ACCOUNT OF GENUS SEDUM AS FOUND IN CULTIVATION. 257 



green, fleshy, nearly erect, broadest near the very blunt tip, tube very short. 

 Petals greenish yellow, i^ times the sepals, ovate, blunt, erect. Stamens equalling 

 the sepals, filaments green, anthers yellow. Carpels green, at first erect, spreading 

 widely in fruit. 



Flowers June. Hardy. 



Habitat. — Mountains of Central and Southern Europe and Asia 

 Minor. 



124. Sedum Douglasii Hooker (fig. 151). 

 5. Douglasii Hooker, " Flora Bor. Amer." 1, 228, 1832. 



Synonym. — S. himalense or himalaicum of many gardens (not S. himalense 

 of Don, for which see p. 51). 



Sedum Douglasii recalls in its narrow, very fleshy leaves and golden- 

 yellow flowers the diflicult rwpesire group which, though mainly 

 European, has. a representative in North America (to which region 

 the present species belongs) in 5. stenopeialum. But in its steUate 

 fruit it differs so widely from the members of that group that it can 

 hardly be included with them. As it is often confused with one 

 or other of the rufesire section, some simple diagnostic characters 

 may be mentioned. From S. stenopeialum the flattened leaves, 

 the shaggy clothing of withered leaves on the middle portion of 

 the shoots, and the short prohferous branches on the flowering stems 

 distinguish the present species. 5. reflexum and 5. rupestre are 

 separated by their creeping character, Hnear leaves, and inflorescence 

 drooping and convex when young. S. aliissimum has taller flowering 

 stems, whitish flowers, and, like reflexum, has no persistent withered 

 leaves nor prohferous buds on the flowering-shoots. 5. anopeialum 

 is separated by its creeping habit, long sepals, and absence of withered 

 leaves and prohferous shoots. 



Description. — A small, stout, erect, glabrous, evergreen perennial, green, often 

 tinged red. Stems bare below, clothed in middle portion with withered leaves, 

 leafy near top ; barren shoots i to 3 inches high, erect, slightly branched ; flower- 

 ing stems stout, 3 to 12 inches high, unbranched, leaves more distant, the upper 

 ones with short axillary shoots which persist after the fall of the leaf and 

 ultimately drop off and take root. Leaves alternate, crowded, linear to linear- 

 lanceolate, subterete, flattened especially on the upper side, rather acute, ^-l 

 inch long by -^ broad, with a short adpressed membranous spur ; those of the 

 flowering stem distant, Unear-lanceolate, blunt. Inflorescence a compact, leafy 

 cyme with about 3 stiff, stout, straight, few-flowered branches and a flower in the 

 fork. Buds acute, ribbed, ovate. Flowers sessile, bright yellow, i to f inch across. 

 Sepals yellow, ovate, acute, not fleshy. Petals 4 times the sepals, ovate- 

 lanceolate, acute, with an apiculus behind the tip, orange-yellow, wide-spreading, 

 keeled. Stamens yellow, spreading, slightly shorter than the petals. Scales 

 quadrate, short, yellow. Carpels erect, later spreading, greenish yellow, shorter 

 than the stamens ; stellate-patent in fruit. 



Flowers June-July. Hardy. 



Habitat. — Western N. America from British Columbia to California 

 and Montana. 



Not infrequent in English gardens, generally under the quite 

 erroneous name of himalense. 



VOL. XLVI. S 



