208 VACCINIE^E 



into the disk of the ovary ; anthers with two cells, opening by two pores, 

 and often furnished with two awns ; ovary with a flat disk, 4 — 10-celled ; 

 cells one or many-seeded; style and stigma simple; fruit a juicy berry 

 crowned by the remains of the calyx, containing many minute seeds. This 

 order consists of small shrubs, with undivided, alternate, often leathery, 

 leaves, chiefly inhabiting mountainous regions, or those of high northern 

 latitudes. The bark and leaves are astringent, and the berries have an acid 

 and pleasant flavour. 



Whortleberry, Cranberry, etc. ( Vacdnium). — Calyx 4 — 5-lobed ; 

 lobes sometimes very shallow ; corolla bell-shaped, or wheel-shaped, 

 4 — 5-cleft ; stamens 8 — 10; berry globose, 4 — 5-celled, many-seeded. 

 Name of doubtful origin. 



Whortleberry, Cranberry, etc. {Vacdnium). 

 * Leaves not evergreen ; anthers with 2 spurs at the back. 



1. Bilberry, or Whortleberry (K myrtillus). — Stem acutely angular ; 

 leaves egg-shaped, serrated, smooth ; flowers solitary ; perennial. This 

 elegant shrub, which is sometimes called also Whinberry, is very abundant 

 on some heathy, stony, and mountainous places. It is rarely more than two 

 feet in height, and much branched, numbers of these little bushes being 

 generally found together ; for the Bilberry is a social plant. The wax-like 

 drooping flowers appear in May among the delicate leaves : they are 

 greenish-white, tinged with red. 



The internal arrangements of these flowers are curious. The anther-cells 

 are drawn out into the form of tubes which open only at their extremities, 

 whilst from their backs stand out little spurs, two from each stamen. The 

 stamens all stand with the anther-tips pressed against the central style, so 

 that no pollen can fall out. Now, it is impossible for any long-tongued 

 insect to get at the honey in that jar-like blossom without pressing against 

 one or more of the anther-spurs, and in that case the anther-tip is pushed 

 away from the style and the pollen falls out on the insect's face, so that on 

 visiting another flower the pollen will be rubbed upon the stigma which 

 partially blocks the entrance to the flower. 



As summer advances, the foliage assumes a rich, deep, myrtle-like 

 verdure ; and the whortleberries, or " whorts," as country children call them, 

 afford a very pleasant refreshment. These fruits, which are black, and 

 covered with a blue-grey bloom, are very juicy, and their quality is so 

 astringent that they are a common medicine in Arran and the Western 

 Highlands. The Highlanders also eat them with milk, and make them into 

 tarts and jellies, mingling them, too, with their whisky, to give it a higher 

 relish. An old herbalist praises these berries as a remedy for many maladies, 

 and says, "It is a pity they are not more generally used." When fermented, 

 they afford an intoxicating liquor, and they are mixed with some wines to 

 heighten their colour. 



Various experiments have been made with these fruits in staining paper 

 and dyeing linen of a violet colour, and they seem to aff'ord a rich hue. The 



