DICOTYLEDONS IO9 



Heath Family {Ericacecs). — This is a large 

 family, and divided into tribes by botanists. One 

 supplies the bilberry, whortleberry, and cranberry, 

 which bear edible fruit. Another includes the 

 heaths and ling ; but the only one which calls for 

 attention is that which contains the common Garden 

 Rhododendrons and Azaleas. 



In the flowers of these plants the calyx is almost 

 entirely wanting; just a rudiment with five little 

 points remains. The corolla is somewhat irre- 

 gular, and having the posterior petal spotted. 

 Such spots and streaks in flowers are regarded as 

 " guides " or " path-finders " to insects, to lead 

 them to find the exact position of the honey- 

 glands. The stamens, five or ten, are " declinate," 

 that is, they first bend downwards and then up- 

 wards, in order to bear the weight of the insect 

 which alights upon them, since there is no petal 

 exactly in front for them to stand upon. 



Contrary to the usual rule — that when the petals 

 are coherent, the stamens may be expected to be 

 adherent to the corolla-tube — the stamens are quite 

 free from the corolla, arising directly from the floral 

 receptacle. 



The pistil has five coherent carpels, forming a 

 capsule when in fruit. 



Rhododendron {Rhododendron, sp.). — Numer- 

 ous species and hybrids of this genus are in culti- 

 vation, as well as others of the same tribe {Rho- 



