178 HEATH FAMILY 



to one side to avoid some obstruction. It is much more 

 slender than the Snow Plant, the herbage is not of so bright 

 a color, and the stalks are usually taller. 



Allotropa virgata T. & G., is similar in appearance to Ptero- 

 spora but smaller; calyx of 5 roundish sepals; corolla lack- 

 ing. — Tahoe, Kings River. 



6. RHODODENDRON. Azalea. 



1. R. occidentale Gray. Azalea. Shrub 2 to 10 ft. high, 

 loosely branched. Leaves alternate, entire, mostly clustered 

 near the ends of the twigs, narrowly obovate, tipped with a 

 sharp gland, 1 to 3 in. long, somewhat pubescent. Flowers 

 clustered. Corolla V/2 to 3 in. long, with funnelform tube 

 and recurved acute oblong lobes, either white or shading into 

 rose-color, with a yellow stripe on upper lobe, much exceeded 

 by the long stamens and style. 



In June and July the sweet fragrance of the Azalea adds 

 another pleasure to the trails where they follow a river bank 

 or lead through swampy places. The bushes, white with 

 bloom, may frequently be seen leaning out over a stream, 

 now and again dipping their beautiful clusters into the water. 

 The range extends from our lower limits to altitudes of 

 7500 ft., as near Glacier Point and on Clouds Rest. The 

 true azaleas, of which this is one, differ from the true rhodo- 

 dendrons in having deciduous leaves, but no good botanical 

 distinction can be made between them. 



7. LEDUM. Labrador Tea. 



1. L. glanduldsum Nutt. Shrub rigid, 2 to 6 ft. high. 

 Leaves alternate, densely clustered, entire, oblong to narrow- 

 oval, flat, 24 to 1^2 in. long, glabrous, pale beneath. Flowers 

 crowded, in a rounded terminal cluster. Corolla white, nearly 

 y 2 in. across, the oval petals distinct or nearly so and widely 

 spreading, shorter than the stamens. 



This is an evergreen shrub of moist places and is not un- 

 common in the higher mountains. It was locally noted as 

 follows: Eagle Peak Meadows, Clouds Rest Trail, Snow 

 Flat, Lake Tenaya, Vogelsang Pass, Mt. Lyell. The bruised 

 foliage imparts a pleasing fragrance due to a resin which it 

 contains. The plant is said to be poisonous. 



8. KALMIA. American Laurel. 

 1. K. polifolia var. microphylla Hall. Pale Laurel. Shrub 

 spreading, 2 to 6 in. high. Leaves opposite (rarely in 3's), 



