338 THE ALPINE FLORA 



amethyst-violet; in the Caucasus we find 7:. giganteum, a 

 splendid plant of architectural forms and of a peculiar 

 greyish-blue ; in Turkestan and the East E. c&ruleum and 

 creticum, species with spreading branches, more or less 

 spinous and tinted to the foot with the dark blue of the 

 bracts; lastly there is the Siberian planum, a tall-growing 

 kind with small, violet-blue involucres and stems coloured 

 to half their height. 



All grow well in any very deep poor sandy soil; 

 alpinum except, they are more robust and of better colour 

 in full sun. 



Bupleurum 



Eng. : Hare's-Ear; "Fr. : Buplevre; Ger. : Hasenohr. 



B. stellatum (PI. XLVIJ). A curious, uncommon 

 plant, which grows among sunny rocks in the central and 

 eastern Alps (i5oo-23oo m.). The brownish-yellow 

 flowers are surrounded by an involucre of large, yellowish 

 green bracts, thus forming little bunches, which in turn 

 are united into a compound umbel surrounded by 2-5 

 large bracts of the same colour. 



Pimpinella 



P. magnarosea* (PI. XLVI1). Burnet-Saxifrages are 

 among the most important herbs of alpine meadow-land. 

 The colour of the flowers varies from yellow-white to 

 the most vivid rose ; the higher one climbs, the more 

 pronounced the red becomes. 



Astrantia 



Eng.: Masterwort; Fr. : Astrance, Radiaire; Ger. : Thalstcrn. 



A. major* (PI. XLVI11). A big, herbaceous plant 

 with palmate leaves and erect stem, 8-10 in.; stamen-like 

 flowers in a dense umbel, surrounded or supported by a 



