NAT. ORDER. 
EricacecB. 
AZALEA LEDIFOLIA. PUKPLE-FLOWERED AZALIA, 
Class V. Pentandria. Order I. Monogynia. 
Gen. Char. Calyx, five-parled. Corolla, short, companulate, five- 
cleft. Stamens, five, equal, shorter than the corolla. Cells of 
anthers, opening by a terminal pore. Style, straight, inclosed. 
Capsule, five-celled. _ 
Spe. CJiar. Leaves, opposite, small, elliptic, glabrous, with revolute 
margins. Floiccrs, pedicellate, rising in fascicles from the axils 
of the upper leaves, small, red. 
This is a small shrub, rising from two to four feet in height. Its 
general characters are mostly allied with the Azalea indica, both in 
qualities and habits of growth ; the roots are fibrous ; the Jibixs mod- 
erately slender, branched ; the stem is slender, erect, compressed, 
bearing four or five pair of leaves alternately placed ; spathe terminal, 
of two unequal leaves ; peduncles nearly as long as the spathe, slender, 
curved as if from the weight of the flower, which sometimes droops ; 
perianth of six oblong, slightly concave, obtuse, bright purple, moder- 
ately spreading sepals, faintly striated externally ; capsules five-celled, 
with five valves, cloven-pointed, and inflexed edges from the double 
partitions. 
Our wild specimens of this richly colored plant perfectly accord 
with the one here figured, only they are rather smaller, and the flower 
less drooping. It appears to be a rare plant in collections, and though 
stated to be hardy, we find the shelter of the green-house is required 
to protect them through the winter. 
Vol. IV.— 160. 
