LEDUM PALUSTRE. MARSH LEDUM.
LEDUM palustre ; foliis linearibus, margine revolutis subtus tomentosis, floribus decandris.
LEDUM palustre. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 561. (Ed. FI. Dan. t . 1031. Hoffm. Germ. ed. 2. P . I. p. 187.
JVilld. Sp. PI. ml. 2. p. 602. Pursh N . Am. FI. ml. 1 . p. 300. TVahl. Lapp. p. 103. De-
cand. FI. Fr. ed. 3. ml. 3. p. 672. FI. Gall. Syn. p. 248. J it. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. ml. 3.
p. 48. Pers. Syn. PI. ml. 1. p. 477.
CISTUS Ledon foliis rosmarini ferrugineis. Bauh. Pin. 467.
Class an d Ord e r . DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
[Natural Ord e r . RHODORACEJE, Vent., Decand. RHODODENDRA, Juss.]
Gen. Char. Calyx quinquedentatus. Petala quinque. Stigma quinquelobum. Capsula quinquelocularis,
basi dehiscens. Semina membrana reticulata obvoluta.
Gen. Char. Calyx five-toothed. Petals five. Stigma five-lobed. Capsule five-celled, opening from the base.
Seedd! enveloped in a reticulated membrane.
Frutex parvus, ramosus, subdecumbens, glaber, ramis
junioribus solummodo ferrugineo-tomentosis.
Folia, prrecipuein ramis junioribus, sparsa, horizontalia
vel deflexa, linearia, margine revoluta, 'superne
Canaliculata, glabra, subtus dense ferrugineo-to-
mentosa: juniora erecta, densissime tomentosa.
Flores terminales, corymbosi, numerosi, basi bracteati,
bracteis conspicuis, late ovatis, membranaceis,
fuscis, primum pubescentibus vel etiam rufo-
tomentosis, demum subglabris. |
Pedicelli longi, erecti, exteriores subpatentes, pubes-
centes, simplices.
Calyx parvus, persistens, quinquefidus, segmentis
ovatis, patentibus, extus tomentosis.
Corolla pentapetala, petalis ovatis, patentissimis, con-
caviusculis, nervosis, albis.,
Stamina decern. Filamenta longa, basi decumbentia,
dein erecta, pallide purpurea. ' Anther® oblong®,
basi rotundat®, apice obtuse emarginat®, et illic
utrinque poro dehiscentes.
Pistillum : Germen ovatum. Stylus filiformis, glaber.
Stigma parvum, quinquelobum.
Capsula ovatis, pendens, quinquelocularis, quinque-
valvis,^ valvarum marginibus introfiexis, demum
e basi fere ad apicem in coccis quifique dehis-
cens‘^ 7 .
KECEPTaculum parietale, in medio valvarum, e basi ad
apiceth-atungens.
Semina minutissima, oblonga, membrana pellucida vel
arillo tecta.
A small branching Shrub, subdecumbent and glabrous,
the younger branches alone ferrugineo-tomentose.
L eaves, principally in the younger branches, scattered,
horizontal or deflexed, linear, revolute at the
margin, above channelled, glabrous, beneath
- densely ferrugineo-tomentose: the younger'ones
. . erect, very downy.
Flowers terminal, corymbose, numerous, bracteated at
• the base, with the bracte® conspicuous, broadly
ovate, membranaceous, brown, at first pubescent,
soon' clothed with reddish tomentum, at length
' subglabrous.
P edicels long, erect, the exterior ones subpatent, pu-
, bescent, simple.
Calyx small, persistent, quinquefid, having the segments
ovate, patent, externally tomentose.
Corolla of five petals, petals ovate, very patent, rather
concave, nerved, white.
Stamens' ten : Filaments long, decumbent at the base,
afterwards erect, pale purple. Anthers oblong,
roundish at the base, bluntly emarginate at the
apex, and there opening with a pore on each
side.
P ist il : Germen ovate. Style filiform, glabrous. Stigma
small, five-lobed.
Capsule oval, pendent, five-celled, five-valved, with
the margins o f the valves bent inward, at length
from the base to the extremity opening into five
coccules. fig. 7.
Receptacle parietal in the middle of the valves,
reaching from the base to the extremity.
Seeds very minute, oblong, covered with a pellucid
membrane or arillus.
valves FVo- 8 A l I M i T « 1 » H M 3 Capsule separating with its
% .0. of a valve tu show ihe - * ■
north!S ' y ‘"g .planJ’ a ”otive of the northern and arctic parts both of Europe and America, even to the
Univershv i E H B has lately been detected by Sir Charles Gieseckd, Professor of Mineralogy in the
mdieaule ■ for in "?/ °" the “orth-west coast of Ireland, where it seems to be a denizen along with ihe'Tapuvcr
Gieseckdlnnlr’il tbB.lmmBd,a*e.neighbourhood of the station for that plant, namely Achilhead, Professor
k H H H *^e specimen here figured, in a fresh state, from the hat of a fisherman. The fact of the nlant
and A ^ ,monSsl the wild islands of that coast cannot be doubted. In the more northern regions too of Eurone
■ n U B H « •>“ « always found together. The leaves are used i s a fE i t o t e for t o b y .
Tea of the i n and» ?• S exc“rs,ons9 a".d. bJ the Norwegians, Wahlenberg tells us it is called Finne-the, or
being so H H H | L,,,niB"f" however, neither in his Flora Lapponica nor in his Lapland Tour, speaks of its
f c l S , \ 2 9 , d H s0,,,et|mes used instead of hops; .or placed among corn to drive away mice, and to , ‘ | vei m>n on sheep and oxen. J
I c e l a n d , W S B » ! * * ^ ple"tiful in Siberia and L"Pl-”d, it had never been found in