POINTAL. Seed-vessel inversely egg-shaped, furrowed with eight channels. Shaft linear, erect, nearly of a length with the blossom. Summit nearly four-cornered. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. In bloom from March till July. REFERENCE. 1. The Empalement and Blossom. 2. The Empalement magnified. 3. The Chives and Pointal. 4. The Chives detached from the Pointal, one tip magnified. 5. The Shaft and its Summit magnified. [Illustration] ERICA nigrita. CHARACTER SPECIFICUS. ERICA, antheris muticis, exsertis, atris; flores subterni, albi; corolla campanulata, laciniis revolutis, maximis; foliis ternis, nitidis, patentibus. DESCRIPTIO. CAULIS fruticosus, erectus, pedalis; rami et ramuli frequentissimi, sub-erecti, virgati, sub-tomentosi. FOLIA terna, nitida, glabra, sub-triquetra, obtusa, patentia, crassa; petiolis adpressis. FLORES in apicibus ramulorum terminales, sub-terni; pedunculi albi; bracteæ ovatæ, acutæ, albæ, calyci approximatæ, imbricatæ, calyciformes. CALYX. Perianthium tetraphyllum, foliolis, ovatis, acutis, albis, laxis, longitudine fere corollæ. COROLLA campanulata, albida; laciniis oris revolutis, majoribus. STAMINA. Filamenta octo, capillaria, receptaculo inserta. Antherae muticæ, exsertæ, atræ. PISTILLUM. Germen sub-ovatum, leviter sulcatum, ad basin glandulosum. Stylus filiformis, staminibus paulo longior. Stigma peltatum, sub-tetragonum. Habitat ad Caput Bonæ Spei. Floret a mensi Aprili, in Julium. REFERENTIA. 1. Calyx, et Corolla. 2. Calyx, lente auctus. 3. Stamina, et Pistillum. 4. Stamina a Pistillo diducta, Anthera una lente aucta. 5. Pistillum, auctum. SPECIFIC CHARACTER. HEATH, with beardless tips, without the blossom, and black; flowers grow mostly by threes, and white; blossom bell-shaped; segments rolled back, and very large; leaves grow by threes, shining, and spreading. DESCRIPTION. STEM shrubby, upright, grows a foot high; the larger and smaller branches are numerous, nearly upright, twiggy, and a little downy. LEAVES grow by threes, shine, smooth, nearly three-sided, blunt, spreading, and thick; foot-stalks pressed to the stem. FLOWERS grow from the ends of the small branches, mostly by threes; with white foot-stalks; floral leaves egg-shaped, sharp-ended, white, close to the cup, tiled, and like those of the cup. EMPALEMENT. Cup four-leaved, leaflets egg-shaped, pointed, white, loose, nearly the length of the blossom. BLOSSOM bell-shaped, white; the segments of the mouth are rolled back, and larger than the tube. CHIVES. Eight hair-like threads fixed into the receptacle. Tips beardless, without the blossom, and black. POINTAL. Seed-bud nearly egg-shaped, slightly furrowed, glandular at the base. Shaft thread-shaped, a little longer than the chives. Summit shield-shaped, almost four-cornered. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers from April, till July. REFERENCE. 1. The Empalement, and Blossom. 2. The Empalement, magnified. 3. The Chives, and Pointal.