324 THE ALPINE FLORA 



for, as the name indicates, they are everlasting and it is 

 difficult to injure them on account of the abundance of 

 moisture contained in the leaves. 1 have seen admirable 

 collections in most uncongenial surroundings in the heart 

 or London and of Paris; some stocks known to me are 

 over fifty years of age. The acid and astringent juices, 

 with which the leaves are gorged, are used in pharmacy to 

 remove corns. The common houseleek is also considered 

 a diuretic and antiscorbutic. It was reverenced by the 

 ancient Danes as sacred to the god Thor and as protector 

 of dwellings against the devil. For this reason it was planted 

 on roofs, where, for that matter, it thrives excellently 

 without any other soil than that of the mould formed from 

 its own leaves. Ancient Germans also planted it on roofs to 

 protect the house against thunder. To the Romans it was 

 known as Jovis barba hence the French Joubarbe 

 that is, the beard of Jupiter, the god of thunder and 

 lightning, and it is more than likely that even then the 

 idea of protecting houses was attached to it. 



