ERICA pinifolia coccinea.
Reading edition
CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.
Erica, antheris muticis inclusis, floribus dense verticillatis tubulosis, foliis consertis subsenis incurvis.
DESCRIPTIO.
Caulis fruticosus, brevis, robustus, paululum flexuosus, cicatricibus foliorum asper; rami foliis dense tecti, numerosi, subverticillati, patentes, atque expansi, apicibus adscendentibus.
Folia plerumque sena, perconferta, linearia, subuncialia, lente obsolete pubescentia, subtus sulcata, seniora recurva, sed post medium incurvo-adscendentia, et inde sæpe hamata; petiolis adpressis.
Flores verticillatim spicati, conferti, nutantes, coccinei; pedunculi sesquilineares, pubescentes, irregulariter bracteati.
Calyx tetraphyllus, foliolis lineari-subulatis, valde pubescentibus, adpressis.
Corolla tubulosa, apicem versus paululum recurvula, laciniis revolutis obtusis, obsoletissime crenulatis.
Stamina octo, capillaria, antheris sub-inclusis, muticis.
Pistillum. Germen tiaræforme, superne dilatatum, lanatum; stylus filiformis, sub-exclusus, antheras paulo superans; stigma tetragonum.
Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.
Floret a mense Maii in Aprilem.
REFERENTIA.
1. Calyx cum pedunculo lente auctus. 2. Flos. 3. Stamina, et Pistillum. 4. Idem expansa, antherâ unicâ lente auctâ. 5. Pistillum diductum, stigmate lente aucto. 6. Germen lente auctum.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Heath, with beardless tips within the blossom, flowers densely whorled tubular, leaves crowded chiefly in sixes and incurved.
DESCRIPTION.
Stem shrubby, short, stout, a little flexuose, rough with the cicatrices of the leaves; the branches densely covered with leaves, numerous, whorled, spreading, and expanded, with ascending points.
Leaves chiefly in sixes, very crowded, linear, about an inch long, obscurely pubescent when magnified, furrowed beneath; the older ones, recurved, but beyond the middle incurvedly ascending, and thence often hook-shaped; with footstalks pressed to the branches.
Flowers verticillately spiked, crowded, nodding, scarlet; peduncles a line and a half long, pubescent, and irregularly bracteated.
Empalement four-leaved, the little leaves linear-awl-shaped, very pubescent, and pressed to the blossom.
Blossom tubular, slightly recurved towards the point, with segments rolled back, blunt, and very obsoletely crenulated.
Chives. Eight hair-like threads, with the tips just with the blossom, beardless.
Pointal. Seed-bud turban-shaped, dilated above, woolly; shaft thread-shaped, just without the blossom, a little higher than the tips; summit four-cornered.
Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
Flowers from May till April.
REFERENCE.
1. The Calyx with the foot-stalk magnified. 2. A Flower. 3. The Chives, and Pointal. 4. The same expanded, with one tip magnified. 5. The Pointal detached, with the summit magnified. 6. The Seed-bud magnified.
