ACCOUNT OF GENUS SEDUM AS FOUND IN CULTIVATION. 8l 



no variation. Since then I have had self-sown seedlings showing 



every combination of the characters of the two species as regards 



colour of flower, size, shape and arrangement of leaf. Many of these 



match described varieties fairly well, so that, for horticultural purposes, 



it seems futile to devote space to many of the latter. Descriptions 



of a large number of these segregates will be found in Boreau's paper, 



" Monographic de quelques Sedum " in " M^moires de la Society 



Academique d'Angers," 20, 1866. A good account of the forms found 



in France, to the number of 19, is given in Rouy and Camus, " Flore 



de France," 7, p. 96. Very fine coloured illustrations of many of 



the forms of this and other of the equally variable S. Telephium are 



published in Jordan and Fourreau, " Icones ad Floram Europe," 1, 



1866-68, as species of a segregate genus Anacampseros. 



I have had in cultivation a large series of maximum forms and 



hybrids, received under many names from many sources, and have 



not succeeded in satisfying myself how far variation in character, 



such as alternate instead of opposite leaves, or reddish pigment in 



the flower is inherent in S. maximum or due to Telephium influence. 



As regards variation in undoubtedly pure maximttm, its most striking 



manifestation is in the development of brownish-purple pigment in 



the leaves and stems, and the substitution of ternate for opposite 



leaves. These find their most marked expression in the noble var. 



atropurpureum, referred to below. 



Description. — A large glabrous herbaceous perennial. Rootstoch thickened. 

 Roots a bunch of carrot-Uke tubers. Stems 1-3 feet, erect, smooth, round, green 

 or red, unbranched, or branched near summit, annual. Leaves usually dark 

 green, sessile, clasping, usually opposite, often ternate, sometimes alternate 

 (different stems of the same plant often showing all three of these variations), 

 broadly oyate, blunt, slightly and irregularly toothed, 2-3 inches long by half 

 to two-thirds as broad. Inflorescence composed of terminal and also lateral 

 dense corymbs ; stems of lower corymbs long ; ultimate pedicels slender, longer 

 than the flowers. Flowers 5-parted, crowded, greenish-white, ^ inch across. 

 Buds ovoid, ribbed, blunt. Sepals green, fleshy, lanceolate to deltoid, acute, 

 J to i as long as the petals, tube short. Petals ovate-lanceolate, rather acute, 

 greenish-white. Stamens sUghtly exceeding the petals, filaments white, anthers 

 yellow. Scales yellow, linear, notched, twice as long as broad. Carpels stout, 

 erect, greenish, non-contiguous on inner face, equallmg the petals. 



Flowers August-September. Hardy. 



Habitat. — Widespread in Europe ; Caucasus. 



var. atropurpureum hort. 



Leaves and stems deep purple. This definition covers a number 

 of forms, varying in size, habit, and pigmentation. The most striking 

 of them is an extremely vigorous plant, three feet or more in height, 

 leaves usually ternate and up to 5 inches long by 3 inches broad, 

 stem and leaves dark purple, flowers pink. It is not uncommon in 

 gardens. A smaller form is figured by Masters {" Hardy Sedums," I.e.). 



f. versicolor Van Houtte. 



(5. Rodigasi of gardens.) A handsome variegated form, with 

 silver-splashed leaves and pink stems, well illustrated in " Flore 



VOL. XLVI. c. 



