ERICA plumosa.
Reading edition
CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.
Erica antheris aristatis, stylo incluso; corollis urceolatis, purpureis, glabris; calyce colorato, villoso; floribus axillaribus, pendulis, verticillatis; foliis quaternis, linearibus, obtusis, villosis.
DESCRIPTIO.
Caulis fruticosis, flexuosus; rami et ramuli glabri, filiformes, suberecti.
Folia quaterna, obtusa, villosa, patentia, linearia, subtus sulcata; petiolis adpressis.
Flores axillares, verticillati, subsolitarii, cernui; pedunculi longitudine florum, colorati, bracteis tribus, hirsutis, instructi.
Calyx. Perianthium, tetraphyllum, foliolis pilosis, coloratis, apicibus viridibus.
Corolla urceolata, glabra, purpurea; laciniis erectis.
Stamina. Filamenta octo, capillaria. Antheræ aristatæ, inclusæ.
Pistillum. Germen subglobosum, ad basin glandulosum. Stylus filiformis, inclusus. Stigma capitatum.
Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei.
Floret a Martio in Julium.
REFERENCE.
1. Folium, lente auctum. 2. Flos. 3. Calyx, lente auctus. 4. Corolla. 5. Stamina et Pistillum. 6. Stamina a Pistillo diducta. 7. Stamen unum, lente auctum. 8. Pistillum, Stigma auctum. 9. Germen, lente auctum.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Heath with bearded tips; shaft within the blossoms, which are pitcher-shaped, purple, and smooth; cup coloured, and hairy; flowers grow from the insertion of the leaves, hanging down, in whorles; leaves grow by fours, linear, blunt, and hairy.
DESCRIPTION.
Stem shrubby, taking different directions; the small and large branches are smooth, thread-shaped, and rather upright.
Leaves grow by fours, blunt, hairy, spreading, linear, furrowed beneath; foot-stalks pressed to the stem.
Flowers grow from the insertion of the leaves, whorled, mostly solitary, nodding; foot-stalks the length of the flowers, coloured, having three hairy floral leaves on them.
Empalement. Cup four-leaved, leaflets hairy, coloured, and green ends.
Blossom pitcher-shaped, smooth, purple, segments upright.
Chives. Eight threads, hair-like. Tips bearded, within the blossom.
Pointal. Seed-bud nearly round, glandular at the base. Shaft thread-shaped, within the blossom. Summit headed.
Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
Flowers from March till July.
REFERENCE.
1. A Leaf, magnified. 2. A Flower. 3. The Empalement, magnified. 4. The Blossom. 5. The Chives and Pointal. 6. The Chives detached from the Pointal. 7. A Chive, magnified. 8. The Pointal, the Summit magnified. 9. The Seed-bud, magnified.
