PINE-DROPS.
Pterospora andromedea, Nutt. Heath Family.
Stems.—One to three feet high. Bracts.—Crowded at base; scattered above. Calyx.—Five-parted. Corolla.—Three lines long; yellowish. Stamens.—Ten. Anthers tailed; opening lengthwise. Ovary.—Five-celled. Style short. Stigma five-lobed. Hab.—Throughout California, and across the continent.
In our walks in the mountains, we occasionally encounter the flesh-colored wands of this curious plant. The colorless leaves are reduced to mere bracts, and the stems are densely clothed above with the little yellowish waxen bells. The whole plant is very viscid and disagreeable to handle.
Though rare, it is found all across the continent. In the East it grows only under pine-trees, upon whose roots it is supposed to be parasitic, while in California it is said to be found under both oaks and pines.
There is but a single species in this genus. The seed is furnished with a broad membranous wing, which has given rise to the name Pterospora, derived from two Greek words, meaning wing and seed.
![[ PINE-DROPS—Pterospora andromedea.]](#3624944100741987669_f064.png.id-3240152878726075906.wrap-0.html.html){kind=link}