868 WAHLENBERGIA. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. WAHLENBERGIA, 



Miller's Grape, with smallish leaves covered 

 with white down, and the " Teinturier " 

 Grape, the leaves of which assume a beauti- 

 ful claret colour before they fall, and among 

 the large number of Vines grown in wine- 

 making countries there are many worth grow- 

 ing for the beauty of their leaves. 



Brief mention may be made of the following 

 Asiatic species : V. Jicifolia, a distinct plant 

 with small round-lobed leaves like those of the 

 Fig ; V. flexuosa, V. Thunbergi, whose 

 foliage turns red in autumn ; and V. seriance- 

 folia, an interesting species of the Ampelopsis 

 group, with tuberous roots like a Dahlia, and 



Claret-coloured Vine. 



palmate or bipinnate foliage. All these 

 are natives of China and Japan. V. hima- 

 layana is a North Indian species with striking 

 trifoliate leaves. W. J. B. 

 Vittadenia. See ERIGERON. 



WAHLENBERGIA ( Tufted Hairbelt). 

 A charming group of alpines, closely 

 allied to the Hairbells, and mostly in- 

 habiting the mountains of Dalmatia and 

 Asia Minor. They are all useful free- 

 flowering alpines, and hardy, forming 

 tufts which bear large heads of pretty, 

 bell-shaped, upright flowers, of various 



shades of purple. The chief points in 

 their culture are full exposure, plenty of 

 sunshine, a free gritty soil, and raising 

 the plants above the surrounding level, so 

 that there is no possibility of stagnant 

 moisture remaining near them. 



All the species are true perennials, 

 easily cultivated, vigorous, and free- 

 flowering. They are difficult to increase 

 by division on account of the long roots 

 they make, but they ripen seed freely, 

 which if sown directly it is gathered 

 rarely fails to germinate. Syn. Edrai- 

 anthus. 



W. DALMATICA, a native of the moun- 

 tains of Dalmatia, is a tufted species with 

 narrow Grass-like leaves, 2 to 4 in. in 

 length, and flower-stems at first drooping, 

 afterwards erect, 4 to 6 in. high, with 

 large flowers of a violet-blue colour, in 

 clusters which appear in July and 

 August. 



W. GRACILIS. This is a variable 

 species from New Zealand, with square, 

 hairy, much-branched stems, the leaves 

 opposite, narrow toothed, and hairy, the 

 flowers terminal, erect, but nodding while 

 in bud, blue, large, and attractive, flower- 

 ing all through the summer. W. stricta, 

 littoralis, capillaris, and polymorpha are 

 varieties of this kind. 



W. GRAMINIFOLIA is the commonest 

 and easiest to manage, forming tufts of 

 long Grass-like leaves, bearing bunches 

 of large purple flowers. It ripens seed 

 freely, and that scattered about in the 

 rock-garden usually germinates readily. 



W. HEDERACEA (Ivy-leaved Hair- 

 belt). A native plant closely allied to 

 Campanula. It has creeping thread-like 

 branches, which bear small leaves and 

 light blue flowers. There is about it an 

 interest and grace not found in other more 

 robust members of the family, especially 

 when seen interlaced with the pink Bog 

 Pimpernel on British bogs. Worthy of a 

 place for a moist spot in the rock or bog- 

 garden, and easily increased by division. 

 It is abundant in Ireland and the south 

 and west of England. 



W. KlTAlBELl is a sturdy tufted species, 

 with large purplish blue flowers and 

 narrow toothed leaves. 



W. PUMILIO forms a dwarf tuft of 

 narrow, needle-like leaves of a bluish tint, 

 half an inch or more in length, and has 

 large flowers of a reddish-lilac or bluish 

 colour, bell-shaped, numerous, and borne 

 erect on short stems, coming in succes- 

 sion on the tuft for more than two months 

 in May and June. 



W. PUMILIORUM is the rarest, and al- 

 though little different from W. Pumilio, 



