104 ROCK PLANTS OF THE PASTURES 



torrents, habitats which all present similar difficulties 

 to the plant as regards existence. 



Among the first of these to be noticed as 

 extremely abundant in such situations throughout the 

 Alps, are the Wild Thymes {Thymus serpyllum, Linn., 

 and T, ohamoedrys, Fries, natural order Labiateae, 

 the Mint family). These plants produce flowers of 

 two sizes, the larger being hermaphrodite, and 

 the smaller possessing only female organs. The 

 difi*erence between the large- and the small-flowered 

 plants is noticeable even at some little distance. 



There are two other British plants belonging to 

 the Pea family (natural order Leguminosse) which 

 are often very much at home in the drier, stony 

 portions of the pastures and on the moraines of 

 glaciers. 



The Bird's-foot Trefoil. - 



The Bird's-foot Trefoil {Lotus corniculattts, Linn.) 

 is remarkable for its indifi'erence to the nature of 

 the soil, the degree of moisture, and situation. It 

 will flourish under almost any conditions in the Alps, 

 though it is most conspicuous on dry ground, where 

 it meets with less competition from its fellow- Alpines. 

 Its wide distribution over Europe and Central Asia, 

 and even in Australia, is, no doubt, due to its adapta- 

 bility to varied physical conditions. 



It is extraordinary what a large area a single 

 plant of this Trefoil manages to cover in the Alps. It 

 is a perennial plant, held fast between the stones by a 



