HEATH FAMILY 



or acute with a glanthilar bristle at apex. AVhen full grown 

 rough-hairy above, slightly glaucous and often chaffy on veins 

 below. Petioles short, downy. 



Flowers. — May, June. Perfect, small, greenish purple bells, 

 borne on slender pedicels, in few-flowered terminal umbels, de- 

 veloped from scaly buds. Pedicels threadlike, glandular. Calyx 

 five-lobed, downy ; corolla urn-shaped ; stamens eight, included, 

 filaments smooth, anthers awnless ; ovary four-celled. Capsules 

 beset with short glandular bristles. Seeds many, pointed at 

 each end. 



SAND MYRTLE 



DendriufH buxifblium. Lciophylliun buxifblium. 



Dendritim, a tree, named according to the law of opposites 

 Leiophyllum, smooth leaf. 



A low, evergreen shrub with box-like foliage, widely branch- 

 ing, four to eighteen inches high. Native of the sandy pine- 

 barrens of New Jersey and farther south. 



Leaves. — Opposite, crowded, evergreen, simple, coriaceous, 

 one-fourth to one-half an inch long, oval or oblong, acute at 

 base, entire, somewhat revolute margin, obtuse at apex ; dark 

 green and shining above, paler and black-dotted beneath ; mid- 

 vein conspicuous ; other veins obscure. 



Flotvers. — April to June. Numerous, small, white or rose- 

 colored, borne in small terminal umbel-like clusters. Bracts per- 

 sistent. 



Calyx. — Five-])arted ; segments rigid, acute, persistent. 



Corolla. — Petals five, ovate, spreading, white or pink. 



Stamens. — Ten, exserted ; anthers reddish purple, two-celled. 



Pistil. — Ovary superior, two to five-celled ; style slender, 

 straight. 



Fruit. — Capsule, ovoid, two to five-valved, splitting from the 

 top. 



This is an odd little evergreen bush which in blos- 

 soming time covers itself profusely with corymbs of 

 tiny white flowers conspicuous for their purplish an- 

 thers. It fruits just as profusely as it blossoms. 



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