Planche 3. 



Especes formant des touffes 

 serrees ou des coussins. 



Fig. 1 Eritriche naine. Feuilles gri- 

 sätres recouvertes de longs poils. Covolle 

 d'iin bleu admir.ablement pur et brillant, 

 avee un aaneau jaune ä l'entr^e du tiibe. 



Plante typique de la region nivale, ne 

 descendant pas audessous de la limite des 

 neiges öternelles; se trouve surtout sur les 

 roches siliceuses, de 2600 k 3600 m. 



Fig. 2. Androsace des glaciers. Touffes 

 peu serröes; les feuilles veloutees de poils 

 tres Courts; fleurs rougeätres. 



Öur les cretes et les cimes des roches 

 primitives, de 2000 ä 4000 m. 



Fig. 3. Gregoria fausse joubarbe. De la 

 famille des Primulacees, coraine Androsace 

 et Primevere. 



Eu Suisse seulement dans les Alpes du 

 canton de Valais, de 2000 a 3000 m. (Zer- 

 matt). 



Fig. 4. Silene ä courte tige. Voisine 

 des ocillets, formant des touffes souvent 

 dnormes, couvertes de fleurs. 



Sur les päturages et cretes rocheuses et 

 dans les pentes pierreuses, de 1800 a 3600 m. 



Fig. 5. Androsace helvetique. Formant 

 des touffes tres compactes, de forme hemi- 

 spherique ou presque globuleuse, parsemees 

 de fleurs blanches. Petites feuilles serrees 

 et imbriquees, durant tres longtemps. 



Dans les fentes des rochers calcaircs, 

 de 2100 ä 3000 m. 



Plate 3. 



Cushion-forming" Species. 



(All in Ute size.) 



Fig. 1. Dwarf Scorpion - grass, Leaves 

 shimmering grey from long hairs. Flower 

 of the purest, most brilliant blue, with a 

 yellow ring at the openiug of the corolla- 

 tube. 



Typical snowplant; only in the snow- 

 region, espec. on crests of mountains and 

 on the higher summits of the primary for- 

 mation, from 2600—3600 m. 



Fig. 2. Glacial Androsace. Formsloose 

 cushions; the leaves velvety from quite 

 Short hairs. 



Ou aretes and summits of the primary 

 formation from 2000—4000 m. 



Fig. 3. Vitali's Aretia. Belonging like 

 Primula and Androsace to the family of the 

 Primworts; stamens therefore opposite the 

 lobes of the corolla not between them. 



In Switzerland only in the S. Alps of 

 the Vallais from about 2500—3000 m. 



Fig. 4. Moss Campion. Nearly allied 

 to the Pinks ; there are male and female 

 Stocks; the former possess 10 stamens which 

 protrude beyond the flower, the latter 3 

 white stigmae. 



Forms firm often footsized cushions on 

 the Alpine pastures, on the aretes and on 

 precipices of debris from 1800—3600 m. 



Fig. 5. Swiss Androsace. Forms thick, 

 closely-packed, usually hemispherical cu- 

 shions, on which the white flowers are 

 closely pressed. The sniall leaves are thickly 

 haired and last for a long while. 



In the rocky clefts of the aretes and on 

 the summits of the cretaeeous mountains 

 from 2100—3000 m. 



With the exceptiou of No. 4 the species 

 illustrated on this plate belong to the Flora 

 of the snowregion i. e. to those plants which 

 only descend very little below the snow- 

 line, and that only rarely. Their whole 

 growth is excellently adapted to the raw 

 climate of the high Alps : They are dwarfed 

 in Order to be as near as possible to the 

 warm earth; their leaves are mostly eove- 

 red with a thick hairy coat in Order to pro- 

 tect them from a too intense chilling and 

 drying up ; their shoots are crowded thickly 

 together like moss for the purpose of mu- 

 tually protecting each other from a too in- 

 tense radiation and besides all this they are 

 enveloped by the long lasting remains of 

 the dead leaves. The flowers sit closely on 

 the cushions. These species are much more 

 characteristic of our Alps than the Edel- 

 weiss which is really a native of the Siber- 

 ian Steppes. 



