THE HEATH FAMILY. 393 



is further known by the shortness of its very dense axillary racemes. As 

 early as February and March it comes into bloom in the lower districts and 

 is then the freshest, prettiest sight seen along the stream's bank or through 

 sandy swamps. The downy leucothoe is otherwise much like Catesby's 

 leucothoe. 



MOUNTAIN FETTER=BUSH. 



Picris Jloribi'inda. 



Flowers: drooping; growing densely in terminal hirsute racemes and having 

 pointed bracts at the bases of the pedicels. Calyx : deeply five-parted. Corolla: 

 urn-shaped, with five short teeth. Stamens: ten. Capsule : globose; five-vaived, 

 and containing many seeds. Lea7'es : ovate-lanceolate; finely serrate; ciliate 

 when young, becoming glabrous; thick ; bright green and glossy; evergreen. A 

 branching shrub, two to ten feet high with copper-coloured, leafy and hairy twigs. 



It is only through the mountainous parts of its restricted range that this 

 most exquisite of the fetter-bushes is found, and there it usually secludes 

 well itself near the summits of the highest peaks. It is never in its wild 

 state very common. Early in the spring it is most lovely when fairly 

 loaded with innumerable pure, white flowers. Its charm at all times more- 

 over is heightened by being an evergreen. 



In cultivation it is regarded as of inestimable value for it becomes quite 

 hardy and indifferent to soil and exposure. 



P.phillyreifbliay a low spreading fetter-bush, grows only in the wet pine 

 barrens near the coast of western Florida. Its branches are smooth and 

 grey and the leaves evergreen. In axillary racemes from four to twelve 

 flowers are produced and often as early as January they begin to show 

 their impatience to bloom. 



P. 7iitida, fetter-bush, throws out its small flowers in axillary umbels, 

 wherein like little inverted urns, contracted at the throat, they sparkle either 

 faintly red or pure white. And most sweetly are they scented. The 

 branches appear sharply angled and although glabrous throughout are often 

 covered, as the undersides of the entire leaves, with fine black dots. In 

 sw^amps or wet woods it grows from Florida to North Carolina and early in 

 April is abundantly laden with bloom. 



P. Mariana, stagger-bush, is very beautiful but differs from those of the 

 genus that have been mentioned in shedding its leaves during the winter. 

 Its flowers which are unusually large come forth abundantly in umbels at 

 the sides of quite leafless spurs and produce something the same effect as 

 many sprays of bloom represented by Japanese art. In fruit the little pedi- 



