LEDUM PALUSTRE. MARSH LEDUM.
LEDUM palustre ; foliis linearibus, margine revolutis subtus tomentosis, floribus decandris.
LEDUM palustre. Linn. Sp. P l. p .5 6 \. (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. 679.. FI. Gall. Syn. p. 248. Ait. Hort. Keto. ed. 2. ml. 3.
p. 48. Pers. Syn. P l. ml. 1. p. 477.
CISTUS Ledon foliis rosmarini ferrugineis. Bauh. Pin. 467.
Class a n d O r d e r . DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
[N a t u r a l Or d e r . RHODORACEÆ, Vent., Decand. RHODODENDRA, Juss.~\
G e n . Ch a r . Calyx quinquedentatus. Petala quinque. Stigma quinquelobum. Capsula quinquelocularis,
basi dehiscens. Semina inembrana reticulata obvoluta.
G e n . Ch a r . Calyx five-toothed. Petals five. Stigma five-lbbed. Capsule five-celled, opening from the base.
Seeds enveloped in a reticulated membrane.
F rut ex parvus, ramosus, subdecumbens, glaber, ramis
junioribus solummodo ferrugineo-tomentosis.
Folia, præcipue in ramis junioribus, sparsa, horizontalia
vel deflex a, linearia, margine revoluta, superne
canaliculata, glabra, subtus dense ferrugineo-to-
mentosa: juniora erecta, densissime tomentosa.
F lores terminales, corymbosi, numerosi, basi bracteati,
bracteis conspicuis, late ovatis, membranaceis,
fuscis, priinum pubescentibus vel etiam rufo-
tomentosis, demum subglabris.
P e d ic e ll i longi, erecti, exteriores subpatentes, pubes-
centes, simplices.
Ca l y x parvus, persistens, quinquefidus, segmentis
ovatis, patentibus, ext us tomentosis.
Corolla, pentapetala, petalis ovatis, patentissimis, con-
caviusculis, ner-vosis, albis.
St am in a decern. Filamenta longa, basi decumbentia,
dein erecta, pallide purpurea. Antheræ oblongæ,
basi rotund atæ, apice obtuse emarginatæ, et illic
utrinque poro déhiscentes.
P istil lum : Germen ovatum. Stylus filiformis, glaber.
Stigma parvum, quinquelobum.
Ca p su la ovalis, pendens, quinquelocularis, quinque-
valvis, valvarum marginibus introflexis, demum
e basi fere ad apicem in coccis quinque debis-
cens. Jig. 7.
Receptagu lum pariétale, in medio valvarum, e basi ad
apicem attingens.
Sem in a minutissima, oblonga, inembrana pellucida vel
arillo tecta. ■
A small branching Sh r u b , subdecumbent and glabrous,
the younger branches alone ferrugineo-tomehtose.
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 bracteas conspicuous, broadly
ovate, membranaceous, brown, at first pubescent,
soon clothed with reddish tomentum, at length
subglabrous.
Pe d ic e ls long, erect, the exterior ones subpatent, pu-
• bescent, simple.
Caly x small, persistent, quinquefid, having the segments
ovate, patent, externally tomentose.
Corolla o f five petals, petals ovate, very patent, rather
concave, nerved, white.
Stam en s te n : 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 is t il : Germen ovate. Style filiform, glabrous. Stigma
small, five-lobed.
Ca psule 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
i coccules. fig. 7.
Recepta cle parietal in the middle o f the valves,
.reaching from the base to the extremity.
Se ed s very minute, oblong, covered with a pellucid
membrane or aril 1 us.
Fig. 1. Leaf, seen from the underside. Jig-. 2. Flower. Fig. 3. Back view of a stamen. Fig. 4. Front view
of a stamen. Fig. 5. Calyx and Pistil. Fig. 6. Capsules (nat. size). Fig. 7. Capsule separating with its
valves. Fig. 8. A single valve or coccus. Fig. 9■ Portion of a valve to show the receptacle of the seeds.
Fig. 10. Seeds.— A ll but Fig. 6. more or less magnified.
This highly interesting plant, a native of the northern and arctic parts both of Europe and America, even to the
north-west coast of America, has lately been detected by Sir Charles Gieseck6, Professor of Mineralogy in the
University of Dublin, on the north-west coast of Ireland, where it seems to be a denizen along with the'Papaver
nudicaule: for, in the immediate neighbourhood of the station for that plant, namely Achilhead, Professor
Gieseck6 took the specimen here figured, in a fresh state, from the hat of a fisherman. , The fact of the plant
growing amongst the wild islands of that coast cannot be doubted. In the more northern regions too of Europe
and America, these two plants are almost always found together. The leaves are used as a substitute for tea by
the Canadians in their hunting excursions; and by the Norwegians, Wahlenberg tells us it is called Finne-the, or
Tea of the Laplanders. Linnreus, however, neither in his Flora Lapponica nor in his Lapland Tour, speaks of its
being so employed: but, sometimes used instead of hops; or placed atnong corn to drive away mice, and to
.destroy vermin on sheep and oxen.
Wahlenberg further observes, that although very plentiful in Siberia and Lapland, it had never been found in
Iceland or in Great Britain.