146 ERICACEAE, 
Family ERICACEAE. Heath Family. 
A large family, chiefly shrubs, producing the blueberries, 
huckleberries and cranberries of the market and the “brierwood” 
(bois de bruyére) of which tobacco pipes are made. The Cape 
heaths and Ghent azaleas are among the most popular of winter- 
blooming woody plants handled by florists; and the rhododen- 
drons are among the most showy open-air shrubs. 
Lepum. Labrador Tea. 
Small evergreen bog-shrubs with slender terete twigs; 
somewhat 3-sided brown continuous pith; alternate minute cres- 
cent-shaped or 2-lobed leaf-scars with a single bundle trace; no 
stipule-scars; minute round sessile lateral buds and larger ovoid 
terminal buds with several exposed scales; elliptical-oblong 
leaves, revolute and rusty-tomentose beneath in the eastern © 
species; small open perfect nearly polypetalous white flowers in 
short terminal clusters; and small many-seeded capsules dehiscent 
at the base. 
Leaves subelliptical, rather broad. L. groenlandicum. 
Leaves linear, narrow. L. palustre. 
RHODODENDRON. 
Evergreen or deciduous shrubs or small trees with hard 
brownish wood with minute ducts, rather more crowded in 
spring, and fine medullary rays; rounded slender or stout twigs; 
rounded or angular continuous pith; alternate crescent-shaped 
‘or transverse leaf-scars with I bundle-trace; no stipule-scars; 
ovoid sometimes very large buds with a number of exposed 
scales; entire or ciliate lanceolate petioled leaves; perfect showy 
clustered mostly gamopetalous flowers; and small more or less 
elongated capsules. Azalea and Rhodora are considered sep- 
arate genera sometimes. 
1. Leaves thick, evergreen. (Rhododendron). 2. 
Leaves thin, mostly deciduous. (Azalea; Rhodora). 4. 
2. Leaves tapering to apex and base: pedicels glandular. 3. 
Leaves rounded at ends: pedicels downy. R. catawh-=:<e. 
