904 E R I 
never before been feen but in the Ifle of Skye. Dr. Wade 
obferved it in September i8or, decorating the edges of 
all the lakes in the romantic diftridt of Cunnamara. He 
remarked the number of angles in the (lent to vary from 
fix to ten ; but in general they were limited to feven. 
ERIOCE'PHALUS, f [from ewool, and y.itpuXvi, 
Gr. a head.] In botany, a genus of the clafs fyngenefia, 
order polygamia neceiraria, natural order of compofitae 
nucamentaceae, (corymbiferte, JuJf.) The generic cha¬ 
racters are—Calyx: common upright; feales ten, ovate, 
equal, converging, of which the five exterior are keeled, 
the interior flat. Corolla: compound rayed ; corollules 
hermaphrodite, twice as many in the di(k ; females five 
in the ray; proper of the hermaphrodite funnel-form; 
border five-cleft, patulous; of the ray ligulate, obcord- 
ate, with tliree-lobed, equal, tips. Stamina: in the her¬ 
maphrodites; filaments five, capillary, very fhort; an- 
therae cylindric, tubulaY. Piftillum: in the hermaphro¬ 
dites, ? gernr very (mall, naked; ftyle Ample; fligma two- 
clef,t, iharp ; in the females, germ ovate, naked; ftyle 
fimple ; ftigma acuminate, inflex. Pericarpium : none; 
calyx fcarce changed. Seed: to the hermaphrodites, 
none; females folitary, obovate, naked. Receptaculum : 
naked, flat ; or elfe a down of the calyx in a double row 
is interfperfed both between the hermaphrodite and fe¬ 
male flofcules.— •EJfential Character. Receptaculum fub- 
villofe; down none; calyx ten-leaved, equal ; in the ray 
five flofcules. 
Species, i. Eriocephalus Africanus, or clufler-Ieaved 
eriocephalus: leaves entire and divided, flowers corymbed. 
This plant has a (hrqbby (talk from four to fix feet high, 
putting out many fide branches the whole length; leaves 
woolly, coming out in clufters, fome taper and entire, 
others divided into three or five parts, which fpread open 
like a hand : they have a ftrong fmell when bruifed ap¬ 
proaching to that of lavender cotton, but not quite fo 
rank. The flowers are produced in (mail clufters at the 
ends of the branches, and (land eredt. The female florets 
which compofe the ray form a hollow, in the middle of 
which the hermaphrodite florets forming the difk are 
fituated ; the border is white, with a little reddifh cad on 
the inlide, and the difk is of a purpliflr colour. The flow¬ 
ers appear in autumn, but do not produce feeds in this 
country. Cultivated in 1732, by James Sherard, M. D. 
at Eltham. It flowers from January to March. 
2. Eriocephalus racemofus, or filvery-leaved eriocepha¬ 
lus : leaves linear, undivided; flowers racemed. This 
has the ftature and appearance of E. Africanus, but all 
the leaves are undivided. Gaertner affirms, that there is 
no veftige whatever of the outer calyx in this fpecies. 
The receptacle is flat, and has a copious filky down on 
it, of a whiti(h draw-colour, and longer than the florets. 
Seeds of the females oblong, narrowed downwards, com- 
prefled, three-fided, hairy or fparingly woolly, but other- 
wile deditute of all down. This was cultivated by Mr. 
Miller in 1758. It flowers in March and April. Both 
are natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Propagation and Culture. This plant is propagated by 
cuttings, which may be planted any time from May to 
the middle of Augufl ; for, if they are planted later in 
the feafon, there will not be time for them to get good 
root before the winter. Thefe cuttings fhould be planted 
in (mall pots filled with light earth, and plunged into a 
very moderate hot-bed, where they fliould be (haded from 
the fun till they have taken root; they mud be refre(hed 
with water two or three times a-week, but they (hould 
not have too much at each time, for much moidtire is 
very hurtful to thefe plants. When the cuttings have 
taken root, they (hould be gradually inured to the open 
air, to prevent their llioots from being drawn up weak; 
afterwards they (hould be removed into the open air, and 
placed in a (heltered fituation, where they may remain 
till October, when they mud be removed into an airy 
glafs-cafe, that they may have as much fun as poflible, 
and enjoy the free air in mild weather, but fecured from 
E R I 
froff and damp air, either of which will foon deflroy them. 
