Menziesia (menzie sia)

Smith, 1806), so named after Archibald Menzies (died 1842), surgeon and naturalist to the expedition under Vancouver. The surname Menzies, prop. Menyies (the z being orig. merely another shape of y ), appears to be derived from ME. menzie, i. e. menyie, var. of meinie, etc., a household: see meiny.] A genus of plants of the natural order Ericacea and the tribe Rhodoreæ. It is distinguished by the loose coat of the seeds, the short gamopetalous corolla, and the 4- to 5-celled ovary. There are 7 species, natives of North America, Japan, and Kam chatka, shrubs with alternate petioled entire deciduous leaves, and small or medium-sized flowers in terminal racemes. One species, M. globular is, is found in the Alle ghanies. The Irish heath, Dabeocia polifolia, was formerly included in this genus.