464 



ERYNGIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



ERYSIMUM. 



E. GIGANTEUM (Giant Sea Holly). This 

 is an excellent plant for grouping, and a 

 picturesque object, growing from 3 to 4 feet 

 high, with stout stems and deeply-lobed, 

 spiny, glaucous leaves. The involucre, of 

 eight to nine large, oval, spiny leaves, pale 

 grey or glaucous, is very effective. Cauca- 

 sian Alps and Armenia. 



The Amethyst Sea Holly (E. amethystinuni). 



E. MARITIMUM (Common Sea Holly). 

 This native plant (Mertensia maritima) is 

 a very pretty kind, requiring no special 

 culture. It is one of the most glaucous of 

 the species, flowering from July to Octo- 

 ber, and grows from 6 inches to i feet 

 high. 



E. OLIVERIANUM (Oliver's Sea Holly). 

 This is of easy cultivation, and the abun- 

 dance of its highly coloured flower-heads 

 makes it attractive in the flower border. 

 It grows 2 to 3 feet and often 4 feet in 

 height. The ten to twelve bracts com- 

 posing the involucre are longer than the 

 head of flowers, and have about half a 

 dozen teeth on each sid6. It ripens seed 

 freely, and in this way it may be readily 

 increased. S. Europe. 



Other attractive kinds are E. Bour- 

 gati, campestre, cceruleum, planum, of 



which there is a very beautiful variety, 

 dichotomum, triquetrum, creticum, glad- 

 ale, spina-album. 



THE PANDANUS GROUP. To this 

 group, chiefly natives of Mexico and 

 Brazil, belong some of the extra- 

 ordinary forms in this genus. Begin- 

 ning with Serra, we have a large 

 broad - leaved species with curious 

 double spines ; Carrierei, said to be 

 the finest of all, having a compact 

 habit combined with large, beautiful 

 leaves. E. bromeliczfolium is a charm- 

 ing plant, striking and distinct in 

 habit, and forming elegant Yucca-like 

 tufts, with its graceful leaves sur- 

 mounted with whitish flower-heads. 

 E. pandanifolium is a noble plant, very 

 effective when grown as an isolated 

 plant on a lawn. E. Lasseauxi is 

 nearly allied, and quite hardy in the 

 open air. E. eburneum, aquaticum, 

 virginianum, Leavenworthi, and others 

 are all worthy of attention for their fine 

 foliage, but not so beautiful in colour 

 as the European Sea Hollies. 



ERYSIMUM. Wallflower-like 

 perennials, biennials, and annuals, 

 mostly of dwarf growth. Of the 

 perennials the following are the finest : 



E. OCHROLEUCUM (Alpine Wallflower). 

 This handsome plant forms, under cultiva- 

 tion, neat rich green tufts, 6 to 12 inches 

 high, and in spring is covered with sulphur 

 flowers. The rock garden is most con- 

 genial to it ; but it does very well on good 

 level ground, though it is apt to get naked 

 about the base, and may perish on heavy 

 soils. Division and cuttings. Alps and 

 Pyrenees. There are several varieties. 

 Syn., Cheiranthus alpinus. 



E. PUMILUM (Fairy Wallflower). A 

 very small plant, rare in cultivation, 

 resembling the alpine Wallflower in the 

 size and colour of its flowers, but lacking 

 its vigorous and rich green foliage. It is 

 often only i inch high, and it bears very 

 large flowers for its size. They appear 

 above a few narrow sparsely toothed 

 leaves, which barely rise from the ground. 

 Alps and Pyrenees. It requires an ex- 

 posed spot of very sandy or gritty loam 

 in the rock garden, where it must be sur- 

 rounded by a few small stones to guard it 

 from drought, and it must be associated 

 with alpine plants. 



E. RH;ETICUM. A pretty mountain 

 flower which, though rare in cultivation, 

 is a common alpine in Rhaetia and the 

 neighbouring districts, where in early 

 summer its broad, densely-tufted masses 

 are aglow with pretty, clear, yellow blos- 

 soms. E. canescens, a S. European 

 species with scentless yellow flowers, is 

 also a neat alpine, and so is E. rupestre, 

 which is desirable for the rock garden. 