During the winter they mud be fparingly watered, for the 
reafon before given; but, in the Cummer, when the plants 
are placed in the open air, they will require to be fre¬ 
quently refrefhed with water in hot weather. Thefe plants, 
retaining their leaves all the year, add to the variety of 
exotics in the winter feafon. See Erica Br.uniades, 
Centaurea, and Hippia. 
ER lOPH'OROS, f. in botany. See Bombax. 
ERIOPH'ORUM, f. [from e^iov, wool, and (psgu , Gr. 
to bear ; wool or cotton-bearing ; the feeds having a long, 
white, downy, fubdance affixed to them.] In botany, a 
genus of the clafs triandria, order monogynia, natural 
order of calamariae, (cyperoidete, Jiff.) The generic cha¬ 
racters are—Calyx: fpike on all fides imbricate; feales 
ovate-oblong, flat-inflefted, membranaceous, loofe, fliarp- 
pointed, feparating the flowers. Corolla: none. Stamina: 
filaments three, capillary; antherse upright, oblong. Pif¬ 
tillum: germ very fmall; dyle filiform, length of the 
calycine feales; ffigmas three, longer than the dyle, bent 
backwards. Pericarpium : none. Seed : three-fided, acu¬ 
minate, furniflied with villofe hairs longer than the fpike. 
—EJfential CharaBer. Glumes chaffy, imbricate every way ; 
corolla none ; feed one, furrounded with a very long wool. 
Species. 1. Eriophorum vaginatum, mountain or fingle- 
fpiked cotton-grafs: culms ffieathed round, fpike fcariofe. 
Root-leaves obfeurely three-cornered, (harp, dreaked on 
two fides ; convex on one fide, flat on two fides. It differs 
very obvioufly from the third fpecies; the root being not 
creeping, but more matted; the leaves much finer, and 
confequently more apt to grow in tufts; the (heath of the 
upper dem-leaf in particular is remarkably inflated, and 
it never produces more than one fpike, which is upright. 
Native of bogs in cold barren fituations, in many parts of 
Europe. Not fo general with 11s, but in fome places 
equally common. Near London, on Shirley-common, by 
Croydon; near Lynn; Birmingham-heath; frequent in 
all the northern counties; Elfemere-meers in Shropfhire; 
Pillinmofs in Lancafliire. It flowers fomewhat earlier 
than the angujlifolium. No. 3. but produces its down about 
the fame time. Sheep are very fond of it, whence in 
Wedmoreland they call it mofs-crops. As they do alfo the 
third fpecies, not diflinguifhing them. Ray calls it hair's - 
tail rujk. 
2. Eriophorum polyflachion, or many-fpiked cotton- 
grafs: culms columnar, leaves flat, fpikes peduncled. 
Linnaeus confounds this and the next fpecies together; 
and refers to the firfl figure of Vaillant only as a variety 
of his polyflachion ; but, if he had ever feen both plants 
together, he would doubtlefs have made them didindt 
fpecies. The following particulars may ferve to (how in 
what our plant differs from E. polyflachion. 1. The 
root of that.is not creeping. 2. The culm is very erect. 
3. The leaves are fliort and flat. 4. The fpikes are many, 
upon (lender foot-flalks, and pendulous. 5. The invo- 
lucre is (horter than the fpike. 
3. Eriophorum anguflifolium, or narrow-leaved cotton- 
grafs: culms columnar, leaves channelled, three-fided, 
fpikes peduncled. Our Englifli writers have followed 
Linnaeus in confounding this with the foregoing, till Mr. 
Dickfon diftinguiffied them. Stem from nine inches to a 
foot or more in height, upright, fmooth, with two joints 
projedling a little, covered throughout its whole length 
with the (heaths of the leaves; thofe next the root are of 
a chefnut colour, (hort, lanceolate, dreaked, marked with 
tranfverfe lines, which give them a reticulated appear¬ 
ance ; the fucceeding leaves at their bafe clofely embrac¬ 
ing the dalk, from two to three lines in breadth, about 
feven inches or more in length, gradually tapering to the 
extremity, convex on one fide, concave on the other, and 
fmooth ; the uppermofl leaves flatter, much (horter, and 
manifedly keeled; (heaths nearly of an equal thicknefs 
throughout, where a leaf goes off more loofelv connected, 
and marked with a fiffure filled by a membrane. Floral 
leaves three or four, of unequal lengths, forming (heaths 
at 
