ERICA NEILLII. 
(Dr. Neill's Heath.) 
Class. 
OCTANDRIA. 
Order. 
MONOGYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
ERICACEAE. 
Generic Character.— Calyx four-sepalled, inferior. 
Corolla with four divisions. Stamens inserted in the 
receptacle. Anthers bifid. Capsules four-celled. 
Specific Character. — A hybrid plant, with foliage 
like that of E. aristata, and flowers which have a long, 
pink, somewhat inflated corolla, with a white limb. 
The very lovely Heath here represented is a hybrid between E. aristata major 
and E. Linnwoides. It was raised, as we understand, by Mr. M'Nab, of the 
Edinburgh Botanic Garden, and is designated Neillii after Dr. Neill, who resides 
at Cannon Mills, near Edinburgh. 
In habit, foliage, and flowers, it unites, within itself, the characters of both its 
parents. Its habit slightly resembles that of E. aristata, but is better, and has 
more of the erectness and bushiness of E. Linnwoides. The leaves and their 
arrangement are still more like those of the former, while they have somewhat of 
the length and closeness of the latter. The blossoms, too, are straighter in the 
tube, and less inflated than those of E. aristata, yet swell towards the base, and 
have a decided approximation in their shape to those of that species. They are 
produced, too, in terminal clusters, as in E. aristata. The colour is that of neither 
parent, but rather intermediate. It is a deep pink, inclining to light purplish at 
the base, and gradually becomes paler till it passes into white in the limb. 
On the whole, it is an exceedingly elegant plant, deserving of general culture. 
We obtained our drawing from the nursery of Messrs. Young, Epsom, with whom 
it flowered profusely last summer. We have also noticed another hybrid, raised 
by cross-impregnation with the same parents, at Mr. Jackson s, nurseryman, of 
Kingston, Surrey. It is very similar to the present ; but approaches a shade or 
two nearer to E. aristata, and is extremely beautiful. The woodcut inserted on 
the following page exhibits its character, and the colours of the flowers are just a 
trifle darker than those of E. Neillii. 
Cultivators ought, by this time, to be tolerably familiar with the management 
