ERICACE/E. 



621 



in the high alpine chains of central Europe. 

 Scotch Highlands. Fl. spring. 



In Britain only in the 



VI. MENZIESIA. MENZIESIA. 



Heath-like, low shrubs, with scattered leaves, and blue or pink 

 flowers, in terminal racemes. Sepals 4 or 5. Corolla deciduous, ovoid, 

 with 4 or 5 short lobes. Stamens 8 or 10. Capsule free, with 4 or 5 

 cells, opening in as many valves by the splitting of the partitions. 



A small northern and west European genus, artificially distinguished 

 from Andromeda by the manner in which the capsule opens, from 

 HeatJi by the deciduous corolla, from Loiseleuria by the number of 

 stamens. It has been divided by modern botanists into almost as 

 many genera as there are species. 



Flowers pink, with 4 lobes. Leaves white underneath . 1. St. Dabeoc's M. 

 Flowers blue, with 5 lobes. Leaves green on both sides . 2. Blue M. 



1. St. Dabeoc's Menziesia. Menzifsia polifolia, Sm. 

 •*^ (Fig. 627.) 

 (Ulrica Dabeoci, Eng. Bot. t. 35. St. Ddbeocs Heath.) 



A low shrub, rather straggling at the 

 base, with ascending flowering branches, 

 clothed with short, rather viscid hairs. 

 Leaves small, the lower ones ovate, the 

 upper ones narrow, all green above, and 

 very white underneath. Flowers very 

 elegant, nearly 6 lines long, pink or 

 sometimes white, drooping from short 

 pedicels, in a loose terminal raceme. 

 Corolla with 4 very short, spreading 

 lobes. Stamens 8. Capsule 4-celled. 



A strictly west European plant ; com- 

 mon on the heathy wastes of the As- 

 turias and south-western France, and 

 extending up to Cunnemara in Ireland, 

 but unknown in Great Britain. Fl. 



Fig. 627. 



