PLATE CXVI. 



GAULTHERIA PROCUMBENS. 



Trailing Gaultheria. 



CLASS ^foRDER I. 

 DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Ten Chives. One Pointal. 



GENERIC 



Calyx.. Perianthium duplex, approximatum, 

 perfiftens. 



P.exterius diphyllum, brevins ; foliolis femi- 

 ovatis, concavis, obtufis. 

 P. interius monophyllum, quinquefidum 

 campanulatum ; fegmentis femiovatis. 



Corolla monopetala, ovata, femiquinquefida; 

 limbo parvo, revoluto. 

 Nectarium corpufculis decern, fubulatis, 

 erectis, breviflimis, cingentibus germen in- 

 tra (lamina. 



Stamina. Filamenta decern, fubulata, incurva, 

 corolla breviora; receptaculo inferta. An- 

 therae bicornes; corniculis bifidis. 



Pxstillum. Germen fubrotundum, depreffum. 

 Stylus cylindricus, longitudine corolla. 

 Stigma obtufum. 



Pekicaepium. Capfula fubrotunda, obtufa, pen- 

 tagona, deprefla, quinque locularis, quin- 

 que valvis, undique tecta perianthio inte- 

 riore transformato et enato in baccam fub- 

 rotundam, coloratam, apice perviam. 



Semina plurima, fubovata, angulata, olfea. 



CHARACTER. 



Empalement. Cup double, clofe together, re- 

 maining. 



Outer Cup two leaved, fhorter; leaflets half 

 egg-fhaped, concave, and blunt. 

 Inner Cup one leaf, five-cleft, bell-fliaped ; 

 fegments half egg-fhaped. 



Blossom one leaf, egg-fhaped, flightly five- 

 cleft ; border fmall, rolled back. 

 Honey-cup ten fmall fubftances, awl-fhaped, 

 upright, very lhort, furrounding the feed- 

 bud within the chives. 



Chives. Ten threads, awl-fhaped, turned in- 

 wards, fhorter than the bloflbm ; fixed into 

 the receptacle. Tips two-horned; horns 

 two cleft. 



Pointal. Seed-bud roundifh and flattened; 

 Shaft cylindrical, the length of the bloflbm. 

 Summit obtufe. 



Seed-vessel. Capfule roundifh obtufely five- 

 fided, flattened, five cells, five valves; co- 

 vered on all fides by the inner cup, tranf- 

 formed and fwelled to a roundifh berry, 

 coloured, open at top. 



Seeds many, nearly egg ihaped, angular and 

 hard. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER 



Gaultheria foliis ovatis, obtufe-dentatis, apice 

 confertis; caulis flexuofus, filiformis. 



Gaultheria with egg-fhaped leaves, bluntly 

 toothed, and crowded together at the top; 

 fiem grows zigzag and thread-fhaped. 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 



1 . A Bloflbm complete. 



2. The Empalement, natural fize. 



3. The Empalement, magnified. 



4. The Chives as they ftand on the receptacle, magnified. 



5. The Pointal and feed-bud, with the furrounding honey-cup, magnified. 

 0". The inner Cup of the Empalement, when the fruit is ripe, natural fize. 

 J. A feed veflel of the natural fize when ripe, detached from its cup. 



8. A ripe capfule, cut open tranfveri'ely. 



From the eighth Ed. of Miller's Dictionary, we learn that, this plant vva» cultivated at the Phytic 

 Gardens, Chelfea, in the year \J65. That fo ornamental, and fo eafily propagated a plant as the 

 Gaultheria, fhould have been fo little noticed, or cultivated in our gardens, is rather fingular; as, it 

 is perfectly hardy in every expofure, an evergreen, and from the beautiful appearance of the fruit 

 and flowers, which come in fuccetfion nearly through the whole year; muft be confidered, as one of 

 our prettieft creeping or dwarf flirubs, for the front of the fhrubbery borders, &c. as it never rifes higher 

 than fix, or eight inches; forming a compact matted clump, which may be made to fpread to a 

 confiderable extent, if planted in light fandy peat earth. The very curious conformation of the fruit, 

 which is eatable, differing from every known Genus of plants; as well as, the peculiar property of 

 the leaves; point out the Gaultheria, as a particular object for obfervation, and comment, to the 

 experimental Botanift. In Canada, North America, where it is native, an infufion of the leaves is 

 ufed as a fubftitute for tea; or a few of them, either dried, or plucked frefh from the plant, when 

 mutt with the commoner! bohea, communicate to it a flavour, equal to fine Hyfon. 



