THE TRAILING AZALEA 109 



Dryas. They are adapted to travel long distances on 

 a windy day. 



There are only three living species of Dryas. Like 

 many other Alpine plants, however, they are widely 

 distributed, occurring not only in the mountains of 

 Europe and Asia, but in the Arctic regions and in 

 North America. 



The Trailing Azalea. 



The Trailing Azalea {Loiseleuria procumbens, 

 Desvaux, also known as Azalea procumbens, Linn., 

 natural order Ericaceae, the Heath family) is another 

 typical carpet plant (p. 106) of the Alps. The 

 numerous reddish-brown branches are imperfectly 

 clothed with leaves. The leaves are small and oval 

 in shape, set nearly at right angles to the branch and 

 arranged usually in four rows. The flowers are 

 usually borne in little groups near the ends of the 

 branches, each arising in the axil of a leaf. They are 

 small and rose coloured. 



In comparison with many other Azaleas and 

 Rhododendrons (two genera now usually regarded 

 as identical), especially those characteristic of the 

 Himalayas, which are now so common in cultivation, 

 our Alpine Trailing Azalea, with its lowly habit and 

 small leaves and flowers, presents a marked contrast. 

 By some botanists it is still regarded as a typical 

 Azalea, while others include it in a separate genus, 

 Loiseleuria, on the ground that the flowers are 

 perfectly regular in their construction. There is 



