568 



ERYNGIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



ERYSIMUM. 



land, and, when well grown, is not sur- 

 passed in beauty by any plant. The 

 involucres, as well as the stems, are of 

 .a fine blue, and its flower-stems, about 



2 ft. high, arise during July and August. 

 E. amethystinum (Amethyst Sea 



Holly]. This has been confounded with 

 the much more robust E. Oliverianum, 

 although they have little in common. E. 

 amethystinum rarely exceeds i ft. to i^ 

 ft. in height, is of a somewhat straggling 

 habit, and has flower heads and stems 

 of the finest amethyst-blue. It can be 

 increased by division, and easily raised 

 from seed. Dalmatia and Croatia. 



E. giganteum (Giant Sea Holly}. 

 This is an excellent plant for grouping, 

 and a picturesque object, growing from 



3 ft. to 4 ft. high, with stout stems and 

 deeply-lobed, spiny, glaucous leaves. The 

 involucre, of eight to nine large, oval, 

 spiny leaves, pale grey or glaucous, is 

 very effective. Caucasian Alps and 

 Armenia. 



E. maritimum (Common Sea Holly]. 

 This native plant (Mertensia maritimd] 

 is a very pretty kind, requiring no 



The common Sea Holly (E. maritimum). 



special culture. It is one of the most 

 glaucous of the species, flowering from 

 July to October, and grows from 6 inches 

 to i^ feet high. 



E. Oliverianum (Oliver's Sea Holly}. 

 This is of easy cultivation, and the abun- 

 dance of its highly coloured flower-heads 

 makes it attractive in the flower border. 

 It grows 2 feet to 3 feet and often 4 feet 

 m height. The ten to twelve bracts com- 

 posing the involucre are longer than the 

 head of flowers and have about half a 

 dozen teeth on each side. It ripens seed 

 freely and in this way it may be readily 

 increased. S. Europe. 



Other attractive kinds are.fi 1 . Bourgati, 



campestre, cceruleum, plamim, of which 

 there is a very beautiful variety, dicho- 

 tonniin, triqitetrum, creticum, gladale 

 spina-album. 



THE PANDANUS GROUP. To this 

 group, chiefly natives of Mexico and 

 Brazil, belong some of the extraordinary 

 forms in this genus. Beginning with 

 Serra, we have a large broad-leaved 

 species with curious double spines ; 

 Carrierei, said to be the finest of all, 

 having a compact habit combined with 

 large, beautiful leaves. E. bromeli(c- 

 foliiim is a charming plant, striking and 

 distinct in habit and forming elegant 

 Yucca-like tufts, with its graceful leaves 

 surmounted with whitish flower-heads. 

 E. pandanifolium is a noble plant, very 

 effective when grown as an isolated plant on 

 a lawn. E. Lasseauxi is nearly allied and 

 quite hardy in the open air. E. eburneum, 

 aquaticum, virginianum, Leaveniuorthi, 

 and others are all worthy of attention 

 for their fine foliage, but not so beautiful 

 in colour as the European Sea Hollies. 

 D. D. 



ERYSIMUM. Wallflower-like peren- 

 nials, biennials, and annuals, mostly of 

 dwarf growth. Of the perennials the 

 following are the finest : 



E. ochroleucum (Alpine Wallflower). 

 This handsome plant forms, under 

 cultivation, neat rich green tufts, 6 to 12 

 in. high, and in spring is covered with 

 sulphur flowers. The rock-garden is 

 most congenial to it ; but it does very 

 well on good level ground, though it is 

 apt to get naked about the base, and 

 may perish on heavy soils. Division and 

 cuttings. Alps and Pyrenees. There are 

 several varieties. Syn., Cheira?ithus 

 alpinus. 



E. pumilum (Fairy Wallflower).^ 

 very small plant, rare in cultivation, re- 

 sembling the alpine Wallflower in the size 

 and colour of its flowers, but lacking its 

 vigorous and rich green foliage. It is 

 often only i in. high, and it bears very 

 large flowers for its size. They appear 

 above a few narrow sparsely toothed leaves 

 which barely rise from the ground. High 

 bare places in the Alps and Pyrenees. It 

 requires an exposed spot of very sandy or 

 gritty loam in the rock-garden, where it 

 must be surrounded by a few small stones 

 to guard it from drought, and it must be 

 associated with alpine plants. 



E. rhseticum. A pretty mountain 

 flower which, though rare in cultivation, 

 is a common alpine in Rhastia and the 

 neighbouring districts, where in early 

 summer its broad dense-tufted masses 

 are aglow with pretty clear yellow bios- 



