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ERICA ELEGANTISSIMA. 
ERICA ELEGANTISSIMA. 
N'at Orcfer, Ericaceae, 5 Erice.'e. 
Generic CiiAnAOTER.— Erica, Linn.— Calyx four-toothed, or 
foui'-parted. Curulla hypogynous, various— globose, urceolate, 
tubular, campanulate or salver-shaped, limb four-toothed. Sta- 
mens 8, inserted beneath an hji^ogynous disk, included or ex- 
serted ; filaments free ; anthers terminal or lateral, distinct or 
cohering at the base, unarmed, a^\^led or crested, cells bursting 
at the apex by a lateral foramen. Oeari/ four-celled, cells many- 
seeded; style filiform; stigma capitate, cup-shaped, or peltate. 
Capsule four-celled, bursting loculicidally into four valves, the 
valves bearing the septa on their middle ; septa opposite, alter- 
nate, or sometimes adnate to the angles of the central, four- 
sided or four-^vinged placentiferous column . Seeds numerous, 
oval, reticulated. — {Undlicher,) 
Sub-genus. — Stellanthe. — Tube of the corolla globose, ovate 
or elongated, inflated .at the b.ase, or more rarely equal ; throat 
contracted ; limb fiat, spreading like a star. Anthers lateral, 
included in the tube, tmarmed, awned or crested. — {Decandulle, 
Prodromus.) 
Erica elegantissima. — {.BTf/Snt?.)— Leaves somevchat four- 
ranked, linear, obtuse, ciliated, and with a short thickened 
point ; squarrosely recurved ; sepals linear -lanceolate, attenu- 
ated from the middle, obtuse, ciliated, somewhat cartilaginous ; 
tube of the corolla iirceolate-cylindrieal, 9-10 lines long, pur- 
plish-crmison, minutely \'iscous-pubescent ; teeth white, short, 
entire, spreading. 
Synonyjit. — Enca eleyaniissima of gardens. 
yf^ESCRIPTION. — A dwarf shrub of close habit ; the stems well covered with squai-rosely 
^ spreading, rather pale green, linear, obtuse leaves. It produces its flowers in clusters of 
fours up the lateral shoots, and the flowers are large and showy. The inflated base of the tube 
is contracted gradually ujiwards, and is of a deep jjiu'plish crimson ; the white, triangular teeth, 
spread horizontally from the throat. The leaves and sepals are ciliated, with rather distant 
glandular hairs. 
HisTOEY. — Our di-awing is from a plant in the greenhouse of Messrs. Henderson, Wellington 
Road, St. John's Wood. It is said to be a hybrid, between Erica hiemalis and E. HartneUi, 
(crinita, Locldic/es Bot. Cab. 1432), the latter of which is supposed to be a hybrid, belonging to 
the Ampullaceous group of the section Emyloma (Don). As a winter-bloomer it is a valuable 
variety ; and it promises to bloom freely. The flowers were paler than usual in the specimen 
from which om- figiu-e was obtained, on account of the plant having been kept close, still the 
contrast between the colom-s of the limb and tube was very pleasing. — A. H. 
The generic name Erica, altered by Pliny from the ereilce of Theophrastus, is derived 
from the Greek ereiko, to break in pieces, on account, as some say, of the brittleness of 
their branches, or, according to others, from the supposed virtues of some of the species in 
brealdng the stone in the bladder. 
CiriTTJB.E. — This very pretty addition to our stock of winter blooming Heaths must be 
placed among the hard- wooded section, and, we fear, like some of its companions, will be foimd 
of rather slow growth. The jjlant from which our drawing was made was rather stunted in 
apj)earance, but, we hope, when yoimg plants come to be gro^^^l freely from the cuttiug-jjot, 
they will improve. Having originated, in part, from E. hiemahs, a remarkably free-growing plant, 
we should hope that it may, in some meas\u.-e, take after that species, and grow very freely ; 
at anj' rate, it is a very distinct and desirable varietj', and, we have no doubt, will receive, as 
it merits, carefrd management. Heaths deHght in turfy peat soil, liberal!}' intermixed with 
white sand and potsherds, or pieces of charcoal broken small. If the plants are healthy, and 
well I'ooted, give them a liberal shift, that is, fi'om a three-inch to a six-inch pot, taking especial 
care to drain the pot properly ; but, if the plants are badly rooted, a smaller shift wdl suffice, 
until you get them into free growth. Water careftdly, mth soft water, especially after the 
plants are fi'esh jjotted ; but, at the same time, recollect that more Heaths are destroyed by the 
want of water than by recei's'ing too much. 
Heaths are propagated by cuttings formed of the tender tips of the young shoots, about an 
inch in length ; these are carefully prepared to avoid bruising any part of the stem, and are in- 
serted in cutting pots prepared with a sm-face of firmly-pressed, pure, aud moistened white sand ; 
after watering, to settle the sand close about them, and allowing the moistm-e to subside, they 
are covered with bell-glasses, the edges of which are pressed a Httle into the sui-face of the sand, 
so as to completely exclude the air. They are then placed in a propagating house, or in a spent 
hot-bed. The glasses should be wiped inside, if much dampness accumidates. When they 
J begin to root, which ■n'ill appear from the starting of the shoots, they must have a little air daily, v^ 
to harden them pre^dotisly to removing the beU-glasses entirely. — A. & 
