E P I 



E R I 



It belongs to the class and order Gctandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Calyear.thcmce. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianthium, four-parted, superior ; divi- 

 sions oblong, acuminate, coloured, deciduous : 

 the corolla has four roundish petals, outwardly 

 wider, emarginate, expanding, inserted into the 

 divisions of the ealyx : the stamina consist of 

 tight subulate filaments ; the alternate ones 

 shorter: anthers oval, compressed, obtuse : the 

 pistillum is a cylindric germ, extremely long, 

 inferior: style filiform: stigma four-cleft, thick, 

 obtuse, rolled back : the pcricarpium is an ex- 

 tremely long capsule, cylindric, streaked, four- 

 celled, four-valved : the seeds numerous, ob- 

 long, crowned with down : receptacle extremely 

 long, four-cornered, free, flexile, and coloured. 



The species cultivated is E. august ifoliaui, 

 Narrow-leaved or Rose-bay Willow-herb. 



It has a creeping root. The stem is upright, 

 from three to six feet high, branched at fop, 

 round, and pubescent ; the branches alternate. 

 The leaves alternate, running slightly down the 

 stem, smooth, the edge minutely and rarely in- 

 dented, the midrib whitish : the lateral nerves 

 are nearly at right angles with this ; and the 

 leaves at their first appearance are rolled in at 

 the edge. The flowers are purple, showy, grow- 

 ing in a kind of long spike, on purple pedun- 

 cles, the length of the germ, bending down be- 

 fore the flowers open, but afterwards erect ; 

 seldom more than four or five blown together on 

 the same spike. From the great similitude of 

 the leaves to those of willow, it has obtained the 

 name of Willow-herb, or French Willow. 



There is a variety with white flowers. 



Culture. — It is readily increased by dividing 

 its creeping roots, and planting portions of them 

 out in moist shady situations where they are to 

 remain, in either the autumn or early spring. 

 The plants may also be raised by sowing the 

 seeds in the same situations. The plants after- 

 wards require oidv to be kept within propr limits. 



They are well suited to shady situations, and 

 for covering rock-work. 



EPIMEDIUM, a genus containing a plant of 

 the low, herbaceous, flowery, perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Tetrandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Con/dales. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a four- 

 leaved perianthium : leaflets ovate, obtuse, con- 

 cave, expanding, small, placed directly (not al- 

 ternately) below the petals, caducous (with a 

 single bracte at the base of two of them) : the 

 corolla has four petals, obtuse, concave, expand- 



ing : nectaries four, cup form, (slipper-form,; 

 with obtuse bottoms, of the size of the petals, 

 and leaning on them, affixed by the edge of the 

 mouth to the receptacle : the stamina consist of 

 four subulate filaments, pressing on the style : 

 anthers oblong, erect, two-celled, two-valved, 

 gaping from the base towards the tip, with a 

 free dissepiment : the pistillum is an oblong 

 germ : style shorter than the germ, length of the 

 stamens: stigma simple: the periearpium is an 

 oblong silique, acuminate, one-celled, two- 

 valved : the seeds very many, and oblong. 



The species is E.alpinum, Alpine Barrenwort. 



It has a creeping root, from which arise many 

 stiff smooth sialks, about nine inches high, cy- 

 lindric, simple, near the root surrounded with 

 scales, at top trichotomous. The leaves once 

 and twice ternate, pendulous, heart-shaped, end- 

 ing in a point, serrate; the serratures ending in a 

 hair, pale green on the upper side, gray on the 

 under. The raceme a finger's length, naked, 

 loose, lateral, with three or four branchlets, 

 usually two-flowered, supported by a rufous 

 bracte. It is a native of the Alps, flowering in 

 April and May. 



Culture. — It is readily increased, by planting 

 portions of its creeping roots in moist shady si- 

 tuations in the autumn or spring. It afterwards 

 requires to be re-trenched, to keep it from injur- 

 ing other plants. 



It affords ornament and variety in the borders,, 

 by its singular growth. 



ERICA, a genus comprehending plants of 

 the evergreen, flowery, shrubby kind ; mostly 

 exotics. 



It belongs to the class and order Octandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Bicornes. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a four- 

 leaved perianthium : leaflets ovate-oblong, per- 

 manent : the corolla one-petalled, bell-form, 

 four-cleft, often bellied : the stamina consist 

 of eight filaments, capillary, inserted into the 

 receptacle : antheis two-cleft at the tip : the 

 pistillum is a roundish, superior germ: style fili- 

 form, upright, longer than the stamens : stigma 

 crowned, four-cornered, four-cleft: the periear- 

 pium is a roundish capsule, smaller than the 

 calyx, covered, four-celled, four-valved ; parti- 

 tions meeting with the sutures (opposite to the 

 sutures) : the seeds numerous and very small. 



The species most in cultivation, according to 

 Martyn, are -.I.E. Tetralix, Cross-leaved Heath ; 

 2. E. cincrea, Fine-leaved Heath; 3. E.didyma,. 

 Double-anthered Heath ; 4. E. arlorea, Tree 

 Heath; 5. E. Australia, Spanish Heath; 6. 

 E.multijiora, Many-flowered Heath; 7. E.Me- 



