AGROSTEMMA ALLIUM. 



47 



roots require to be protected by a few 

 inches of leaf mould or like material 

 in winter. Division. 



Agrostemma coronaria (Rose Cam- 

 pion). Lychnis Coronaria. A woolly- 

 leaved herb, 1 to 2 ft. high ; biennial 

 in some soils. Flowers, in summer ; 

 red- crimson ; stems erect, forked ; pe- 

 duncles lengthened, 1 -flowered; calyx 

 somewhat bell-shaped; petals notched. 

 Leaves, lance-shaped, very broad, and 

 of a leathery texture. There are 

 two varieties of this plant sometimes 

 met with in cultivation, one having 

 white and the other double red flowers. 



S. Europe. Borders or banks, in 



common soil. It is long-lived and gayest 

 in flower on dry hill-sides, and in such 

 places is worthy of being naturalized 

 on wild banks and in thin copses. 



Ajuga genevensis (Geneva Bugle). 

 A dwarf, hairy herb, without runners, 

 6 to 12 in. high. Flowers, in summer ; 

 blue, in whorls forming handsome 

 spikes; calyx very hairy; tube of 

 corolla straight, projecting. Leaves, 

 oblong, hairy, narrowed at the base, 

 coarsely toothed. A . pyramidalis is a 

 variety of the preceding, found in 

 Britain, not at all ornamental, but 

 curious from the floral leaves being 

 crowded into quadrangular or pyra- 

 midal leafy spikes. Europe. Borders 



and fringes of shrubberies, in ordinary 

 light soil. Division. 



Ajuga reptans (Creeping Bugle). A. 

 smooth, creeping herb, with runners, 

 4 to 8 in. high. Flowers, nearly all 

 summer ; blue, rarely white, in whorls 

 in the axils of the leaves, on erect 

 stems. Leaves, entire, ovate. Com- 

 mon everywhere in Britain. The 



variegated and darkest leaved forms of 

 this plant are not unf requently used as 

 edging and rock plants under various 

 false names. They are easily grown 

 in any ordinary soil and quickly in- 

 creased by division. 



Alfredia cernua (Nodding A.) A 

 vigorous, thistle-like perennial herb, 

 4 to 7 ft. high. Flowers, in summer ; 

 yellowish ; the stem sending out 

 several small branches, each termi- 

 nated by one large head of flowers. 

 Leaves, of root 1 ft. long and 6 in. 

 wide in the middle, heart-shaped at 

 the base, tapering gradually to a point; 

 the stalks margined, the margins cut, 

 and ending in spines ; deep green on 

 the upper side, and white beneath, 

 sharply serrate ; lower stem-leaves 

 heart-shaped, half clasping ; those near 

 the top longandnarrow, sharp-pointed. 

 Siberia. Among vigorous peren- 

 nials, by wood- walks or in wild places, 

 in ordinary soil. Division or seed. 



Allium azureum (Azure A.) Dis- 

 tinguished at once by its handsome 

 deep blue heads, 1 to 2 ft. high. 

 Flowers, in summer; deep sky-blue, 

 with a dark line through the middle 

 of each division, arranged in a dense, 

 almost globular umbel, longer than 

 the spathes which envelop them before 

 expanding. Leaves, triangular, from 



6 to 12 in. long. Siberia. Borders. 



A little tender, and requires a warm, 

 well-drained soil. Division or seed. 



Allium flavum (Yellow A.) A 

 slender, somewhat delicate -looking 

 species, with grass-like and rather 

 greyish leaves, about 1 ft. high. 

 Mowers, in summer; yellow, bell- 

 shaped and somewhat drooping, in 

 pretty umbels; scape leafy at base. 

 Leaves, round, not hollow, flattish 

 above the 'base. Italy, Tyrol, and 



S. Europe generally. Borders, in 



collections of hardy bulbs, or on warm, 

 dry banks, in light sandy soil. Divi- 

 sion. 



Allium fragrans (Sweet-scented A.) 

 Nothoscordon fragrans. A tall and 

 vigorous species, with slightly glau- 

 cous leaves, 15 to 24 in. high. Flowers, 

 in summer ; white, with a bar of very 



