612 HELIANTHEMUM 



than at the apex ; J to | in. long, ^ to | in. wide, furnished with a few 

 comparatively long hairs," especially on the margins. Flowers produced in 



iune and July in a loose terminal raceme, three to five together ; each flower 

 to | in. diameter, bright yellow, unblotched, borne on a slender, downy stalk, 

 epals five, hairy ; the three inner ones oval and about half as long as the 

 petals, the two outer ones linear, much smaller. Stipules absent. 



Native of the mountains of Central Europe at 6000 to 7000 ft. altitude, of the 

 Caucasus, and Asia Minor; introduced in 1818. This pretty little plant, 

 although now rare, has existed at Kew and in Canon Ellacombe's garden at 

 Bitton for many years. It is quite hardy, and admirable for the rock garden. 



H. ALYSSOIDES, Ventenat. 



A shrub about 2 ft. high, but twice as much in diameter, forming a low 

 mound of tangled, slender, spreading branches, densely clothed with grey, 

 partly starry down. Leaves narrowly obovate or oblong to ovate-lanceolate, 

 mostly tapered at the base, rounded or blunt at the apex ; \ to \\ ins. long, 

 ^ to \ in. wide ; grey with a dense down. Flowers in a branched, terminal 

 hairy corymb ; each flower \\ to if ins. diameter, bright yellow, unblotched. 

 Sepals three, ovate, pointed, very hairy, \ in. long ; flower-stalk thickening 

 upwards. 



Native of Spain and Portugal ; flowering from May onwards. It is allied 

 to H. formosum, but differs in not having the long silky hairs characteristic of 

 that species mixed with the short close down, also by the unspotted petals. 



H. APENNINUM, De Candolle. 



(Sweet's Cistinese, t. 62 ; H. polifolium, Persoon.") 



A low, spreading, much-branched shrub up to 18 ins. high, the stems and 

 leaves thickly clothed above and below with a close, white, stellate down, 

 giving the whole plant a mealy appearance. Leaves linear-oblong or linear, 

 the margins much recurved, to I in. long, to in. wide ; bluntish or pointed. 

 Racemes terminal, producing numerous flowers in succession. Flowers pure 

 white, I in. or rather more across, nodding in the bud state, but becoming erect 

 at expansion. Petals obovate, slightly toothed at the end. Sepals five, the 

 two outer ones linear, very small ; the three inner ones ovate, twice as long as 

 the others, all white with down. 



Native of Europe and Asia Minor ; found in a few places in S.W. England, 

 such as the Brent Downs in Somersetshire, and at Torquay and Babbicombe in 

 Devonshire, usually on limestone. It is, of course, quite hardy, and so nearly 

 allied to H. vulgare that some botanists regard it as a variety. It is distinct 

 enough, however, for garden purposes, in its less spreading habit, its white 

 foliage and flowers, and by the smaller, bodkin-shaped stipules. There are 

 hybrids between the two, e.g. H. CONFUSUM (Sweet's Cistineae, t. 91), with white 

 flowers, but broader leaves and longer stipules than ordinary polifolium. 



Var. RHODANTHUM (Sweet's Cistineae, t. 7). Flowers reddish ; leaves not 

 so much recurved as in the type. 



H. FORMOSUM, Dunal. 

 (Sweet's Cistineae, t. 50 ; Cistus formosus, Hort?) 



A low shrub with wide-spreading branches, growing 2 to 3 ft. high, but 

 more in width, the young shoots erect, the whole plant grey with short down 

 intermixed with which are numerous whitish, stellate or long simple hairs. 

 Leaves oblong, oval or obovate ; \ to i^ ins. long, j to ^ in. wide ; three-nerved 



