HEATH FAMILY 



All three Heaths have increased partly by self-sown seed, 

 but largely through propagation by interested and loyal 

 people, to whose success various "secret" patches in differ- 

 ent parts of the island bear testimony. Gratitude is due 

 to those who have thus aided in the spread of this inter- 

 esting plant, but to no one probably is due a larger share 

 than to Mr. John Appleton, who, with tireless energy, 

 propagated plants and with unremitting vigilance guarded 

 the treasures from the ruthless. 



ERICACEAE HEATH FAMILY 



Erica Tetralix, L. 



Pale rose-colour Cross-leaved Heather, 



Scotch Heather. 

 July-August 



Erica: for derivation see cinerea. 



Tetralix: Greek, in allusion to the arrangement of the 

 leaves in fours. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: dry, sandy soil. 



THE PLANT: erect, five inches to eighteen inches high; the 

 stems downy. 



THE LEAVES: arranged around the stem in whorls of four; 

 very small; linear; entire; the margins rolled under and 

 fringed with fine hairs. 



THE FLOWERS : clustered in a dense head at the summit of 

 the stem, all drooping. "Each flower is egg-shaped, the 

 corolla all in one piece, with four small lobes to its mouth." 



THE FRUIT: capsules. 



The range is the same as that given for the Erica cinerea. 



"The cross-leaved species may be known at a glance by 

 its larger, pale-rose coloured, drooping flowers" (the com- 

 parison is with the Erica cinerea) "which pale almost to 



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