78 ALPINE PLANTS 
But there are other members of this family not quite 
so absolutely flat to earth, but still small, neat, and very 
desirable, A. verna, czspitosa and its yellow-leaved 
variety aurea being creeping carpeting plants, A. grandi- 
flora, a comparatively large-flowered white, and A. 
purpurescens reddish purple. A. tetraquetra is choice, 
its white flowers reaching a height of about three inches, 
or maybe four in shady places, which, by the way, suit the 
arenarias, with the exception of the yellow one, as well 
as sunny positions. Propagation presents no difficulties, 
the plants dividing with the greatest of ease, and trans- 
planting safely at any season except during severe frost 
or prolonged drought. 
ARMERIA.—The Sea Pink, or Thrift family, contains a 
few plants of considerable attractiveness, and of greater 
interest than the common pink and white forms, maritima 
and maritima alba, albeit these have their uses as 
edging plants for gardens on sandy soils, where their tufts 
of grass-like foliage and globular heads of flowers make 
quite a good border line for beds where many more 
fastidious plants would fail. For seaside gardens the 
Thrifts are particularly useful. For rock gardening, how- 
ever, we may preferably use the deep red variety of mari- 
tima, named Laucheana, the greater size as well as richer 
colour of its flowers being superior to the common type. 
A. cephalotes, more properly called, according to botanists, 
A. latifolia, is still more effective, being larger and stouter 
in both leaf and stem, whilst its red flower heads are of 
double or treble the size of the maritima type. Another 
tall and strong growing species is A. plantaginea, of which 
