1. The blossom spread open. 2. The chives spread. 3. A chive magnified. 4. Empalement, seed-bud, and pointal. The Vaccinium nitidum is one of the handsomest species, but not so often to be met with as many of the genus. It is nearly allied in its foliage to the V. crassifolium; for, if leaves of both were detached, and mixt together, they might be easily mistaken. The habits of the plants are, however, very distinct, as is also the shape of the flowers. During the month of May and beginning of June this plant is in the greatest perfection. After that period the flowers lose much of their fine red colour. Our figure was made from a beautiful little shrub, above a foot high, in the nursery of Messrs. Whitley and Brames. [Illustration] PLATE CCCCLXXXI. CINCHONA CARIBÆA. _West India Bark-tree._ CLASS V. ORDER II. _PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA._ Five Chives. One Pointal. GENERIC CHARACTER. CALYX. Perianthium monophyllum, superum, campanulatum, 5-dentatum, persistens. COROLLA monopetala, infundibuliformis, 5-partita. STAMINA. Filamenta 5, minima: antheræ oblongæ, intra faucem corollæ. PISTILLUM. Germen subrotundum, inferum. Stylus longitudine corollæ. Stigma crassiusculum, oblongum, simplex. PERICARPIUM. Capsula oblonga, bipartita, calyce coronata, in duas partes dehiscens: partes interiores dehiscentes, dissepimento parallelo. SEMINA plura, oblonga, compressa, marginata. EMPALEMENT. Cup one-leafed, above, bell-shaped, five-toothed, and remaining. BLOSSOM one petal, funnel-shaped, and five-parted. CHIVES. Threads 5, small: tips oblong, within the mouth of the blossom. POINTAL. Seed-bud nearly round, beneath. Shaft the length of the corolla. Summit thickish, oblong, and simple. SEED-VESSEL. Capsule oblong, in two parts, crowned by the cup, the two parts cleaving together; the inner parts gaping, with equal dissepiment. SEEDS many, oblong, compressed, and emarginated. SPECIFIC CHARACTER. CINCHONA foliis alternatis, ovatis, acuminatis, integerrimis, glabris, venosis: inter folia stipula parva, cauli adpressa: floribus axillaribus, simplicibus, albicantibus, glabris, odoratissimis. Rami alternati, oppositi. Habitat in Caribæis: succedaneum cortici Peruviano. CINCHONA with alternate leaves, sharp-pointed, entire, smooth, and veined: between the leaves there is a small stipula pressed to the stem: flowers axillary, and single, of a whitish colour, smooth, and very sweet-scented: branches alternate, and opposite. Native of the Caribæan Islands: as bark, substituted for the Peruvian species. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. A flower spread open. 2. The empalement, seed-bud, and pointal. 3. A capsule.