580 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



EEICA 



leaves, and flowers in drooping terminal 

 corymbs or umbels. Calyx free, with 5 

 short acute lobes. Corolla bell-shaped, 

 roundish, or urceolate, with 5 entire or 

 laciniated lobes. Stamens 10. Disc none, 

 or small. Ovary ovoid 5-eelled. Capsule 

 ovoid or oblong, fleshy or woody, 5 -angled. 

 Culture amd Propagation. — These 

 plants grow well in a mixture of moist 

 sandy peat and loam, and may be increased 

 by cuttings of the ripe shoots inserted in 

 sandy soil in spring, under glass. They 

 may be grown in the same way, and 

 receive the same general treatment, as 

 Pieris and Andromeda. See p. 579. 



E. campanulatus (Andromeda ca/m- 

 panulata). — A pretty Japanese shrub with 

 elliptic, sharply toothed leaves about '2 in. 

 long. Flowers in June, greenish-white, 

 tinged with red, in drooping clusters. 



Culture dc. as above. 



E. cernuus (Meisteria cernua). — A 

 Japanese bush 6-8 ft. high, with reddish 

 bell-shaped flowers. 



Culture di:. as above. 



E. himalaicus. — A native of the 

 Eastern Himalayas, closely related to ^. 

 japonicus and probably only a geographi- 

 cal form of it. It has ovate lance-shaped, 

 tapering leaves and umbels of drooping 

 dull orange-red flowers tipped with 

 brighter red. 



Culture &c. as above. 



E. japonicus. — A slender deciduous 

 Japanese shrub, with elliptic obovate 

 leaves which change to a beautiful deep 

 golden-orange in autumn. Flowers in 

 February, white, roundish, in drooping 

 clusters. 



Culture dv. as above. 



CALLUNA (Heather; Common 

 Ling). — Only one species belongs to this 

 genus : — 



C. vulgaris (Erica vulgaris). — This 

 is the well-known Heath or Heather of 

 British and Irish moors. It grows 1-3 ft. 

 high, and has wiry woody stems covered 

 with very short 3-angled linear oblong 

 leaves, imbricating in 4 rows, and 

 gibbous at the base. Flowers from July 

 to September, small, mmierous. rosy-pink, 

 shining, axillary, in long spiked racemes. 

 Sepals 4. Corolla bell-shaped, 4-lobed. 

 Stamens 8, free. 



There are several distinct forms of the 

 Common Heather, the best being alba, 

 Hammondi, minor, and xnlosa, all white- 



flowered forms ; AVporti, crimson, and 

 Alporti variegata, with variegated leaves; 

 argentea, silvery-leaved; a/wrea, yellow- 

 leaved ; flore pleno, with double rosy 

 flowers ; pumila and dumoaa, with dwarf 

 mossy growth ; and many others with 

 names more or less descriptive of their 

 peculiarities. 



Cultwre and Propagation. — There are 

 few sights so pretty as masses of Heather 

 when in bloom, and in large gardens on 

 the sides of knolls or banks or on level or 

 undulating ground a very effective display 

 can be made. Although perhaps best in 

 sandy peaty soil, the Common Heath will 

 grow well in sandy loam with plenty of 

 vegetable matter like leaf-soil in it. In a 

 wild state seeds are sown naturally and 

 young plants raised by that means alone. 

 They may also be raised from seeds in 

 gardens, sown carefully and without any 

 covering of soil as they are so minute ; or 

 by layers in autumn. Cuttings of the 

 tops placed under bell-glasses in very fine 

 sandy peat in spring will also root. The 

 3'oung plants in all cases require to have 

 the tips of the shoots pinched out so as to 

 induce a bushy and sturdy habit by the 

 development of side branches. 



PENTAPERA.— This genus differs 

 from Erica chiefly in having the parts of 

 the flower in fives instead of fours, and 

 10 stamens instead of 8. It contains only 

 one species : — 



P. sicula (Erica sicula). — A pretty 

 Heath-like downy shrub 1-2 ft. high, 

 native of Sicily. Leaves linear oblong, 

 leathery, entire, about | in. long below, 

 gradually shortening upwards. Flowers 

 in May, pale pink, rather large, about 4 in 

 a cluster at the ends of the branches. 

 Sepals 5, ovate acute, spreading. Corolla 

 roundish, urn-shaped, with 5 recm'ved 

 lobes. Stamens 10, hypogynous, free. 



Culture and Propagation. — It is some- 

 what rare, and is probably hardy only 

 in the milder parts of the south. It is 

 raised from seeds sown on the surface of 

 fine peaty soil in spring ; and may also 

 be increased by layers in autunm ; or by 

 cuttings of the young shoots under a bell- 

 glass in gentle heat in spring. 



ERICA (Heath). — A genus contain- 

 ing about 400 species of much-branched 

 evergreen shrubs or bushes with small 

 stiffish opposite, alternate, or whorled 

 leaves. Flowers usually nodding, axillary 

 or termin al, in clusters or racemes. Calyx 



