68 SOLDANELLA MONTANA. 



SOLDANELLA MONTANA. 



Mountain Soldanella. 



Linncan Clans — Pentandria. Order — Monogynia. Natural Order — Primulace.e. 



In the association of such frail and diminutive forms as the Soldanellas and other 

 plants of the mountain's side, -with the Titanic grandeur of Alpine scenery, it 

 would seem as if Creative wisdom had designed to impress us with the truth, that 

 its power is as strikingly displayed in the organization and economy of these 

 minute existences, as in the colossal majesty of the ' everlasting hills.' 



Modest as are the dimensions of the Soldanella Montana compared with the other 

 subjects of our plate, we shall find that it fully equals them in interest; foliage 

 and flower, corolla, stamens, and style, all present something worthy of notice ; 

 the first for its neatness, the latter for their curious structure. The leaves, as our 

 figure shows, all spring from the root, and are of a kidney-like form, with several 

 strong diverging nerves or ribs, and footstalks, densely clothed with short white 

 hairs ; the last feature distinguishes this species from the S. alpina, in which they 

 are quite smooth. The scape supporting the flowers is also pubescent, but less so 

 than the pedicels of the flowers, which are from four to eight in number. The 

 corolla very much resembles in its form that of some of the Campanulas, but 

 unlike them, is cleft into eight or nine segments of unequal size, several of which 

 are again more or less notched at the extremity. This feature is characteristic of 

 all the Soldanellas ; in the S. alpina, the flowers are even more finely cut than in 

 the present species. The stamens are five in number ; each is attached to a short 

 broad scale inserted at the bottom of the tube of the corolla, and resembling it in 

 colour ; the filament itself is flat, and projects beyond the anthers in a tapering 

 awl-like point; in the S. alpina this point is bifid. We regret that our artist 

 should have overlooked our request to show one of the stamens on an enlarged 

 scale, as well as the interesting germen, or immature seed vessel, which will be 

 found, on a close examination, to have five transparent gland-like bodies or warts, 

 seated around it in an oblique plane. When the stamens are in situ, they closely 

 surround the ovary, the scales forming by their union a sort of dome, as in the 

 Campanulas. The style is of simple character, but is remarkable for projecting 

 considerably beyond the mouth of the flower even before its expansion. The seed 

 vessel opens when ripe by several valves at the summit. The whole plant does not 

 exceed five or six inches, and several of the species are even smaller. 



The chief others are alpina, Clusii, minima and pusilla, all with flowers of a 

 similar tint to those of montana ; but of pusilla and minima there are white, or 



