60 



vegetable and ''Wormwood" (Artemisia 7naritima, Linn.), 



abundant in the 

 Seas, in the S 



bordering the Mediterranean 



Western Himalayas, near the Caspian and Black 

 alt Plains of Western Tibet and in countries 



H 



layas and suggested as a fodder plant where other vegetation is 

 scarce {K.B. 1893, pp. 126-128). 



Vacclntaceae. 



Oxycoccus palustris, Per*. ; Common Cranberry. O. 

 niacrocarpus, Pers. ; American Cranberry. 



Small shrubby plants with creeping slender stems, found in 

 boggy land, the former indigenous to Britain and alpine parts of 

 Europe, Siberia and North America, and the latter native of 

 North America, from Canada to Virginia. 



Fruits of both are edible and commonly made into jam and 

 jelly; those of rnacrocavpus are imported into the United King- 

 dom, exported from Nova Scotia, Ac. 



Vaccinium myrlillus, Linn.) Whortleberry, Bilberry. V. 

 Vitis-Idaea, Linn.) Cowberry — small shrubs a foot or so high, 

 native of Britain, and V. corymbosum, Linn,; Swamp Blue- 

 berry — a shrub about 7 ft. high, native of North America, 

 where it is also cultivated. All the species in their wild state 

 favour moist alpine or sub-alpine situations, and fruits of all 

 are edible. In Britain those of the native species are collected 

 about July and August for making into jam, jelly, ftc., and 

 moor game in autumn feed largely upon the fruits. 



V. canad&nse, Kalm, and V. pennsylvanicum, Lam., are 

 also known as " Blueberry " in Canada, where they are gathered 

 for sale by settlers and Indians (K.B. Nov. 1887, p. 17). V. 

 Arctostaphylos, Linn., is used in the Caucasus as a substitute 

 for tea (KB. 1895, pp. 61-63). 



In the closely allied Older Ericaceae there is little of 



importance, but the following may be mentioned: — The 

 u Strawberry Tree " [Arbutus Unedo, Linn.), fruits collected 

 and eaten by the peasantry in Ireland (Johnson & Sowerby), 

 "Bearberry" [Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi, Spreng.), a trailing 



shrub of the Highlands of Scotland, fruits commonly eaten by 

 grouse, Gaidtheria Shall on, Pers., fruits eaten in Vancouver 

 Island; " "Winter Green " or "Partridge Berry" (Gaultheria 

 procumbent, Linn.), of North America, Hie leaves called 



"Mountain" or "Salvador" Tea, used ns a substitute for 



China Tea, "Labrador Tea" (Ledum palustre, Linn.), and 



"Heather" or ''Ling" (Calluna vulgaris, SaHsh.), which 

 covers large areas {3,901,713 acres in England and Wales of 



TI 



1917). 



an important bee flower, "Heather Honey " being one of the 

 standard kinds of commerce; the leaves, flowers, seeds and fine 

 stalks of heather ground into meal are recommended for feed- 



ing poultry («ee- Joum. Bd. Agric. May, 1918. p. 185 and 

 Leaflet No. 114). and srrouse feed on the vounsr ffhootfl. 





