174 ROCK GARDENING FOR AMATEURS 



evolve order out of this chaos with little or no success ; 

 the distinctions are of more or less geographical character, 

 and are of no avail when the plants are grown side by 

 side under the same conditions. It is therefore simplest 

 to keep to Linnaeus's name of S. caespitosa for all these 

 indistinguishable forms, which begin flowering in May 

 and continue until July. 



One of the most marked varieties is S. c. var. hirta, with 

 very hairy foliage. Many varieties have been raised of 

 late years, some with charming red flowers. The red 

 colour in these newer forms of S. caespitosa, which has 

 white flowers, is due to the influence of S. muscoides 

 var. atropurpurea, a charming little plant with bright 

 red blooms. One of the first was Guildford Seedling, a 

 very dwarf carpeting plant, with bright crimson flowers. 

 S. Clibrani is of rather taller habit with red flowers ; so 

 too is S. Bathonensis, which grows nearly one foot 

 high, with much branched stems and large brilliant red 

 flowers. One of the best is S. sanguinea superba, of neat 

 habit, and flowers of rich ruby scarlet that do not fade 

 so quickly as some of the other kinds. 



5. exarata. A distinct and beautiful kind from 

 the Alps and Pyrenees, forming a close, compact carpet 

 of bright green, completely covered with a mantle of 

 white flowers in early summer. The thin wiry stems, 

 reaching only two or three inches high, are rigid and 

 freely branched. 



S. globulifera. A free-blooming and handsome plant 

 from the Western Mediterranean region. It is somewhat 



