As a green-house plant, this small and delicate species has long been cultivated[5], and still continues to hold a place in all collections of note. Its inflorence to us has more the appearance of a _capitulum_ than a _spike_, and which when the plant is in full bloom, is by no means ovate, but rather hemispherical; the purple colour of the vexillum, contrasted with the white of the alæ, gives to the flowers a very pleasing parti-coloured appearance. In its leaves we have a good example of the _folium mucronatum_. It is a native of the Cape, flowers in June and July, and is usually propagated by cuttings. FOOTNOTE: [5] By Miller, in 1731. [447] [Illustration: Nº. 447] Erica Empetrifolia. Crowberry-Leaved Heath. _Class and Order._ Octandria Monogynia. _Generic Character._ _Cal._ 4-phyllus. _Cor._ 4-fida. _Filamenta_ receptaculo inserta. _Antheræ_ apice bifidæ pertusæ. _Caps._ 4-locularis, 4-valvis, polysperma. _Specific Character and Synonyms._ ERICA _empetrifolia_ foliis oblongis ciliatis, floribus verticillatis: calyce ciliato. _Thunb. Prodr. p. 73._ _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 13. Gmel. p. 627._ _Linn. Pflanzen Syst. 3. t. 23. f. 2._ ERICA _empetrifolia_ antheris cristatis, corollis ovatis, foliis quaternis, floribus sessilibus lateralibus. _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 366._ _Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 19._ It is a most pleasing circumstance, when plants afford characters by which they may with certainty be distinguished; most of the Heaths are of this kind, and the present one in particular: exclusive of its great peculiarity of growth, so obviously expressed in our representation of it, its flowers diffuse a strong honey-like fragrance, which, if other characters were wanting, would at once discriminate it. It is one of those Heaths which are enumerated in the _Hort. Kew._ of Mr. Aiton, and was introduced to the royal garden by Mr. Masson, in 1774; is now to be met with in most of the collections of green-house plants about town, and flowers in May and June. Is usually propagated by cuttings. [448] [Illustration: Nº. 448] Mesembryanthemum Micans. Glittering Fig-Marygold. _Class and Order._ Icosandria Pentagynia. _Generic Character._ _Cal._ 5-fidus. _Petala_ numerosa, linearia. _Caps._ carnosa, infera, polysperma. _Specific Character and Synonyms._ MESEMBRYANTHEMUM _micans_ foliis subcylindricis papulosis distinctis, caule scabro. _Linn. Syst. Veg. ed. 14. Murr. p. 470._ _Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 190._ MESEMBRYANTHEMUM _micans_ flore phoeniceo: filamentis atris. _Dill. Elth. 292. t. 215. f. 1282._ FICOIDES capensis, tereti folio, flore croceo. _Pet. gaz. t. 7. f. 9._ FICOIDES capensis, folio tereti argenteo, petalis perplurimis aurantiacis. _Bradl. Succ. 1. p. 9. t. 8._