82 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



des Serres," tab. 1669. vStated to be rather tender, I have not met 

 with it in cultivation, but it is no doubt still grown. 



This species is frequent in gardens, though often of doubtfully 

 pure parentage. The name refers to its size ; in some of its forms 

 it is the largest of European Sedums. 



24. Sedum Telephium Linn. 



S. TeUphium Linn. Species Plantarum 430, 1753. Masters in 

 Gard. Chron., 1878, ii. 303. 



This common species, which ranges right round the northern 

 Hemisphere — for the American S. telephioides does not appear to be 

 specifically distinct — is easily known by its stout, erect, leafy stems, 

 and dense corymbs of red-purple flowers. Its nearest allies are 

 5. maximum and S. alboroseum, but the former has (when typical) 

 opposite leaves and green flowers, and the latter greenish-white 

 petals and rosy carpels. 5. spectabile differs in its pink flowers with 

 very long stamens. All have the characteristic Telephium rootstock 

 — a bunch of carrot-shaped tubers. 



Linnaeus' name is derived from Telephus, son of Hercules. 



Sub-species S. purpureum Link (figs. 366, 38). 

 5. purpureum Link, " Enum. Plant. Berol.," 1, 437, 1821. 



Illustrations. — Sowerby, " Engl. Bot.," ed. 3, pi. 526. Reichenbach, " Flor. 

 German.," 23, tab. 44. Curtis, " Flor. Londin.," 2, pi. 71. De Candolle, " Plantes 

 Grasses," tab. 92. Cusin and Ansberque, " Herb. Flor. Fran^aise, Crassul.," tab. 6. 



Description. — A stout glabrous herbaceous perennial. Rootstock thick, 

 with carrot-like tubers. Stems clustered, stout, erect, round, smooth, leafy, 

 i-ij foot high, mostly with axillary branches above. Leaves numerous, 

 alternate, glabrous, fleshy, ascending, about 3 inches long by ij inch broad, 

 smaller above, blunt, irregularly toothed in upper two-thirds, lower ones obovate- 

 oblong wedge-shaped below, vipper ones oval-oblong rounded below, all sessile. 

 Inflorescence of dense terminal and lateral subglobose stalked corymbs. Flowers 

 purplish red, ^"^ to -{^ inch across, about as long as the pedicels. Buds streaked 

 purple, with green ribs. Sepals green, fleshy, lanceolate, acute, separate nearly 

 to the base. Petals wide-spreading, lanceolate, acute, thrice the sepals. Stamens 

 spreading, nearly equalling the petals. Scales yellow, strap-shaped, twice as 

 long as broad, emarginate. Carpels erect, purple, shorter than the stamens, 

 furrowed on the back ; styles very short. 



Flowers August-September. Hardy. 

 Habitat. — From England to Japan. 



Sub-species S. Fabaria Koch (fig. 39). 

 S. Fabaria Koch, "Synopsis Flor. German.," ed. i. 258, 1837. 



Illustrations. — Sowerby, "Engl. Bot.," ed. 3, pi. 527. Reichenbach, 

 " Flor. German.," 23, tab. 47. Cusin and Ansberque, " Herb. Flor. Fran9aise, 

 Crassul.," tab. 7. 



Description. — Very like S. purpureum, but is a smaller and slenderer plant : 

 leaves deeper green, narrower, and thinner, all wedge-shaped below (instead of 



