i62 DIVERSIONS OF A NATURALIST 



Soldanellas — those little lilac-coloured flowers like pen- 

 dent foolscaps which are allied to our primrose — and the 

 crocus and the butterbur (Petasites) actually blossom 

 beneath the snow and push their open flowers through it 

 to the sunlight. Others of these " higher Alpines " have 

 a peculiar mode of growth related to their special con- 

 ditions of life. Their stems are very short and their 

 foliage closely set, so that they form compact tufts or 

 cushions, on which their short-stalked brilliant little 

 flowers are dotted. The fact is they have not time in 

 the short summer of these high regions to grow long 

 stems. Their flowers are produced on low-lying parts 

 of the plant, which carry small and abundant green 

 leaves, but never send up long leaf-bearing stems. Not 

 only do they thus do quickly, and without needless 

 upward growth, what they have to do — namely, expose 

 green leaves to the sunlight for nutrition and their 

 flowers to the fertilizing visits of insects so as to ripen 

 their reproductive seeds — but they benefit by keeping 

 close to the warmth of the ground, which is heated by 

 the strong sunshine, and is three and a half degrees 

 higher in temperature than the cold moist air. In 

 similar positions in low-lying regions the difference 

 between the temperature of the air and that of the 

 surface of the ground is not as much as one degree. 



The Alpine meadows do not occur above the height 

 of 5000 to 6000 feet, and are bordered by pine woods, 

 in which are many beautiful plants not to be found at 

 all or not in such profusion in the lower valleys. Both 

 the meadows and woods of the Alpine heights graduate 

 into those of lower level, and it is difficult to draw the 

 line and say these flowers should be, and these should 

 not be, called " Alpines." Many rock-loving plants 

 allied to those found at great heights flourish in com- 



