PURPLE SANDWORT. 31 



The root is zigzag, the better to ent^vine 

 itself in the interstices of the rocks or stones 

 among which it grows, and to ch'aw from 

 thence all the moisture which heavy night- 

 dews or passing showers impart to the thirsty 

 soil. The delicate and slender leaves are 

 smooth, erect, and permanent, while the 

 taper-pointed calyx-leaves are remarkable 

 for the great breadth of their ivory -like 

 lateral ribs. The seeds when ripe are beau- 

 tifully toothed ; they look like wheels sup- 

 ported on a slender stalk. And as the level- 

 topped sandwort grows on the mountains of 

 North Wales, so does the fringed sandwort 

 affect those of Ireland. It has been gathered 

 from the Hmestone chffs of a high mountain 

 adjoining Ben Bulben, in the county of 

 Sligo, where its white and spreading petals 

 often vary the sterile aspect of those high 

 regions. This plant is likewise admirably 

 constructed for its elevated solitude. The 



