ERICA melaftoma. 
CHARACTER SPECIFICUS. 
Erica, anther® mutic®, exfert®, attenuata in 
filamenta plana; corollis feffilibus, folitariis, lu- 
teis, terminalibus; oris laciniis nigris; calyx dupli¬ 
cate, lieptaphyllus, imbricatus; foliis fubulatis, 
quaternis. 
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DESCRIPTIO. 
Caulis laxus, erectus, bipedalis; rami pauci, 
fimplices; ramuli fparfi, breviffimi, frequentif- 
fimi, foliofi. 
Folia quaterna, fubulata, apice, regurvata, 
fub-fcabrida, rigida; petiolis breviffimis, adpref- 
fis. 
Flores feffiles in apicibus ramulorum, foli- 
tarii, dependenti; pedunculi breviffimi. 
Calyx. Perianthium duplex; interim tetra- 
phyllum, foliolis concavis, ovatis, glabris, imbri- 
catis, integris, luteis; exterius triphyllum, priori 
brevioribus, consimilibus. 
• 
Corolla conica, lutea, parum curvata, ball 
quadrifariam fulcata, apice attenuata; laciniis 
eredtis, obtufis, longiffimis, adpreffis, nigris. 
Stamina. Filamenta o61o, plana, linearia. 
Anther® muticse, lineares, exfertse, longitudine 
coroll®, attenuata in filamenta. 
Pistillum. Germen ovatum, glabrum, in¬ 
tegrum. Stylus exfertus, filiformis, fiaminibus 
paulo longior. Stigma marginatum, virefcens. 
Habitat ad Caput Bon® Spei. 
Floret a Menfi Februarii, in Julium. 
REFERENTIA. 
1. Calyx. 
2. Corolla, et Stamina. 
• • 
3. Stamina, et Piftillum. 
4. Stamina a Piftillo didudta. 
5. Stamen unum, lente audlum. 
6. Piftillum, lente audtum. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 
Heath, with beardlefs tips, without the bloffom, 
tapering into the threads which are flat; bloffoms 
fitting clofe to the branches fingly, are yellow, 
and terminate them ; the fegments of the mouth 
are black ; the cup is doubled, of feven leaves and 
tiled; leaves awl-fhaped, growing by fours. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Stem weak, upright, grows two feet high; the 
branches are few, and Ample; the fmall branches 
are fcattered, very ffiort, numerous, and covered 
with leaves. 
Leaves grow by fours, awl-ffiaped, bent back 
at the point, roughiffi and ftiff; foot-ftalks very 
ffiort, and prefled to the ftem. 
Flowers fitting on the ends of the fmaller 
branches are folitary, and hang down; the foot- 
ftalks are very ffiort. 
Empalement. Cup double; the inner one 
has four leaves, which are concave, egg-ffiaped, 
fmooth, tiled, entire, and yellow; the outer three¬ 
leaved, ffiorter than the former, and like them. 
Blossom conical, yellow, flightly curved, hav¬ 
ing four furrows at the bafe, and tapering at the 
point; the fegments of the border grow upright, 
are blunt, very long, prefled to the chives, and 
black. 
Chives. Eight fiat, linear, threads. Tips 
beardlefs, linear, without the bloffom, and of its 
length, tapering into the threads. 
Pointal. Seed-bud egg-ffiaped, fmooth and 
entire. Shaft without the bloffom, thread-ffiaped, 
a little longer than the chives. Summit bordered, 
and greeniffi. 
Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Flowers from February, till July. 
REFERENCE. 
1. The Empalement. 
2. The Bloffom, and Chives. 
3. The Chives, and Pointal. 
4. The Chives detached from the Pointal. 
5. A Chive magnified. 
6. The Pointal magnified. 
