L 35 ]
E R I C A Dabeoci.
Irifh Heath.
0 C F A N D R I A Monogynia.
Gen. Char. Cor. of one petal. Cal. four-leaved,
inferior. Filaments inferted into the receptacle.
Anther<e bifid. Capfule four-celled.
Spec. Char. Antherae beardlefs, included. Corolla
ovate. Style included. Leaves alternate, ovate,
downy beneath.
§ y n . Erica daboedi. Linn. Sp. P I. 5 0 9 , HudJ. FI,
A h. 166.
Andromeda daboecia. Linn. Syft. Veg. ed. 13 . 338.
With. Bot. A rr. 423.
Vaccinium cantabricum. HudJ. F I. An. ed. 1, 143.
Erica cantabrica flore maximo, foliis Myrti fubtus
incanis. R a il Syn. 472.
A l t h o u g h R a y ha s m en tio n ed th is p la n t as a native
o f Ire la n d , h e h a s b e en freq u e n tly fufpedted o f having c om ,
m itte d an e rro r. W e are a t le n g th enabled to confirm his
a c c o u n t, h av in g b e en favoured w ith fine wild fpecimens g a th e re
d lafl y e ar on th e fides o f m o u n ta in s in th e county o f M ay o ,
by A y lm e r Bourke L am b e rt, E fq . F- L . S. I t flowers in J u n e
a n d J u ly , an d is freq u e n tly cu ltiv ated w ith us in ga rd en s.
T h e p a rtitio n s o f th e c apfule b e in g fo rm ed from th e edges
o f th e valves tu rn e d in , in fte ad o f b e in g a tta ch ed to th e c en tre
o f eaich valve as in An d rom ed a, ha s in d u c e d D r . Sm ith ftill
to confider this as an E ric a ( See Riant. leones, t. 5 8 .), n o tw ith -
ftan d in g its leaves b e in g m o fl commonly a lte rn a te , an d its re -
femblanc e in h a b it to th e A n d rom ed a s. V e ry ra re ly th e leaves
are fo u n d oppofite, o r even th re e to g e th e r.
R a y tells u s in his H ilto ry o f P la n ts th a t th is is called St. D a -
beoc’s H e a th (from w h en c e th e Linnasan trivial name has been
c o rru p tly tak e n ), a n d th a t th e Irifh girls g ird themfelves w ith
its lo n g tra ilin g b ra n ch e s as a p ro te c tio n to th e ir ch a flity—W ith
w h a t fuccefs h e u n lu ck ily h a s om itted to in fo rm u s.