_Inner Cup_ one leaf, five-cleft, bell-shaped; segments half egg-shaped. BLOSSOM one leaf, egg-shaped, slightly five-cleft; border small, rolled back. _Honey-cup_ ten small substances, awl-shaped, upright, very short, surrounding the seed-bud within the chives. CHIVES. Ten threads, awl-shaped, turned inwards, shorter than the blossom; fixed into the receptacle. Tips two-horned; horns two cleft. POINTAL. Seed-bud roundish and flattened; Shaft cylindrical, the length of the blossom. Summit obtuse. SEED-VESSEL. Capsule roundish obtusely five-sided, flattened, five cells, five valves; covered on all sides by the inner cup, transformed and swelled to a roundish berry, coloured, open at top. SEEDS many, nearly egg-shaped, angular and hard. SPECIFIC CHARACTER. Gaultheria foliis ovatis, obtuse-dentatis, apice confertis; caulis flexuosus, filiformis. Gaultheria with egg-shaped leaves, bluntly toothed, and crowded together at the top; stem grows zigzag and thread-shaped. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. A Blossom complete. 2. The Empalement, natural size. 3. The Empalement, magnified. 4. The Chives as they stand on the receptacle, magnified. 5. The Pointal and seed-bud, with the surrounding honey-cup, magnified. 6. The inner Cup of the Empalement, when the fruit is ripe, natural size. 7. A seed vessel of the natural size when ripe, detached from its cup. 8. A ripe capsule, cut open transversely. From the eighth Ed. of Miller’s Dictionary, we learn that, this plant was cultivated at the Physic Gardens, Chelsea, in the year 1765. That so ornamental, and so easily propagated a plant as the Gaultheria, should have been so little noticed, or cultivated in our gardens, is rather singular; as, it is perfectly hardy in every exposure, an evergreen, and from the beautiful appearance of the fruit and flowers, which come in succession nearly through the whole year; must be considered, as one of our prettiest creeping or dwarf shrubs, for the front of the shrubbery borders, &c. as it never rises higher than six, or eight inches; forming a compact matted clump, which may be made to spread to a considerable extent, if planted in light sandy peat earth. The very curious conformation of the fruit, which is eatable, differing from every known Genus of plants; as well as, the peculiar property of the leaves; point out the Gaultheria, as a particular object for observation, and comment, to the experimental Botanist. In Canada, North America, where it is native, an infusion of the leaves is used as a substitute for tea; or a few of them, either dried, or plucked fresh from the plant, when mixt with the commonest bobea, communicate to it a flavour, equal to fine Hyson. [Illustration] PLATE CXVII. GENTIANA PURPUREA. _Purple flowered Gentian._ CLASS V. ORDER II. _PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA._ Five Chives. Two Pointals. GENERIC CHARACTER.