[Illustration: TREE-HUCKLEBERRY]
Herbs or shrubs; sepals 4-5; corolla urn-shaped or cylindric, 4-5-lobed;
stamens 8 or 10; anthers opening by terminal pores; ovary superior or
inferior.
Tree-Huckleberry. Farkleberry (_Batodendron arboreum_) is also known as
upland-huckleberry, sparkleberry, and gooseberry. The name is Greek and
means “blackberry tree.” The huckleberries are often placed in a family
separate from other heaths. The tree-huckleberry is a shrub or small
tree, very abundant in the woods of East Texas and the Southern States.
The dainty, drooping sprays of white bell-shaped flowers remind one of
the lily-of-the-valley. The shining oval leaves are short-stalked, 1-2
in. long. The black berries are not edible.
Well-known members of the heath family include the trailing arbutus,
cranberry, blueberry, bean-berry, winter-green, rhododendron, and
azalea. Thickets of the pink azalea or swamp-honeysuckle (_Azalea
nudiflora_) occur in a few places in East Texas. In the mountains of
Southwest Texas may be found the arbutus-tree, madroña, or naked Indian,
so called because of its red wood and scaling bark. Its small, red
fleshy fruits look like strawberries. Stagger-bush (_Neopieris mariana_)
is a common shrub in swampy places.