VACCINIUM. 



above; rather downy beneath. Corolla bell-fhaped, acute. 

 Stamens the length of its tube. — la dry woods, on the 

 rocky banks of rivers, from North Carolina to Florida, 

 flowering in May and June. A large firiib, fometimes 

 twenty feet high, very elegant. Floiucrs white, tinged 

 with red. Berries globular, black, almoft dry. Purfi. 

 Our numerous wild as well as cultivated fpecimens, com- 

 pared with the Bankfian herbarium, and anfwering to every 

 particular of the publifhed accounts of this plant, leave no 

 doubt of its identity, and tlierefore we do not fcruple to 

 adopt Michaux's name, in preference to the older one, d\f- 

 fufum, the latter being founded in fome miitake. The 

 branches are round, downy when young. Leaves peculiarly 

 fhining, and ftrongly reticulated with veins. Floiuer-Jlalhs 

 an inch long, angular, marked with two or three glands ; 

 fome of them axillary, iolitary, from ftveral of the lower 

 leaves of each branch ; others forming a nearly leaflefs eliijler, 

 at the end of the fame branch. In one inftance we find two 

 fuch clufters, with a fmall leafy bradea, or two in the middle, 

 terminating a (hort lateral branch whofe leaves are fallen. 

 This proves that Nature has drawn no precife line of de- 

 marcation between the racemofe and the folitary inflorefcence 

 of this genus, which in many fpecies, by the ambiguous 

 nature of their floral leaves, run into each other. 



10. V. angujlifolium. Narrow-leaved Whortle-berry, or 

 Bluets. Ait. n. 6. Willd. n. 9. (V. myrtilloides ; 

 Michaux Boreal. -Amer. v. i. 234. Purih n. 16.) — 

 Stalks fcattered, moftly fohtary, fmgle-flowered, naked. 

 Leaves lanceolate, nearly entire ; downy at the ribs and 

 margin. — In Canada, about Hudfoii's Bay and Labrador, 

 flowering in April and May. Berries large, blueilh-black, 

 known by the name of Bluets. Purjli. Michaux fays this 

 fpecies has the habit of V. MyrtUlus ; its leaves being mem- 

 branous, of a narrow lanceolate fonn. We have leen no 

 fpecimen. Dr. Solandcr's original name, in Hort. Kew. 

 and Willdenow, appears preferable to that of Michaux 

 adopted by Purrti. 



11. V. dumofum. Bufhy Whortle-berry. Ait. n. 7. 

 Purlh n. 4. Curt. Mag. t. 1 106. Andr. Repof. t. 112. 

 (V. frondofum ; Michaux Boreal.-Amer. v. 1. 230. V. 

 hirtellum ; Ait. n. 12, according to Purlh, from a com- 

 parifon with the Bankfian herbarium.) — Clufters downy, 

 with oval brafteas ; partial ftalks with two lanceolate ones. 

 Leaves obovate, pointed,, entire, downy and vifcid. Ger- 

 men hairy. Corolla bell-fhaped, obtufc, longer than the 

 ftamens. — In dry fandy woods, particularly pine forefts, 

 from New Jerfey to Florida, flowering in June and July. 

 A low bulhy Jhrub, with round branches. Leaves an inch 

 and a half long, varying in breadth, reticulated with veins ; 

 paler beneath, but not" at all glaucous ; covered all over, 

 efpecially when young, with fhort vifcid pubefcence, and 

 glandular dots, as are alfo the branches, Jlalks, and lra3eas. 

 The latter are as long as the flowers, and leafy, like thofe 

 of V.JIamineum, n. 8; but each ^:iruA foiver-Jhlk bears 

 alfo, about its middle, two fmaller, lanceolate, fometimes 

 coloured, partial braaeas. The germen is particularly 

 ftiaggy. Segments of the calyx deep, ovate, fringed, co- 

 loured. Corolla white, tinged with pink, rather large. 

 Berries black, globular. A comparifon of the two hgures 

 above cited will Ihew the ambiguous nature of the inflo- 

 refcence, and account for this fpecies having been defcribed 

 twice in the accurate pubhcation of Mr. Alton. 



