J. W. REED ON PLANTS COLLECTED IN THE PYRENEES. Ill 



Archipelago and North America — one is found in New Guinea. 

 This is another of the Alpine plants now well in flower at Kew. 



In crossing the mountains of the Val d'Heas to the Cirque de 

 Trumouse, we found large areas quite rosy with the flowers ( 

 Daphne Cneorum, a charming glabrous and procumbent little 

 shrub, the leaves and seeds of which, however, possess extremely 

 acrid and objectionable properties. This plant and our own Daphne 

 Laureola (or spurge laurel) were once regarded as of great 

 medicinal value ; but that was at a time when the efficacy of 

 therapeutic agents appears to have been adjudged by their nasti- 

 ness. No doubt these heroic medicines had their use, for their 

 violent action would, at least, serve to distract the patient's atten- 

 tion from the rapidly approaching dissolution which the treatment 

 of former days too often implied. 



Anemone Hepatica is largely cultivated, and, in cultivation, the 

 flowers vary from pure white, mauve and red, to deep blue ; and 

 there are many double forms. 



Hyacinthus amethystinus is a beautiful little garden plant. 

 There are about 30 species of Hyacinthus, with the exception of 

 three South African, all natives of the Mediterranean region and 

 the Orient. 



The purely Pyrenean Viola cornuta has been largely propagated 

 in gardens, and has given rise to some of the so-called Violas or 

 Tufted Pansies. As we found it in its wild state, the flowers were 

 lavender, but under cultivation all sorts of colours have been 

 obtained by crossing. 



Arnica montana is common on and near the rocks of the village of 

 Gavarnie. It is a striking plant, and its flowers are supposed to 

 contain a property stimulative of the action of the skin. The shep- 

 herds of the Alps may often be seen gathering the heads of Arnica, 

 Hypochaeris and other yellow-flowered composite, for the purpose 

 of making tincture of Arnica. 



The much-talked of " Edelweiss " — Leontopodium alpinum — 

 is found freely distributed in the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, 

 and other mountains of Europe. The dangers of gathering this 

 plant, though often the subject of much literary tail-lashing, are 

 quite imaginary. Our specimens were found near the right bank 

 of the stream known as the Ordesa, well down the Val d'Arras, 

 on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. Some we obtained were 

 amongst the finest I had ever seen, and were growing at a height 



