POPULAR GARDEN BOTANY. 



ERICA. (Heath.) 



Gen. Char. (Octandria Monogynia.) Divisions of calyx four, 

 not falling off ; corolla four-cleft, also remaining ; filaments in- 

 serted in the receptacle ; anthers bifid ; capsules membranous, 

 four to eight-celled. 



The name is from the Greek for to break, from the 

 brittle nature of the branches. As there are several hundred 

 species of Cape Heaths for the greenhouse, it would be 

 useless to mention all their names, for a list can be obtained 

 at the dealers', or a selection can be made with more satis- 

 faction by a visit to the cultivators, Messrs. Henderson and 

 Co., who have a fine assortment of these beautiful plants, 

 which, in their flowering season, have a splendid effect : in 

 the July fete of the Botanic Gardens in the Regent's Park, 

 these beautiful plants may be seen to perfection. It is im- 

 possible to convey an idea of their variety, either as to the 

 colour or form of the flower ; some are extremely elegant, 

 with drooping, tube-like flowers, the substance of which 

 shines like china ; others are splendid in colour, a few are 

 even grotesque, and several are sweet-scented : they are 

 also so covered with bloom, when fine, that the leaves are 

 scarcely seen. Some of them are to be found in flower at all 



