374 



8 — 10 cm. at the beginning of the flo^\ering period and 15 — 

 25 cm. towards the time for the ripening of the fruit. The 

 stem is, at that time, not rigidly erect as in Rmi. sulphureus 

 but ''spreads then outwards, and becomes assurgent" (Simmons 



I.e.). The full-grown plant bears 

 only foliage-leaves (Kjellman- 

 1. с), but before it attains the 

 flowering stage, according to 

 Sylvén (1. с.) it has developed 

 even in October a winter-bud 

 protected by scale-leaves. The 

 rosette-leaves are usually 

 few in number, and long- 

 stalked ; they are cordate at 

 the base and are deeply three- 

 cleft. There are 2 — 3 stem- 

 leaves; the lower one is stalked 

 and is similar in form to the 

 rosette-leaves, the others are 

 sessile and simpler in form 

 (Fig. 23). The principal bud 

 occurs in the axil of the 

 uppermost basal leaf, but the 

 other leaves of the rosette 

 may also subtend buds and 

 the rhizome is often found to 

 be branched. The two lower- 

 most stem-leaves may subtend 

 floral-axes which are usually 

 much more slender than the main axis ; they bear one or two 

 green bracts. In the specimens from Spitzbergen (leg. 6. 8. 

 1910) the principal bud had an almost fully-developed flower, 

 with fully-developed hairy perigone-leaves and nectary-leaves 

 and far advanced stamens and carpels. The young stem-leaves 



Fig. 23. R. nivalis. 



(Advent Bay in Spitzbergen; 6.8. 1910; V«). 

 /, Main axis; II, principal bud subtended 

 by b which is the dead sheath of the up- 

 permost rosette-leaf upon axis I. 



