 i are worth being mentioned, 

 ! Androm. flor'bunda (Leucothoe florb., Portuna 

 I florb.) ; shrubs on mountains in Carolina and 

 ! Georgia ; flower white, in June. 



Androm. axillaris, (Pieris lanceolata, Leu- 

 ! cothoe spinulosa) shrub from Carolina and 

 j Georgia ; blossoms beautiful ; greenish white ; 

 from ^lay to July. 



Androm. speciosn\ (Zenobia dealbata), a shrub 

 from Virginia, Carolina, and Florida; flower 

 white, large and bell-shaped ; from June to Sep- 

 tember ; the finest species of all. 



Androm acuminala (Andr. laurina) a shrub; 

 from (jeorgia and Florida; flower white; in 

 July, September. 



Androm. tassina; folia ; much resembling the 

 Andromeda speciosa. 



Androm. racemosa ; (Eulotris frondosa) ; from 

 Virginia ; flower white ; in June, July. 



