E R 
yellow colour, by boiling it in water with the green tops 
and flowers of this plant: and woollen cloth boiled in 
alum-water, and afterwards in a flrong decoftion of the 
tops, comes out a fine orange-colour. In fome of thefe 
iflands they tan their leather in a flrong decobtion of it. 
Formerly the young tops are faid to have been ufed alone 
to brew a kind of ale; and Boethius relates that this li¬ 
quor was much ufed by the Pibts. In fome of the ifles, 
it is faid, they ftill brew ale with one part malt, and two 
arts of the young tops of heath, fometimes adding hops. 
n many parts of Great Britain befoms are made of it. 
The turf, with the heath growing on it, is cut up and 
dried for the fuel of the cottager, for heating ovens, co¬ 
vering under-ground drains, See. Sheep and goals will 
fometimes eat the tender flioots, but they are not fond 
of them. Cattle not accuftomed to browfe on heath give 
bloody milk, but are foon cured by drinking plentifully 
of water. The branches of heath afford (belter, and the 
feeds a principal part of the food of many birds, efpecially 
thofe of the grous kind : and for this purpofe, the feed- 
veffel is formed and protected in Inch a manner, that the 
feeds are preferved a whole year, or even longer. Bees 
colled! largely from the flowers, and honey made from 
them was anciently fuppofed to be of a bad quality, but 
in fadt it is only of a darker colour. The foliage affords 
nourifhment to the Phalaena quercus, or great egger moth. 
Dodder frequently entwines itfelf about this plant, and 
gives it a Angular appearance. Almoft every part of Eu¬ 
rope abounds with heath, efpecially the northern coun¬ 
tries; it is alfo common in all the temperate parts of the 
vaft Ruffian empire. Heath is called ling in fome parts 
of England; in Shropfhire, grig ; in Scotland, hather. It 
is remarkable that Shakefpeare enumerates heath and ling 
as different plants. The former of thefe names is from 
the German hade, and the latter from the Danilh lyng: 
in Swedifli it is Hung ; in Italian, erica; in Spanilh, brezo; 
in Portuguefe, urze , erice, torga, or cjlorga; in Ruffian, 
uerejli. 
It varies with white flowers, and with hoary leaves. 
The latter has been confidered by fome as a diftindf fpe- 
cies, and by others confounded with E. ciliaris. It is 
frequent on Baglhot-heath, Enville-common in Stafford- 
fhire, Birmingham-heath, and, as Ray fays, not only 
about Windfor, where Clufius obferved it, but all over 
England. 
2. Erica lutea, or yellow heath: corollas ovate, acu¬ 
minate; flowers heaped; leaves linear. The whole plant 
being covered with its Aiming golden or filvery flowers, 
is very beautiful. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, 
where it was obferved by Bergius; and thence introduced 
here by Mr. Francis Maffon, in 1774. 
Leaves in threes. 3. Erica halicacaba, or purple-ftalked 
heath : corollas ovate, inflated; Ayle included ; flowers 
folitary. This is a lofty fiirub with purplilh branches; 
the branchlets fubtomentofe and white. Leaves crowded 
very much, even, rugged about the edge. Corolla pur- 
plifh, fmooth, diftinft from all others in its flowers being 
the fize of an acorn. Native of the Cape ; flowers in 
May and june. 
4. Erica regerminans, or felf-fov. ing heath: corollas 
ovate, ftyle included, calyxes acute, flowers racemed. 
Native of the Cape. 
5. Erica monfoniana, or bladder-flowered heath : flow¬ 
ers at the ends of o'btufe branchlets ; calyxes calycled ; 
corolla oblong, inflated; ftyle included. This is one 
of the mod beautiful of this beautiful genus, with large 
white flowers. Tluinberg found it in the interior part 
of Africa. 
6. Erica rnucofa, or mucous heath : corollas fubglo- 
bular, mucous; ftyle included. Native of the Cape. 
7. Erica urceolaris, or hairy-flowered heath : flowers 
umbelled ; calyxes lanceolate ; corollas ovate-conical, 
villofe ; ftyle included. 8. Erica marifolia, or marum- 
leaved heath: leaves ovate, pubefeent, whitifh under- 
I C A. 895 
neath ; corollas ovate-conical; ftyle of a middling length. 
Natives of the Cape; flower in May and June. 
