406 " SIBBALDIA. tCLASS V. ORDER V. 



GENUS CII. SIBBAL'DIA— Linn. Sibbaldia. 



Nat. Ord. Rosa'ce^. Juss. 



Gen. Char. Calgx of ten segments, the alternate ones small. 

 Corolla of five petals, inserted into the calyx. Fruit five small 

 nuts, placed upon a dry receptacle. ( Stamens and nuts van/ from 

 Jive to ten). — " Named in honour of Robert Sibbald, who wrote 

 on the natural history of Scotland about the latter end of the 17th 

 century, and who published a figure of our Scottish species of this 

 genus." 

 1. S. procum'bens, Linn. (Fig. 519.) Procumbent Sibbaldia. Leaves 

 ternate; leaflets wedge-shaped, three toothed; petals lanceolate. 



English Botany, t. 897. — English Flora, vol. ii. p. 120. — Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. p 151. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 98. 



Root stout, woody, with branched fibres, much branched and tufted 

 at the top, and thickly clothed with the dry brown scaly remains of the 

 old leaves. Stems herbaceous, mostly several, short, scarcely branched, 

 leafy, round, procumbent, rough, with hairs pointed upwards. Leaves 

 on long slender footstalks, hairy, with a pair of winged, pointed, mem- 

 branous stipules at the base, leaflets three, on short footstalks, wedge- 

 shaped, the apex with three teeth, the middle one the smallest, dark 

 green, frequently tinged with a purplish hue, the mid-rib slender, wiih 

 slender netted veins, hairy, especially on the under side. Injlorescence 

 a leafy corymbose tuft, of a few yellow Jlotvers. Cahjx of ten seg- 

 ments, hairy, five lanceolate, acute, and the five intermediate ones 

 linear, acute. Corolla of five petals, lanceolate, inserted into the 

 calyx opposite the smaller segments, and about the same length, or 

 shorter. Stamens five, short, inserted into the calyx between the petals. 

 Anthers small, roundish, yellow. Germens five, or occasionally ten, 

 each with a style arising from the side. 5</^ma.s small, obtuse. Fruit 

 five or ten small smooth ovate compressed nuts, placed upon a dry 

 receptacle. 



Habitat. — Near and upon the summit of the Highland Mountains 

 of Scotland ; abundant. 



Perennial ; flowering in July. 



This hardy little perennial, growing upon the mountain top, is very 

 common on Ben Lomond and other Highland Mountains, and com- 

 memorates the name of one who loved to ramble ovef their rugged 

 brows. It has much the habit and is nearly allied to Potentilla, and 

 has the character of the natural order Rosacea; ; but has a definite 

 number of stamens and pistils. It is as frequent in the alpine districts 

 of Switzerlaiul and Italy as with us, and sometimes it is found with 

 leaves nearly smooth above, but very rough below. 



