256 HARDY PERENNIALS AND 



flowered Erica-like Mountain Saxifrage. Doubtless, shorter 

 names are more convenient, but such specific names as the one 

 just given are not entirely useless. Its present botanical name is 

 in reference to the foliage only, but otherwise so distinct is this 

 plant either in or out of bloom that no one could well mistake it. 



The flowers are ^in. to fin. across, produced terminally and 

 singly on short procumbent stems. They are of a bright purple 

 colour ; petals ovate ; the longish stamens carry bold anthers 

 furnished with dark orange-coloured pollen, which forms a pretty 

 feature. The leaves are small; crowded, opposite, ovate, entire, 

 leathery, fringed or ciliated, and retuse. A peculiar feature 

 about this species is the pore at the blunt apex of each leaf. 

 The habit is prostrate ; the stems being long, tufted, or pendu- 

 lous, according to the situation ; the flower shoots are upright, 

 on which the leaves are more remote. Under cultivation newly 

 planted roots will be found not only to flower sparingly, but 

 the blooms will be rather small until the plant grows large and 

 strong. 



On rockwork, with its roots near or between large stones, is in 

 every way the best place for it ; it however, thrives in the borders. 

 The soil is not of much importance, but without doubt it does 

 best in a compost of the nature of that of its wild homes. The 

 humus and grit may be represented by sand and small stones,, 

 and peat or leaf soil, all mixed with loam. This, let me here 

 state, will be found generally the right stuff for alpines and 

 rockery plants. This plant is useful as a spring bedder, or for 

 carpeting bare places ; and any conspicuous part of the garden 

 needing bright objects during M!arch and April should give room 

 largely for this cheerful subject. The bloom is very lasting ; no 

 storm seems to do it any hurt, and in every way it is reliable. It 

 may be readily propagated by divisions. The procumbent stems 

 will, in strong patches, be found to supply rootlets in abundance. 

 These may be transplanted at almost any time of the year. 



Flowering period, March and April. 



8. opp. alba is a white flowered variety of the above. It is not 

 found wild. Other dissimilarities are the smaller parts through- 

 out the whole plant, and the less straggling habit. The white 

 petals show up the dark orange anthers finely. There are other 

 varieties of the above type, but their points of difference are so 

 slight as not to need description for garden uses. It may, 

 however, be useful to give their names : 8. opp. major, 8. opp. 

 pyrenaica, 8. opp. retusa, 8. opp. pallida. All the above 

 varieties may be grown like the common form ; their uses, propa- 

 gation, and blooming period are the same, with the exception of 

 pyrenaica, which not only flowers a little later, but is less 

 rampant, and not nearly so easy to propagate. I have imagined 

 that a little limestone has helped it, bits of which are placed over 

 its roots. 



