ACCOUNT OF GENUS SEDUM AS FOUND IN CULTIVATION. 299 



Of the plants raised, one flowered in the first year and then 

 died. In this the flowers had only five stamens, and the in- 

 florescence proved abnormal, being very lax and leafy, with 

 large flowers. The rest flowered in the following season, and the 

 flowers examined had ten stamens. Misled by this, I described the 

 plant as new (as above). Further examination of this material 

 shows that the number of stamens in the flowers is not constant. 

 As the stamens in the type material and in other gatherings in the 

 Edinburgh Herbarium (which like the type are of Maire's gather- 

 ing about Tong-tchouan) are five, it appears that my specimens 

 were exceptional. 



Named after Dr. Somen. 



B. Teretifolia. 



145. Sedum hispanicum Linn. (fig. 178). 



S. hispanicum Linn., "Cent. Plant.," 1,12, 1755; "Amoen. Acad.," 

 4. 273, 1759. 



Synonyms. — S. glaucum Waldstein and Kitaibel. " Plant. Rar. Hungar." 

 Boissier, " Flor. Orient.," 2, 789. Masters in Card. Chron. 1878, ii. 685. 

 S. sexfidum, M. von Bieberstein, " Flor. Taurico-Caucas.," 1, 354. 



Illustrations. — Reichenbach, " Flor. German.," 23, tab. 51. Sibthorp, 

 " Flora Graeca," 5, tab. 449. Jacquin, " Flor. Austriac. Icones," 5 (appendix), 

 tab. 47. Waldst. and Kit. loc. cit. tab. 181. Hallier, " Flor. Deutschland." 26, 

 pi. 2643. 



The type is well marked by its annual duration, pinkish-glaucous 

 colour, and pinkish-white flowers with the parts in sixes. The plant, 

 however, is polymorphic, and varies as regards size, duration, hairiness, 

 and the number of the floral parts — see below. 



Description. — Generally annual, appearing in autumn or spring and 

 flowering in June ; sometimes biennial ; two varieties perennial. A small, 

 pinkish-glaucous plant, 2 to 6 inches high. Stems branched below, branches 

 ascending, leafy, more or less hairy. Leaves sessile, linear tq oblong-lanceolate, 

 rather acute, glaucous, often reddish, fleshy, flattened, sometimes subterete, 

 i to I inch long by f inch broad. Inflorescence a loose, leafy, flattish cyme. Buds 

 ovate, acute, ribbed. Flowers | inch across, usually 6-merous, sometimes 4-, 5-, or 

 up to 9-merous. Calyx short, green, teeth triangular, acute. Petals white, very 

 acute, wide-spreading, 4 times the sepals, keeled on back, nerve red. Stamens 

 shorter than the petals, filaments white, anthers purple. Scales whitish, cuneate, 

 strongly emarginat'e. Carpels erect, often red, smooth or hairy ; style long, curving 

 outwards ; fruit stellate-patent. 



Flowers June. Hardy. 



Habitat. — From Switzerland eastward to Persia. 



Carpels sometimes glabrous (var. leiocarpum Boissier, "Flor. 

 Orient.," 2, 789), sometimes more or less hairy (var. eriocarfum Boissier, 

 loc. cit.). If starved, as when grown on a wall, it tends to produce 

 barren shoots and to lose its annual character, thus approaching var. 

 bithynicum Boissier, loc. cit. 



Var. polypetalum Boissier, "Flor. Orient.," 2, 789 (fig. 178, a). 



Petals 7 to 9, and other floral organs in proportion; sepals 

 lanceolate. 



