No. 85. 
ERICA BLAERIA. 
Class. Order. 
OCTANDRIA | MONOGYNIA. 
This will be recognised as the Blaeria 
ericoides of most authors. We have long 
thought, however, that it could scarcely be 
separated with consistence from the Ericas. 
The circumstances of its having only four 
filaments instead of eight, seems to be the 
only distinction; as not one of the other parts 
of the plant could warrant its being consi- 
dered as a different genus: each filament, 
however, may be said to support two anthers, 
for they are all double. The system, we 
humbly trust, would not be at all impaired 
by such an alteration : it is certain that there 
are parallel cases in which the number of 
filaments being exactly half, has not been 
considered a motive for removing a plant 
into another class. A notable instance of 
this occurs in the Ledum Latifolium, which 
has but five filaments; yetno one has ever 
thought of separating it from the other 
Ledums, to which indeed it is too closely 
allied to permit the attempt. 
DD 
