I 5 9 8 ]
VACCINIUM Yitis Idaea.
Red Whortk-herry.
O C T A N D R I A Monogynla.
Gen. Char. Cor. of i petal. Filaments arifing from the
receptacle. Berry inferior, with four cells and
many feeds.
Spec. Char. Clutters terminal, drooping. Leaves
evergreen, obovate, revolute, finely toothed; dotted
beneath.
Syn. Vaccinium Vitis Idaea. Linn. Sp. P I 500.
Hudf. 164. With. 371 . Hull. 83. Dick/. H. Sice,
fa fc- 5. 10.
Vitis Idaea fempervirens, fruclu rubro. R a ii Syn.
457-
D r Y fto n ey h e a th s o r m o o rs (as th e y are called in th e N o r th )
in th e m o u n ta in o u s co u n tie s, are copioufly c lo th e d w ith th is
h um b le evergre en, efpecially in D e rb y ffiire , from th e borde rs
o f w h ic h , jffiout fix m ile s fo u th -w e ft o f Sheffield, M r . Sa lt
fe n t u s w ild fp e c im en s. I t flowers in J u n e , a n d th e b e rrie s
rip e n in A u g u ft. „ . ,
R o o ts c re ep in g , woody. S tem s m oftly u p rig h t, a very few in c h e s
h ig h , b u t little b ra n c h e d , z ig z ag , a n g u la r, fm o o th , p lia n t.
L e a v e s a lte rn a te , o n fo o t-fta lk s, evergreen, p b o v a te , m o re o r
lefs finely to o th e d ; fm o o th a n d ffiin in g a b o v e ; p a le an d dotted
b e n e a th ; th e ir firft ap p ea ran c e n o t u n lik e th a t o f th e dw a rf b o x .
A n e le g an t d ro o p in g d u l le r o f bell-ffiaped, b lu ffi-coloured flowe
rs te rm in a te s th e Item o r b ra n c h e s . T h e fe flowers we h av e
n ev e r obferved to v a ry from th e ir p ro p e r fo u r-c le ft fo rm a n d 8
llam in a . T h e a n th e rse te rm in a te in a p a ir o f ta p e r p o in ts ,
th ro u g h a p o re a t th e en d o f w h ic h th e pollen is difch a rg ed ,
b u t th ey have n o t th e la te ra l h o rn s defcribed in V . uligmofuni,
t. 5 8 1 . T h e ’b e rrie s a re re d , a c id , a ftrin g en t an d b itte r. T h e y
a re fc arc ely to b e e a ten raw , an d th o u g h m ad e in to pies in D e r -
b yffiire , w h e re th e y a re called C ow -b e rrie s, th e ir flavour is fa r
in fe rio r to th e C ra n b e rry . T h e ir b e ll ufe is for m a k in g a ro b
o r jelly , w h ic h is always e a ten w ith all k in d s o f ro a ll m e a t m
Sw ed en , an d is fa r p re fe rable to th a t o f th e red c u rra n t as a
fau c e for venifon. I t is alfo a n ex c e llen t m ed ic in e in colds,
fo re -th ro a ts , a n d a ll irrita tio n o f th e m o u th o r fauce s.