BOTANICAL HISTORY. 



lorum dehiscentibus, septis axi relictis : habitus, absque 

 ullo rudimento petioli pedunculive, omnino sessilis. 

 Alterum genus, cum illo pariter confusum, ob stigma 

 grande Salaxis mihi audit, cujus calyx irregularis, et 

 pericarpium drupaceum, triloculare, trispermum: 

 quatuor species innotuere, faciem Ericse scoparice pra 

 se ferentes." 



The translation of the foregoing follows : "To 

 some people it may seem strange that Erica vulgaris 

 should be discussed in the following pages ; they may 

 come to know, however, that this plant constitutes a 

 distinct genus, if any in the entire order does. Un- 

 der the older rule it would have retained its name, 

 but as so many other plants now enjoy the same cog- 

 nomen, among all botanists, I have thought it better 

 to distinguish this one by a new title; hence I have 

 called it Calluna, because of its very frequent use in 

 making brooms. The essential points of the genus, 

 in which it differs from Erica, are that the valves of 

 the pericarp dehisce at the sides of the compartments, 

 the dissepiments remaining on the axis : habit, with- 

 out any rudiment of a petiole or peduncle, altogether 

 sessile. On account of its large stigma I understand 

 Salix as another genus, equally confused with this, hav- 

 ing an irregular calyx and a drupaceous, 3-locular, 

 3-seeded pericarp ; four species are to be noted, having 

 the appearance of Erica scoparia." 



In an article by the late Professor Meehan, in 

 Meehan's Monthly for May, 1899, the following less 

 technical explanation appears: "The distinction is 

 very striking, and yet it is remarkable that of the 

 many hundreds of species of Erica known in the 



