582 



SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



O.n/coccus palusfi'is or Vaccinium Oxycoccus. — The fruit of this plant is the 

 Cranberry of Great Britain. It is used in making tarts, and for other 

 purposes. 0. macrocarpus yields the American Cranbeny, of whicli large 

 quantities are imported into this country. 



Vaccinium. — The fi-uits of several species are edible, thus : — V. Myrtillus 

 yields the Bilberry ; V. nliginosum, the Bog or Black Whortleberry ; and 

 V. Vitis-idcea, the Red Whortleben-y or Cowberry, (See also Oxycoccus.) 

 The fruit of V. uliginosum is reputed to be narcotic, and it is said to be 

 employed for making beer, &c. heady. When exposed to fermentation, it 

 produces a kind of wine. 



2. Hypostaminese. 



Natural Order 135. Brukoniace^e. — The Brunonia Order. — 

 Character. — Herbaceous plants. Leaves entire, radical, ex- 

 stipulate. Flowers in heads, surrounded by an invohicre. Calyx 

 inferior, 5-parted. Corolla 5-parted, withering. Stamens few, 

 hypogynous ; anthers slightly coherent. Ovary superior, 1-celled ; 

 oyzf/e solitary, erect ; style single ; stigma surrounded by an indu- 

 sium. Fruit enclosed in the hardened calyx. Seed erect, solitary, 

 without albumen. 



Distribution, ^'c. — Natives of Australia. Brunonia is the only 

 genus. There are 2 species. 



Properties and Uses. — Unknown. 



Natural Order 136. ERiCACEiE.— The Heath Order {figs. 964 

 and 965). — Character. — Shrubby plants. Leaves entire, ever- 

 _ green, opposite or whorled, ex- 



Fig. 965. stipulate. Calyx 4— 5-cleft, 

 inferior, persistent. Corolla hy- 

 pogynous, monopetalous {figs. 

 467 and 964), 4— 5-clert ; cesti- 

 vation imbricated. Stamens hy- 

 pogjmous (figs. 964 and 965), as 

 many, or twice as many as the 

 diA'isionsof the corolla; aiithers 

 2-celled, opening by pores (fig. 

 518, r), appendiculate ( fig. 518, 

 a). Ovary many-celled, with 

 numerous ovules, surrounded 

 by a disk or scales ; style 1 

 (figs. 964 and 965). Fricit cap- 

 sular, or rarely baccate; jjla- 

 centa axile. Seeds numerous, 

 small, anatropous ; embryo in 

 the axis of fleshy albumen. 



Division of the Order, and 

 Examples of the Genera: — 

 Lindley has two sub-orders as 

 follows : — 



Sub-order 1. EricccB. — Fruit loculicidal, or rarely septicidal, or 

 berried. Buds naked. Examples : — Erica, Calluna, Arbutus. 



Fig. 064. 



VertiPal section of tlte 

 lower of a species of Heaih (£n- 



ca). Fig. 965. Essential organs 



of tlie same. The stamens are 

 seen to be hypogynous. 



