138 CRASSULACE^E. 



with the stem. Flowers $ in. diam., few, golden-yellow. Sepals obtuse, not 

 half as long as the petals. Anthers yellow. DISTRIB. Europe, N. Africa. 

 Siberia. Taste acrid ; is a vesicant, emetic and cathartic. 



7. S. rupes'tre, Hudson; glabrous, leaves linear -lanceolate flattened 



gibbous at the base, sepals oblong not gibbous at the base. 



Rocks in S.W. England and Wales, rare ; fl. June-July. Stems stout, loosely 

 tufted, green or tinged with pink ; flowerless with closely rosulate leaves ; 

 flowering 6-10 in., with suberect scattered leaves. Leaees ^-1 in., acute or 

 acuminate, the gibbosity close to the stem. Cymes 3-4 in. diam., branches 

 scorpioid. Flowers in. diam., golden yellow. Sepals oblong, obtuse. J'<tn/x 

 lanceolate, acute. Anttiers yellow. DISTKIB. Europe from Belgium south- 

 wards. I follow Syme in the diagnosis of the following sub-species. 



Sub-sp. EL'EGANS, Lej. ; glaucous, cyme rather flat-topped. VAU. 1. //"..; 

 stout, &-12 in., leaves f-1 in., cyme 3-5 in. diam. Cheddar Cliffs. YAK. 2, 

 mi'niis ; smaller and more slender. St. Vincent's Rocks, Bristol, Shropshire 

 and Wales, indigenous ; elsewhere in England an escape. 



Sub-sp. FORSTKRIA'NUM, Sm. (sp.); more slender, cymes rather round-topped 

 sometimes capitate. Wet rocks ; W. Somerset and Wales. 



S. SEXANGULA'RE, L. ; glabrous, leaves cylindric spreading gibbous at the 



base, sepals not gibbous at the base. 



Old walls in the E. of England, not indigenous ; fl. July. Stems loosely 

 tufted, flowerless with crowded leaves in about 6 rows; flowering 3-6 in., 

 laxer spreading or recurved with leaves J in. ; basal gibbosity of the leaf 

 acute, in contact with the stem. Cyme 1-2 in. diam., corymbose. /'/,;</.< 

 A in. diam., yellow. Sepals obtuse. Petals lanceolate, acute. DI.STRIU. 

 Mid. and E. Europe. 

 S. KKFLKX'UM, L. ; glabrous, leaves crowded cylindric-subulate spiralling 



and reflexed, sepals not gibbous at the base. 



On rocks and housetops in England, Wales, and Ireland, not indigenous ; 

 fl. July-Aug. Very similar to S. rnptstre, but usually much larger, the 

 leaves are almost cylindric, and in about 6 series with subulate tips ; the 

 flowers are usually bracteate, often 6-merous. DISTRIB. Europe. 



VAR. 1, reflex? urn proper ; leaves green, those of the flowering shoots re- 

 flexed, flowers bright yellow. VAR. 2, albej'ceiis, Haworth (sp.); smaller, 

 leaves glaucous those of the flowering-stems not reflexed, flowers pale 

 yellow. S. glaucum, Sm. Mildenhall, Suffolk ; Babbicombe, Devon. 



3*. SEMPERVI'VUM, L. HOUSE-LEEK. 



Succulent herbs or undershmbs. Radical leaves densely rosulate, 

 stolonifcrous from their axils ; canline alternate. Flowers in corymbose 

 or pauicled cymes. Calyx 6-mnlti-ful or partite. Petals as many, free or 

 connate and adnate to the alternate filaments below, narrow, acute. 

 Stamens usually twice as many, the alternate sometimes deformed in- 

 transformed into carpels. Scales various, simple, or connate iii pairs, 

 2-fid or fimbriate, rarely 0. Carpels as many as petals, free or connate 

 and adnate with the calyx-tube ; styles filiform ; ovules many. J<'nf /<<?<* 

 many-seeded. DISTRIB. Europe, N. Africa, especially Madeira and the 

 Canaries, \V. AVia and the Himalaya; species 40. ETYM. ncmj^r and 

 vivo, from their retention of vitality. 



