THE BUTTERWORTS 211 



large order ScroplmlariacejB. There are three species 

 of British Biitterworts, and in Britain we have also 

 other insectivorous representatives of the family in 

 the genus Utrlcularia, or Bladderworts. The latter 

 also occur in Lowland Switzerland, but are rare within 

 the Alpine zone, though one species has been observed 

 in boggy pools on the Julicr road, above Silvaplana, 

 at 6,400 feet. 



The Swiss Alpine Butterworts are easily distin- 

 guished. The Alpine Butterwort {Fiiigidcula alpina, 

 Linn.) has large white flowers, while the Common 

 Butterwort [Phigukula vulgaris, Linn.) and the Large- 

 flowered Butterwort {Pingidcula grcnidlflora, Lam.) 

 have blue flowers. All the species are essentially 

 marsh plants, though they will flourish in many other 

 situations in which the soil is usually very damp. 



We will commence with the Alpine Butterwort. 

 This is a British plant, though with us it is very rare, 

 and confined to a few districts on the west coast of 

 Scotland. In Switzerland, however, it is common 

 and widely distributed. 



The build of the plant is characteristic. There is 

 a little rosette of light green leaves, close to the 

 ground, of which we shall have more to say presently. 

 From the rosette springs a single, long flower-stalk, 

 terminating in a solitary white, occasionally yellowish, 

 or even slightly purple flower (Plate XLL, Fig. 1). 

 The flower is built much on the same plan as that of 

 the members of the Scrophulariaceae. Both the sepals 

 and the petals are united so that each forms a two- 



