NAT. ORDER. — ERICACE^. 115 



feet; the leaves appear in clusters at tlie ends of the shoots without 

 order ; they are spar-shaped and narrow at their base ; their edges 

 are set with very short teeth, which are rough ; the flowers come 

 forth in clusters between the leaves at the extremities of the branch- 

 es ; they are white, witli a mixture of dirty yellow on the outside ; 

 the tube is about an inch long, and at top they are pretty deeply cut 

 into five segments ; the two upper are reflex, the two side ones bent 

 inward, and the lower one is turned downward ; the stamens are a 

 little longer than the petals, and support oblong, saffron-colored 

 anthers ; the style is much longer than the stamens, and is covered 

 by an obtuse stigma; the flowers have somewhat the appearance of 

 those of Honeysuckle, and are very agreeably scented, much more 

 so than the one previous. The flowers appear about the middle of 

 July. It is a native of North America. It is considerably cultivated 

 in England, but the .seeds will not ripen. This plant has varieties 

 with white-striped flowers, with narrow petalled flowers, and with 

 clustered flowers. 



Propagation and Culture. These plants may be raised without 

 much difficulty in rather moist soils where the situation is shady. 

 In England, where these plants are most extensively cultivated, they 

 are produced from offsets from the roots, or layers from the young 

 shoots, as they will not produce seed in that country. The best 

 season for either of these methods is the early part of autumn, when 

 they should be set out where they are to grow, or be planted in rows 

 after the nursery manner. The plants should have some protection 

 about their roots during the winter season, by covering the ground 

 with old tan, or some other substance of a similar nature. In this 

 country, where the seed can easily be procured, plants may be raised 

 by sowing them either in pots or on warm borders ; in the former 

 method, forcing their growth by plunging them in mild hot beds. 



Medical Properties and Uses. The general qualities of these 

 plants are astringent and diuretic, and may be used as substitutes 

 for other remedies. 



