HEATH FAMILY 



They remain green and fall during the second summer. Petioles 

 short, stout, slightly flattened. 



Flowers. — Flowers appear in Ma\' or June irom buds which are 

 formed in autumn in the axils ot the upper leaves in the form of 

 slender cones of downy green scales. These buds usually de\"elop 

 two or more lateral branches, the whole forming a compound many- 

 flowered corymb four or five inches in diameter and overlapped at 

 the flowering time by the leafy branches of the year. Pedicels are 

 red or green, hairy or scurfy and furnished with two bracts at base 

 and developed from the a.\ils of large bracts. 



Cah'X. — Fi\e-parted ; lobes imbricate m bud, narrow, acute, cov- 

 ered with glutinous hairs. Disk prominent, ten lobed. 



Corolla. — Sauccr-sliapcd, rose colored, uiiite. or ]unk. Tube short 

 with ten tiny sacs just below the fi\'e-parted limb ; lobes o\"ate, acute, 

 imbricate in bud. The border is marked on the inner surface with 

 a waving rosy line and is slightly purple abo\ e the sac. The buds 

 are ten-ribbed trom the sacs to the acute ajiex of the bud. 



Stami:)is.--'Y^\\. h\pogynou5, shorter than the corolla, at first held 

 in the sacs of the corolla; tikiments thread-like ; anthers oblong, 

 adnate, two-celled ; cells opening by a short longitudinal pore. 



Pistil. — 0\"ary superior, fi\e-celled ; st\"le thread-like, exserted ; 

 stigrna capitate; o\ules many in each cell. 



Fruit. — Wood)' capisule, many seeded, depressed - globular, 

 slightly fi\'e-lobed, five-celled, five-\ahed. Crowned with the per- 

 sistent style, surrounded at base by the persistent cal}x, covered 

 with \-iscid hairs. Seeds oblong. 



The blossoms of the Moun- 

 tain Laurel are equipped with 

 a most evident device to se- 

 cure cross-fertilization. Nat- 

 ui"e has nianv such arrange- 

 ments, but it is not often that 

 they are so oiienl}' displayed. 

 In this case, liowever, he who 

 runs may read. Each flower 

 has ten stamens and each co- 

 rolla is provided with ten lit- 

 tle pockets, Vhen tlie flower 

 opens each stamen is found 

 bent back with its anther 

 thrust into one of these tiny cavities. In the centre of the 

 flower lies the nectar, and when the bee comes to get it, he 



i£8 



Flower Cluste 



of Mountain Lourel 

 L-ilifolta. 



Ka/im'ii 



