612 



ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 



Synonymes. V. ^rctost&phylos Andr. Bot. Rep. t. 30. ; V. maderense LinkEnum. p. 375. ; V. 



cauclicum Wort. ; V. pkdffblium caucasicum llort. Soc. Cat. of Fruit edit 1826 p. 203. 

 Engravings. Bot. Rep., t 30. ; Bot. Mag., t. 974. ; and our fis. 1180. and 1181., andfig. 1182. from 



a specimen in the Hammersmith Nursery. 



Spec. Char., $c. Racemes lateral. Bracteas all at the base of the pedicels 

 Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acute, serrulated, smooth on both surfaces, except 

 the midrib. Stamens nearly as long as the bell-shaped corolla, with smooth 

 slightly fringed filaments. Calyx 5-lobed. Corollas larger than those of 



xi\ U82 



1180 



H81 



1180, 1181,1182. 



V. Jrctostaphylos, pale green, with a purple tinge : sometimes it appears to 

 be all over purple externally. (Don's Mill.) A large deciduous shrub. Cau- 

 casus, and Madeira on the loftiest parts of the island. Height 6 ft. to 10 ft. 

 Introduced in 181.1. Flowers pale green, tinged with purple ; June to 

 August. Berries black, juicy, eatable, and agreeably acid ; ripe in October. 



B. Leaves evergreen. 



a. Flowers racemose. 



. 23. V. CARACASA^NUM H. B. et Kunth. The Caraccas Whortleberry. 



Identification. H. B. et Kunth Mov. Gen. Amer., 3. p. 266. ; Don's Mill., 3. p. 855. 

 Engraving. Our fig. 1183. from a specimen in the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes. 



Spec. Char.y Sfc. Racemes axillary, twice as long as the leaves. Flowers 

 secund, octandrous or decandrous. Leaves elliptic, acute, crenulated, 

 coriaceous, glabrous, shining above. Anthers 2-horned 

 on the back. Branchlets angular, glabrous. Leaves 

 shining above, 9 10 lines long. Racemes crowded 

 at the tops of the branches. Corolla campanulate, 

 glabrous, reddish white, with a 4 5-parted limb. 

 Segments ovate, acutish. Filaments membranous, 

 ciliated. (Don's Mill.) A low evergreen shrub. South- 

 ern declivity of Mount Silla de Caraccas. Height 2 ft. 

 to 3 ft. Introduced in 1825. Flowers reddish white ; 

 May and June. Berries ?. nsa. v . 



24. V. 



ID^ V A L. The Mount Ida Whortleberry, or Cowberry. 



Identification. Lin. Sp., 500. ; Eng. Fl., 2. p. 220. ; Don's Mill., 3. p. 855. 



Synonymes. Htis idae v a rubra Cam. Epit. 136. ; the red Whortleberry. 



Engravings. Bot. Cab., t. 1023. ; Eng. Bot., t. 598. ; FL Dan., t. 40. ; and our fig. 1184. 



Spec. Char. y fyc. Racemes terminal, drooping, with ovate concave bracteas, 

 which are longer than the pedicels. Leaves obovate, revolute, minutely 

 toothed, dotted beneath. Corolla bell-shaped. Root creeping, woody. 

 Stems ascending, a span high. Young branches terete, downy. Leaves 

 like those of box, but darker. Flowers pale pink, 4-cleft, octandrous. An- 

 thers without spurs. Berries blood-red, acid, austere, and bitter ; less 

 palatable than either the cranberry or bilberry. (Don's Mill.) A diminutive 

 creeping evergreen shrub. Europe, Siberia, and North America, in many 



