33o THE ALPINE FLORA 



seed is the proper way. To this group belong the two 

 following. 



S. c&sia (PL XL11). A tiny plant, forming a hard, 

 compact tuft, more like silvery moss than anything, built 

 up of countless, wee rosettes ; the leaves are small, 

 leathery, with a curve outwards, bluish green, covered 

 with white spots. The white flowers, 2-3 in little, 

 corymbose clusters, are carried on thread-like stems. 

 July-August : crevices of sunny rocks in the limestone 

 Alps (1300-2700 m.). It is a slow grower, and must be 

 kept very select, away from weeds or coarser neighbours. 

 Plant firmly in sandy, gritty soil and water in summer. 

 An interesting discovery of Mr. Farrer's in the Oberland, 

 as showing the proneness of Saxifrages to hybridise, is a 

 natural hybrid showing the growth and rosettes of cxsia 

 modified by an admixture of aizoides, the flowers being 

 exactly intermediate, larger than those of cxsia and broader 

 in petal than those of aizoides, of warm creamy yellow. 



S. diapensioides, as beautiful as small, is like a more 

 compact edition of czesia, the leaves narrower, harder and 

 more erect, crowded into a closely packed cylinder. It 

 is also distinguished by a hairy, glandular stem. Its 

 requirements are those of c&sia only more so, especially 

 in the need for a constant supply of finely broken 

 limestone. This rare plant is found on some peaks of the 

 Pennine Alps. 



The "mossy" Saxifrages practically coincide with the 

 botanical Dactyloides, forming tufted swards of innumer- 

 able branches bearing finely divided leaves, close to one 

 another and spreading over considerable areas after the 

 manner of the English hypnoides. As a class, they like 

 cool, half-shaded positions and are multiplied without 

 any trouble by division, cuttings or seed. JWuscoides 

 and exarata are the only ones really worth growing. 



