BITING STONECROP.— ^^^/^^;;^ acre, 



t7rt.s5 Dlcandria. O/'tZe/- Pentagtnia. Nat. OrcZ. Crassui ace^. 

 Stonecrop Tribe. 



Any one who should leather this vellow floAver 

 from the old wall, or the rock or sandy 

 ground on which it flourishes, would acknow- 

 ledge, upon tasting it, the justice of its com- 

 mon name. It is also, besides, called Wall 

 Pepper, on account of its pungent flavour ; and 

 so acrid is its juice, that it will raise a blister 

 on the skin if applied to it. 



This Stonecrop, as well as some others of 

 our native species, is very ornamental to the 

 stone or brick wall, where it often accompanies 

 the snapdragon, the wallflower, and other plants 

 which require but a small portion of soil for 

 their nutriment. The power of adapting them- 

 selves to barren places is partaken by all the 

 genus, of which w^e have eleven British species. 

 Some of them are handsome plants, with white 

 or purplish flowers, though the greater number 

 have yellow blossoms. All have very fleshy 

 juicy stems and foliage; hence they are enabled 

 to retain a quantity of moisture during drought, 