9. Erica Bergiana, or Bergius’s heath : calyxes reflex ; 
corollas bell-fhaped ; ftyle included. Found at the Cape 
by Bergius. It is covered w ith beautiful flowers. 
10. Erica depreffa, or flat-ftemmed heath : deni de- 
preffed, flow-ers few, corollas bell-fhaped, ftyle included. 
11. Erica pilulifera, or rounded heath : flowers umbelled, 
corollas bell-fhaped, ftyle included. Natives of the Cape. 
12. Erica viridi-purpurea, or green-blue heath : flow¬ 
ers fcattered, corollas bell-fhaped, ftyle included. This 
varies, with leaves in fours. Native of Portugal. 
13. Erica pentaphylla, or five-leaved heath: flowers 
pubefeent, corollas bell-fhaped, ftyle included. 14. Erica 
nigrita, or black heath : calyxes imbricate, three-flow¬ 
ered, feflile ; corollas bell fhaped, ftyle included. 15. 
Erica plunifolia, or 1 'mooth-leaved heath : leaves fpread- 
ing very much, corollas bell-fltaped, ltyle (landing out. 
Thefe are natives of the Cape. 
16. Erica fcoparia, or fmall green-flowered or bruftt 
heath : corollas bell-ftiaped, ftigma Handing out, peltate. 
This is a ftirub growing to the height of feveral feet. 
The leaves quickly fall off. With the branches of it 
they make befoms, whence the trivial name. It is com¬ 
mon in the fouth of Europe, was introduced here about 
1770, and flowers in April and May. 
17. Erica arborea, or tree heath : branchlets hoary, 
corollas bell-fhaped, ftyle (landing out. This is an up¬ 
right ftirub, growing to the height of fix feet, with up¬ 
right branches covered with a white nap. Leaves very 
abundant, upright, fmooth, almoft awl-fliaped, covering 
the branches, wrinkled when dry. Flowers very nume¬ 
rous, on the middle of the branches, fo that the later 
leaves are above them ; they are on branching peduncles, 
forming a panicle. Corolla white, fliort, broad, four- 
cleft two-thirds of the way. Native of the fouth of Eu¬ 
rope, and the ifland of Madeira ; flowers from February 
to May. Mr. Miller makes it a native of the Cape of 
Good Hope and Portugul ; but moll of the little he has 
faid on this genus is wrong. He fets down E. herbacea 
and ciliaris as natives of England ; and he gives no de- 
feription of any except of this, and that is imperfebt and 
erroneous. 
18. Erica vefpertina, or evening heath : corollas bell- 
fliaped, ftyle (landing out. This is an upright (hrub, 
with the branches growing by threes; leaves triquetrous, 
even, prefled clofe. Flowers in a panicle, nodding, al¬ 
ternate, white, on white pubefeent peduncles; corolla 
double the length of the calyx, broad, (harp, almoft like 
that of E. cubico; antherae black, two-parted, above the 
throat. Found at the Cape of Good Hope by Thunberg. 
19. Erica cruenta, or bloody-flowered heath : leaves 
fmooth, brabtes remote, calyxes awl-fhaped, dilated at 
the bafe ; corollas cylindrical, incurved ; ftyle (landing 
out. Flowers axillary; corolla deep crimfon, an inch 
long, a little bent in, fmooth, fubpellucid, a little fuelling 
at the top, with a four-cleft mouth; fegments broad, 
fharpifh, fubereft ; filaments whitifh. Found by Mr. 
Francis Maffon at the Cape of Good Hope, and intro¬ 
duced in 1774. It flowers at various feafons. 
Leaves in fours. 20. Erica ramenfacea, or (lender- 
branched heath : leaves briftie-fhaped, corollas globular, 
ftyle included, ftigma doubled. Native of the Cape of 
Good Hope ; flowers in July. 
21. Erica perfoluta, or blufh-flowered heath : calyxes 
ciliate, corollas bell-fhaped, ftyle included. Native of the 
Cape; flowers from February to May. 
22. Erica Itrigofa, or dwarf downy heath : leaves pube¬ 
feent, ciliate; corollas bell-ftiaped, fmooth; ftyle (land¬ 
ing out. Found at the Cape by Mr. Francis Maflbn ; it 
flowers in March and April. 
23. Erica tetralix, or crofs-leaved heath : leaves ciliate, 
flowers in heads, corollas ovate, ftyle included. Stems 
fhrubby, from nine to twelve inches high, branched, 
1 brown, 
