A COLLECTING DAY ABOVE AROLLA 87 
ing brilliant blossoms, waxy-pure against the gold of 
their stamens, except where the fertilised flowers are 
fading to a dim,sad pink. And then, joyous find, comes 
an isolated mass of Gewm reptuns. Geum montanum, the 
golden Mountain-Avens, is a common little glory enough, 
quite dwarf and vigorous, with bright yellow flowers as 
large as a florin. And this, in cultivation, is as thrifty and 
easy a thing as you could have for any sunny rock-work 
or raised border—healthy, spreading, floriferous—though 
in cultivation its stems shoot up to six inches or so. 
But its big cousin, Gewm reptans, is very different in 
every respect. You are generally very high on the last 
moraines of all before, far ahead of you, on the unbroken 
grey of the stones, you see a sudden flare of gold. As 
almost all flowers except the smallest and dullest are now 
left behind, you cannot imagine what the yellow vision 
may be. It is Gewm reptans, making one compact colony at 
that point, and notoccurring again over the whole moraine. 
It is much bigger in growth than montanum, the pinnate 
leaves standing erect, and the whole plant reaching eight 
or ten inches in height. The flowers are, I think, the 
most magnificent in all the high-Alpine flora, from the 
point of view of combined brilliancy and size. They 
conquer even Aster alpinus and Senecio Doronicum— 
great golden St. John’s Worts they are, as large as a 
crown-piece—yes, and much larger, too. From the 
stock each parent-plant sends out a thin pink runner like 
that of a strawberry, which produces a young growth. 
Thus the species multiplies, yet stays perpetually in the 
same spot. 
In cultivation, unfortunately, Geum reptans is uncer- 
tain. It lives perfectly well, even multiplies, with some 
success. But it very rarely flowers. I am convinced, 
though, that it will prove (Ihaven’t yet tried it so, but mean 
to this season) a first-rate moraine plant, since what it 
