STONECBOPS GOOSEBEEEY. 123 



The Insipid Stonecrop (S. sexangulare), was given to me by 

 Mr. Ward. It is rather a taller plant than the last, though so 

 much resembling it, and the leaves are placed in six rows. At 

 the same time he gave me the White Stonecrop, the flowers 

 of which form a smooth, colourless panicle. The stalks are 

 purple, and the leaves drop off very soon. The Welsh Stone- 

 crop is also his gift. It bears a cyme of bright, yellow flowers. 

 It is distinguished from the Eock Stonecrop by the brightness 

 of its leaves, whilst the Crooked Stonecrop is marked by its 

 leaves being turned back. 



The distinguishing characteristics of the Hairy and Glaucous 

 Stonecrops are expressed in their names. I have not been 

 able to find specimens of either. 



The Ehodiola, or Hose-root, is the only species of the last 

 family of Stonecrops. It is a stout plant, with a woody root, 

 the scent of which resembles that of the Hose. Its broad, thick, 

 pointed leaves are often folded over one another, and the cyme 

 is composed of minute dirty yellow flowers. I know many 

 places in the Scotch hill country where it is found, but I am 

 obliged to be content with a garden specimen. 



The brilliant Mesembryanthemums of our gardens, and 

 the gorgeous Cactuses, intervene between the Stonecrop 

 tribe and that succeeding it in British botany the Goose- 

 berry. 



This is an important tribe to us for the service we have from 

 the fruits. The Wild Gooseberry (Eibes grossularia), is found 

 growing freely in woods in the jN^orth of Yorkshire. Beautiful 

 fruit, fully ripe, was found wild in Wensleydale last year. This 

 shrub is very thorny, bears its flowers singly or in twos, and 

 has a hairy berry. The boys of the district seldom allow these 

 berries to ripen. Our garden Gooseberries are varieties of this, 

 and like it flourish well in a cold climate. Murray states in his 

 " Encyclopaedia of Geography," that they grow in remarkable 

 luxuriance in vallies in Aberdeenshire, 900 feet above the level 

 of the sea. He cites Bishop Forbes, of Aberdeen, who died in 



