ERICA filamentosa.
Reading edition
CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.
Erica, antheris muticis, inclusis; corollis tubuloso-campanulatis, purpureis; floribus verticillatis, axillaribus, subterminalibus, pendulis; pedunculis flores triplo longioribus capillaribus, coloratis; foliis senis, oblique-verticillatis, linearibus, tenuibus, tremulantibus.
DESCRIPTIO.
Caulis erectus, sesquipedalis rami verticillati, simplices, erecto-patentes, filiformes, longi.
Folia sena, oblique verticillata, tremulantia, linearia; tenuia, glabra, acuta; petiolis capillaribus.
Flores axillares, sub-apice ramorum verticillati, numerosissimi, spicum sere formantes; pedunculi longissimi, filiformes purpurei, bracteis tribus, distantibus, lanceolatis, instructi.
Calyx. Perianthium tetraphyllum, foliolis lineari-subulatis, adpressis; apicibus viridibus, ad basin dilatatis, ciliatis.
Corolla tubulosa-campanulata, purpurea, semiuncialia apice dilatata; limbo patente; laciniis obtusis, reflexis.
Stamina. Filamenta octo capillaria. Antheræ muticæ, inclusæ.
Pistillum. Germen villosum turbinatum, apice truncatum, plumosum. Stylus filiformis, exsertus. Stigma tetragonum.
Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.
Floret a Novembre in Aprilem.
REFERENTIA.
1. Flos. 2. Calyx, auctus. 3. Stamina et Pistillum. 4. Idem, auctum. 5. Germen, auctum.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Heath, with beardless tips, within the blossom; blossoms tubular bell-shaped, purple; flowers grow in whorls, from the insertion of the leaves, nearly terminal and hanging down; foot-stalks thrice the length of the blossom, hair-like and coloured; leaves grow by sixes, obliquely-whorled, linear, slender, tremulous.
DESCRIPTION.
Stem upright, a foot and a half high; branches grow in whorls, simple, upright-spreading, thread-shaped, long.
Leaves grow by sixes, obliquely whorled, tremulous, linear, slender, smooth and pointed, foot-stalks hair-like.
Flowers grow from the insertion of the leaves, near the end of the branches in whorls, very numerous, almost making a spike; foot-stalks very long, thread-shaped, purple, with three floral-leaves, set at a distance and lance-shaped on them.
Empalement. Cup four-leaved, leaflets linearly-awl-shaped, pressed to the blossom, with the ends green, widened at the base and fringed.
Blossom tubularly-bell-shaped, purple, half an inch long, widened at the top; border spreading; segments blunt and reflexed.
Chives. Threads eight hair-like. Tips beardless, within the blossom.
Pointal. Seed-bud hairy, top-shaped, appearing cut off at the top and feathered. Shaft thread-shaped, without the blossom. Summit four-cornered.
Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
Flowers from November till April.
REFERENCE.
1. A Flower. 2. The Empalement, magnified. 3. The Chives and Pointal. 4. The same, magnified. 5 The Seed-bud, magnified.
