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 bruyere) 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. 



LEDUM. 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. 



