LV. ERICACEAE. 285 



along the upper branches, forming irregular leafy racemes. 

 coloured like the corolla, and concealing it. (7. Erica, DC. 



The most widely distributed of all the Heaths, extending over central 

 and northern Europe to the Arctic Circle, eastward to the Ural, and 

 westward to the Atlantic. Also occurring in the Azores, Greenland, 

 and very rarely in north-eastern America, in Labrador and Massa- 

 chussets. In Britain very abundant. PL summer. It varies in the 

 same spot, either quite glabrous or more or less downy, or even hairy. 



IX. PYROLA. WINTERGREEN. 



Low herbs, with a slender, shortly creeping stock ; orbicular or ovate, 

 nearly radical leaves ; and white or greenish, drooping flowers, either 

 solitary or several in a short raceme, on leafless, erect peduncles. Sepals 

 5, small. Petals 5, distinct or slightly joined at the base, forming at 

 first a spreading corolla, which persists round the young capsule, 

 assuming a globular shape. Stamens 10. Capsule 5-celled, opening 

 by slits in the middle of the cells. 



A small genus, confined to the northern hemisphere both in the New 

 and the Old World, allied to Ericaceae in all essential characters, although 

 so different in habit and foliage. It has been divided by modern 

 botanists into almost as many genera as it has species. 



Flowers solitary . 1. P. uniflora. 



Flowers several in a raceme. 

 Leaves ovate, pointed. Flowers small, in a close, one-sided 



raceme 5. P. secunda. 



Leaves ovate or rounded, obtuse. Flowers in a loose raceme, 



usually few. 



Style much longer than the corolla, and curved . . . 2. P. rotundifolia. 

 Style longer than the corolla, and straight . . . . 3. P. media. 

 Style not longer than the corolla 4. P. minor. 



1. P. uniflora, Linn. (fig. 643). One-flowered W. Leaves of P. 

 minor, but rather smaller. Flower rather large, always solitary on the 

 peduncle, drooping, nearly white, and very fragrant ; the petals ovate, 

 slightly connected at the base. The pores of the anthers form little 

 protruding tubes much more prominent than in the other species, 

 although they are sometimes observable even in P. minor. Style nearly 

 straight, with a broad 5-lobed stigma. Moneses grandiflora, Salisb. 



In woods, in northern and Arctic Europe, Asia, and America, and 

 along the high mountain-ranges of central . Europe. In pine woods 

 from Perth and Aberdeen northwards, found only in Scotland. Fl. 

 summer. 



2. P. rotundifolia, Linn. (fig. 644). Larger W.A larger plant 

 than P. minor, with larger and whiter flowers, and the petals more 

 spreading, but chiefly distinguished from it by the long, protruding, 

 much curved style, usually at least twice as long as the capsule, with a 

 much smaller stigma, with short, erect lobes. 



In similar situations and with nearly the same range as P. minor ; 

 extending farther into central Asia, even to the Himalaya, but not so 

 frequent in Europe. Rare in Britain, though occurring in isolated spots 

 between Kent and Inverness, and at Westmeath in Ireland. Fl. summer. 

 [A remarkable variety (P. maritima, Ken.), with smaller leaves, many 



