SAXIFRAGACEyE. 1 37 



green leaves, shining and quite destitute of hairs, often, but 

 not always, slightly heart-shaped at the base, and when fully 

 exposed to the sun becoming lustrous and tinged with reddish 

 bronze in autumn. The flowers, which are not always very 

 conspicuous, from their being on short stout stalks, and rarely 

 rising above the leaves, are large, pale-purple, or pink, in close 

 almost spike-like panicles, appearing from March onwards for 

 two months. Native of Siberia. A ver^^ useful plant for 

 mixed borders, and for introducing in sunny parts of woods 

 and banks in half-kept places. 



S. ciliata {Fringed-kavcd S.) — This belongs to the same 

 group as the last, and, like it, bears the generic synonym 

 Megasea. It is a smaller plant in all its parts than the Large- 

 leaved S., but has the same habit of growth and similar in- 

 florescence. It grows from 6 to 9 inches high, bearing round- 

 ish, obovate, dark-green, thick, and rather leathery leaves, hairy 

 on both surfaces, and not on the margin only, as the specific 

 name would imply. The flowers are on stout short stems, in 

 moderately-open panicles, and are white suffused with pink, 

 appearing in May and June. Native of northern India. The 

 plant is perhaps suitable only for culture in the open air in the 

 south of England; my experience of it does not extend farther 

 north than London in the open air, but I have not always seen 

 it quite scathless in even that favoured locality. It is, how- 

 ever, so pretty and distinct, that wherever it may be grown it 

 should be tried. The S. Hgulafa, nearly related to this species, 

 differs from it mainly — speaking from a gardener's point of 

 view — in having both surfaces of the leaves smooth, but the 

 margins densely fringed, and the flowers a deeper pink or 

 purple. It also is a native of northern India, and rather 

 tender. 



S. cotyledon {Pyrai?tidal S.) — This is one of the encrusted- 

 leaved section, and perhaps the most handsome of that group. 

 It produces large rosettes of tongue-shaped leaves, blunt and 

 rounded at the points, margined with regular saw-like teeth, 

 which are encrusted with grey. The flower-stems often, under 

 generous cultivation, reach the height of 2 or 3 feet, producing 

 immense pyramidal open branching panicles of white flowers. 

 They appear in June and July, but may be had much earlier 

 in pots under glass. Native of the Alps and Pyrenees. This 

 is one of the most elegant and beautiful of alpine plants. It 

 is difficult, indeed, to realise its striking beauty without seeing 

 the plant in its glory. The inflorescence is out of all propor- 

 tion to the comparatively small rosettes whence it springs. 

 The rosettes are very symmetrical, and may be used with good 



