Epigaea
(from epi, upon, and gaia, the earth; in reference to its trailing growth). ORD. Ericaceoe. A genus of a couple of species of very elegant creeping, tufted, hardy evergreen shrubs. E. repens thrives only in peat soil and in shady situations. Increased by careful divisions of well-established tufts. The second species, E. asiatica, a Japanese plant, is not yet in cultivation.
E. repens (creeping).* Ground Laurel; in New England, called mayflower. fl. white, tinged with red, in dense axillary and terminal racemes, exhaling a rich spicy fragrance. May. l. cordate-ovate, entire. Branches, petioles, and nerves of leaves very hairy. Northern United States, 1736. (G. W. F. A. 37.)