CHAP. LXJX. 



£ricah:e#:. eiu ca. 



1079 



Genus I. 



^LAJL 



ERVCA D. Don. The Heath. Lin. Syst. Octandria Monogynia. 



Identification. D. Don in Edinb. New Phil. Journ., 17. p. 152. ; Don's Mill., 3. p. 790. 



Synonyme. Erica sp. of Linnasus and other authors. 



Derivation. The erica of Pliny is altered from the ereike of Theophrastus, which is derived from 



ereiko, to break; from the supposed quality of some of the species, of breaking the stone in the 



bladder. 



Description. Evergreen shrubs, with needle-like leaves, and hair-like 

 roots ; natives of Europe and Africa ; varying in height from 6 in. to 2 ft. or 

 3 ft.; a number of them growing as high as 6 ft., and some few of them, as 

 E. australis and E. arborea, attaining the height of 12 ft. or 15 ft. In 

 British gardens, they are propagated by cuttings taken from the points of the 

 growing shoots, and planted in pure sand, and covered with a hand-glass or a 

 bell-glass. Many of the species of this genus are propagated more readily by 

 seeds, than by layers or by division of the plant. They are all, without ex- 

 ception, eminently beautiful ; and almost all are absolute in their choice of 

 soil, which is that of sandy peat or heath mould ; and of the situation in which 

 they will grow, which should be elevated and airy, yet not arid. The price 

 of plants, in British nurseries, varies from 6d. to 2s. 6d. each ; at Bollwyller, 

 the only hardy species is E. cinerea, which is 1 franc and 50 cents; and none 

 appear to be cultivated as hardy in the nurseries of New York. 



a. 1. E. TVtralix L. The four-leaved Heath. 



Smith in Engl. Bot, t. 1314. ; 



E. Tetralix rubra Hort. Eric. Woburn., p 

 Eng. Bot., t. 1314.; and our fig. 864. 



E. barbarica Raii Syn., 471. ; E. 

 25. ; the cross- 



Identification. Lin. Sp, ed. 2. p. 507. ; Curt. Fl. Lond., f. 1. t. 21 



Fl. Dan., t.';81. ; Don's Mill., 3|p.792. ; Lodd. Cat.,ed. 1836. 

 Synonymes. E. botulif6rmis Sal. in Lin. Soc. Trans., 4. p. 369. 



pCimila Park. Theatr., 1483. No. 5. ; E. ' 



leaved Heath. 

 Engravings. Curt. Fl. Lond., fasc. 1. t. 21 



Spec. Char.y eye. Plant of a greyish hue. Leaves ciliated, 

 4 in a whorl. Flowers in terminal heads. Corolla ovate- 

 globose, about 3 lines long, downy at the tip outside. 

 Spurs of anthers lanceolate. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 792.) 

 Native of the north of Europe, in boggy or moory 

 ground ; plentiful in Britain. It is the badge of the clan 

 Macdonald. 



Varieties. 



«. E. T. 1 rubra Hort. Eric. Woburn., p. 25. — Corolla 



pale red. {Don's Mill., iii. p. 792.) 

 «t- E. T. 2 cdrnea Loudon's H. B. — Corolla of a flesh 



colour. 

 * E. T. 3 alba Hort. Eric. Woburn., p. 25. ; Ait. Hort. 



Kew., ii. p. 393. — Corolla white. 

 «■ E. T. 4 Mackaiana, E. Mackaidna Bab., Fl. Hiber., p. 181., Mag. Nat. 



Hist., ix. p. 1 27., Comp. Bot. Mag. i. p. 225., is a native of Ireland. It 



has the leaves and calyx of E. ciliaris, and the flowers of E. Tetralix. 



a. 2. E. cine v rea L. The grey Heath. 



Identification. Lin. Sp., ed. 2. p. 501.; Ait. Hort. Kew., 2. p. 392.; Fl. Dan., 38.; Don's Mill 3 



p 795. ; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. 

 Synonymes. E. mutabilis Salisb. in Lin. Trans., 4. p. 369. ; E. humilis Neck. Gall, 182. ; E. tenui- 



Ibha Ger., 1198., Emac, 1382. ; E. cinerea rubra Bedf. Hort. Eric. Woburn., p. 5. 

 Engravings. Curt. Fl. Lond., fasc. 1. t. 25. ; Loefl. Res., p. 137. ; Smith Engl. Bot., t. 1015. ; and 



our fig- 865. 



Spec. Char., cfc. Leaves 3 in a whorl. Corolla ovate-urceolate. Flowers 

 verticillate, on the naked stems. Crests of anthers ear-formed. Corolla 

 3 lines long, purple, changing to blue as it fades. This is easily distin- 



