AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE, 



403 



tlinued. 



rarely pink or blue, cymose (see Pig. 463), in a few cases 

 axillary and solitary; calyx four or five-lobed ; petals 

 four or five (rarely six or seven), free ; stamens eight 

 to ten (rarely twelve to fourteen) ; filaments filiform or 

 subulate. Leaves very variable, opposite, alternate, and 

 whorled, entire or serrate, rarely laciniate. Sedums are 

 amongst the easiest of plants to grow; like Saxifrages 

 and Sempervivums, they succeed in almost any position, 

 on rockwork, old walls, or ruins, or in the mixed 

 border. Some are specially adapted for use in carpet 

 bedding, 8. lydium being an example. 8. acre, and 

 its variety aureum, though common, are plants much 

 favoured by almost everybody, and allowed to spread 

 extensively. 8. spectabiJe is a fine, herbaceous border 

 plant, also equally well adapted for pot culture. All 

 Sedums are readily propagated by seeds, by cuttings, 

 or by division of the tufts in spring. They prefer an 

 open, loamy soil, and to grow amongst stones, but, as 

 before noted, they thrive in almost any position. 



By the assistance of the following key, adapted from 

 Dr. Masters' admirable monograph on the " Hardy Stone- 

 crops" (published in the "Gardeners' Chronicle" for 

 1878), any of the hardy species may be readily identified. 



I. Herbaceous Perennials. 



Flowers unisexual : S. Rhodiola. 

 Flowers bisexuaL 



Leaves narrow, entire, toothed, or deeply divided : & Aiioon, 

 S. atiatieum, S. Xaximoviczii, S. Middendorjfanum, 



Sedumcontin ued. 



Leaves flat, broad, toothed, but never deeply divided (TiOB- 

 PH1UH group): & eryOtroftietum, S. maximum, S. 



bile, S. teltphioidti, S. Ttlephium. 



II. Evergreen Perennials. 



Leaves flat and broad. 

 Leaves wholly, or at least those on the barren shoots, in tufts 

 or rosettes: S. -BeyrieAmnum, S. JfevU, S. 

 S. ipaiMulifoiium, S. Urnatum, S. itmbiHcoidtt. 

 Leaves scattered, not tufted. 



Steins erect: S. populifoiivm. 



Stems, at least the barren ones, prostrate, creeping. 



Flowers yellow : & hybridum, S. japmSeum, S. taml- 



i pink, rose-coloured, or white : S. 

 S. Ewrtii, S. oppositifoKum, S. Sietoldi, S. 

 /erum. 



Leaves thick, more or less terete. 

 Leaves sharply pointed. 



Flowers yellow or greenish-yellow : & amplexieaule, S. ano- 

 petatum, S. ni&xense, S. pruinatum, S. rejtexum, S. rupatre, 

 S. tarmentotum, S. stenopetalum. 

 Flowers lilac or white : & puleheUum. 

 Leaves blunt at the tip. 



Flowers yellow : S. acre, S. Hitdebrandi, S. texangulare. 

 Flowers white or pink : S. album, S. arvtlieum, S. arboretim. 



TTT- 



Stamens ten to twelve. 



Leaves flat, tufted on the barren shoots : S. temperriwride*. 

 Leaves more or less cylindrical : S. caarvlewm, S. glandulotm*. 



A selection of the best-known species is given below; 

 they are hardy, herbaceous perennials, except where 

 otherwise indicated. For most of the descriptions we 

 are indebted to the monograph above quoted. 

 S. acre (bitter). Wall Pepper. JL yellow, numerous, iin. across ; 

 sepals like the leaves, half the length of the lanceolate, spreading 

 one-sided, two to tire-forked ; flower-stems erect, 



2m. to Sin. high. Summer. L minute, iin. to iin. long, crowded, 

 thick, conical, obtuse, gibbons at base, having an acrid taste ; 

 those on the flower-stems scattered. Barren stems creeping, 

 branched, about 2in. long, slender-cylindrical, rooting near the 

 base. Europe (Britain). Plant glabrous, evergreen. See Fig. 461. 

 (Sy. En. B. 632.) The commonest British species, of which the 

 following varieties are worth notice : 



S. a. aureum (goldenX I and tips of the shoots bright golden- 

 yellow in sprins. This charming variety is admirably suited 

 for spring bedding, or for giving colour at a dull time of the 

 year. 



type. A distinct 

 even deserving of 

 S. Alioon (Aizoon 



' 



yellow. 



sided.. Tta.^en'rows, closdlf "cTowdedllhid^ '5,^ 

 *base. Plant lamer and more robust than the 

 even" de^To, g^c^k^ * * ****" -Pi 



- . , __.^,^ <-.""=, mm*. MM OUL m uiaroeter ; lower pe- 



llte^Lrnn^i. d^t! s^u" DeS nmbeU ^ te ' fl '"'PMJ 



I^f' 1 ?S? a V' > ^ rael ?, a ? d ir f^ 1 ^ed U for b the ii grW^ 

 t of tbetr length ; midrib prominent. Stems glabrous, 1ft or 



=n h c& ^^anr^^^airb^TW^ 



Fto. VA. SEDCM ACRE. 



S. alblcans (whitiih). A garden form of 5. Tekphimx. 



S. album (whiteX* fl- white, nearly iin. across ; petals lanceolate, 

 spreading, twice the length of the calyx; cymes 2in. to 3in. in 

 diameter, corymbose, much-branched, many-flowered ; flower- 

 stems pinkish, erect, tin. to 6in. high. Summer. L alternate, 

 spreading, iin. long, linear-oblong, obtuse, contracted at base. 

 Barren shoots erect or creeping, rooting, terete, olive-brown, 

 sometimes slightly tubercled. Europe (Britain). Plant glabrous, 

 tufted, evergreen, handsome when in flower. (Sy. En. B. 529.) 

 Snes. S. fttnnotvm and S. ntolectuw (of gardens). The following 

 are varieties : 



S. a. brevifolium (short-leaved). L shorter and thicker than in 

 the type. 



S. a. micranthnm ($mail-flowered). JL smaller than in the 

 species. /. on the barren 

 flattened on both surfaces. 



shoots ascending, not spreading, 



S. a. teretifolium (terete-leaved). /., sepals and petals obtuse- 

 L much flattened above. (Sy. En. B. 529.) 



S. amplcxlcaule (stem-claspingX JL golden-yellow, nunierons, 

 secund ; sepals furrowed outside ; petals iin. long, keeled, twice 

 the length of the sepals ; cymes two-forked, leafy, with a solitary 

 flower in the fork ; flower-stems decumbent, ascending, 6in. to 

 Sin-long. Summer. L dilated and membranous at base, tapering 

 to a long, awl-shaped point; those of the flower-stems alter- 

 nate, "ill^m, sessile, iin. long. Branches 2m. to 4in. long, 

 wiry, jpf~lfag, clothed with imbricating leaves. Mediterranean 

 region. A canons, glabrous, evergreen species. The ends of the 

 shoots swell out into small, scaly tubers. 



S. Anacampseros (Anacampseros). JL violet, numerous, but 

 rarely produced, about iin. in diameter ; cymes dense, ter 



globose, with a few 



terminal, 

 leaves intermixed; flower-stems 



erect, terete, reddish. July. L orbicular or obovate, obtuse, 

 apiculate, cordate, anricled at base, with reddish margins. 

 Bnnrbes erect, rooting at the nodes. Central Europe, IK-6. 



PLuu gl 



(B. M. 118.) 



