Shrubs and Vines 
A third genus, supposed to be indigenous only in 
America, is another small group in the heath family, 
named Cv/ethra, and known as sweet pepper-bush or 
white alder. The finest species found in our territory is 
C. alnifolia (t.e., alder-leaved), whose abundant, dense, 
erect clusters of showy white, odorous blossoms, contrast~ 
ing finely with the glossy foliage, and often in continu- 
ous bloom from July to October, make it a most desir- 
able shrub for any lawn. Its congener, acuminata, 
said to be widely cultivated in England and on the 
Continent, is essentially the same except in the shape of 
the leaf. Other species, less hardy, are only to be seen 
in conservatories. 
Generally in the heath family the petals are united 
more or less by their edges, but in C/ethra they are 
entirely separate. In most families the anthers open 
from end to end to discharge the pollen, but as a rule 
in the heaths 1t escapes through a small opening at the 
apex of the anther; and in the barberry this aperture is 
provided with a minute hinged lid that covers the top 
until it is time to open! 
A fourth genus of American plants is Shepherdia, of 
but few species, and chiefly in repute on account of one, 
S. argentea (silver-leaved), known as Buffalo berry. 
Seldom does a shrub exhibit such strong contrasts of 
color; the foliage is silvery-white on both sides ; in 
April or May appear the clusters of small but abundant 
yellow flowers, which ripen into showy scarlet berries. 
The heaths include one more American group of 
ornamental shrubs—Zeucothoé, containing six or eight 
species. The flowers are white, rarely rose-tinted, in 
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