11. V . ca/bitofum. Dwarf Tufted Whortle-berry. Mi- 

 chaux Boreal.-Amer. v. I. 234. Purfli n. 17 -Flowers 

 lateral, folitary, nearly fcffile. Leaves fomewhat wedge- 

 fliaped, rounded, obtufe, ferrated, membranous, very 

 fmooth In the more northern regions of America, parti- 



cularly about Hudfon's Bay. A little ^rui, with many 

 crowded Jlems, from two to four inches high, very fmooth 

 in every part. Corolla of a fliort pitcher-fliape. Berry 

 nearly fcffile, globofe, glaucous-black. Michaux. 



13. V. corymhofum. Naked-flcwering "Whortle-berry. 

 Linn. Sp. PI. 499. AVilld. n. 10. Purfli n. 8. (V. 

 amo-num; Ait. n. 13. WiUd. n. 18. Purfli n. 9. Andr. 

 Repof. t. 138. V. difomorphum ; Michaux Boreal.-Amer. 

 v. I. 231.) 



(i. V. virgatum ; Ait. n. 14. Willd. n. 19. Purfli n. 10. 

 Andr. Repof. t. iSi. 



y. V. fufcatum ; Ait. n. 8. Willd. n. 13. Purfli n. 11. 

 (V^. formofum ; Andr. Repof t. 97.) 



Flowering branches nearly leaflefs. Clufters corymbofe, 

 drooping. Brafteas membranous, fliorter than the dovi'iiy 

 flower-ftalks. Leaves elliptical, acute, minutely ferrated, 

 fmooth, with downy ribs. — Native of fvvamps and wet 

 woods, from Canada to Carohna and Georgia, flowering in 

 May and June. A tsll firuh, fometimes feven or eight 

 feet high, with numerous roughidi round branches ; fome- 

 what Jugular and downy when young. Leaves for the 

 moft pvt following the flowers, an inch and a half or two 

 inches long, elhptic-oblong, acute at each end, various in 

 breadth, veiny, but not ftrikingly reticulated ; very mi- 

 nutely, more or lefs evidently, ferrated ; tipped with a 

 glandular point ; fmooth, except the rib and veins, which 

 are finely hairy or downy, efpecially at an early period. 

 Footjlalks fliort aiul broad, downy. Clujlers from branches 

 of the preceding year, feldom accompanied with leaves, al- 

 ternate, about an inch long, and rather compaft, often 

 corymbofe, of fix or eight drooping Jloivers, whofe partial 

 Jlalis are finely downy, with fliort curved hairs, and fur- 

 niflied at the bafe with membranous, reddifli, fmooth, 

 fringed, deciduous braBeas, varying in length and acutenefs, 

 but moftly mucli fliorter than their correfponding ftalks. 

 Segments of the calyx broad and fliallow. Corolla white or 

 reddifli, cylindrical, fomewhat angular, contrafted at the 

 mouth, with five fliallow, fpreadiiig, marginal fegments. 

 Stamens ten, downy, jinthers within the corolla, having a 

 double pouch at the bafe, but no fpurs. Style fometimes, 

 but not always, a little prominent. Berries black, infipid. 

 Some apology may feem neceflTary for our thus uniting four 

 reputed fpecies, a meafure of which Michaux firft, in part, 

 fuggefted the propriety. With refpeft to the corymbofum 

 and amcenum, original fpecimens of each, and the total want 

 of any diftinilive character in authors, will abundantly 

 juftify us. The calyx fpreads equally in both. Indeed the 

 "former being alw.ays unknown, by name, in our gardens, 

 and its fpecific cliarafter in Linnaeus being infuflicient, if 

 not incorreft, that fpecies could be afcertained by liis 

 herbarium only, which in this inftance was negle6led,_and 

 the fame plant appeared in the firft edition of Hort. Kew. 

 under the name of amarium, acquired in Er.gland. It had 

 here once been called elevatmn, as appears by a fpecimen 

 given to the younger Linnaeus. Some gardeners fubfe- 

 quently transferred to Jlamineiim the name of anianum, and 

 hence perhaps when the latter appeared afrefli from America, 

 it received the new appellations of virgatum and fufcatum, 

 perpetuated hkewife in Hort. Kew., between the original 

 fpecific charafters of which there can be little difcovcrcd 

 that is eflbntial. In Mr. Andrews's plate of virgatum in- 

 deed the clujlers are accompanied by leaves, of which we 

 have feen no example in corymbofum, and the flowers are 

 fmaller than ufual in this latter ; but Mr. Purfli, under the 

 name of amcenum, allows that it " has a number of varieties 

 in fize, fliape, and colour." The elegant fufcatum, as 

 fi<Tured by Mr. Andrews, evidently betrays a clofe aflinity 



