FLOWERS OF HIGH ALTITUDES 83 



fact, the stems look like little twigs of Cedar. You 

 can readily see that White Heather is exposing just 

 as little as possible of her leaf surface to the Sie/ran 

 sunshine. To counter- 

 part her stubby leaves, 

 she hangs above them 

 the most graceful blos- 

 soms, each a pure white 

 perfect bell, with five 

 reddish sepals symmetri- 

 cally arranged around 

 its base. A bed of 

 White Heather suggests 

 a summer camp of the 

 fairies, with the snowy 

 chimes resounding a 

 welcome to the concord 

 of Nature. And with 

 fairies come the other 



wee folk, who crawl into Mrs. White Heather's bell 

 and pay the dues for her hospitality. 



White Heather is named Gassiope, for a favorite 

 in Greek mythology, the same lady whose memory is 

 honored by the constellation Cassiopeia's Chair. 

 Mertensiana, the species, is for a German professor, 

 Franz Karl Mertens, who won renown in the study 

 of plants. 



Magenta Heather also crowds her small green 



WHITE HEATHER 



