196 THE HIGH ALPINE PLANTS 



characters. The varieties are regarded by some 

 authors as constituting distinct species. 



The plants may have white flowers, and the leaves 

 be destitute of hairs (Papaver alpinum, Linn.), or the 

 flowers may be white with a yellow base, or again, the 

 flowers may be yellow and the leaves hairy (P. pyren- 

 aicum, Willd. =P. aurantiacum, Lois.). The shape 

 of the lobes of the much-divided leaves also varies in 

 great degree. 



THE ALPINE BITTERCRESS. 



The Alpine Bitterer ess (Cardamine alpina, Willd., 

 natural order Cruciferse, the Crucifer family) is the 

 representative of the Ladies' Smock or Cuckoo-flower 

 (Cardamine pratensis, Linn.) in the High Alpine 

 regions. It is a dwarf plant, from 1 to 5 inches in 

 height, with many long-stalked, undivided leaves 

 below, and numerous leafy shoots above. The 

 simple undivided leaves contrast with the compound 

 leaves of the Ladies' Smock. 



THE SHORT-STEMMED HUTCHINSIA. 

 The Short-stemmed Hutchinsia (Hutchinsia brevi- 



iSy Hoppe) is possibly only a High Alpine variety 

 of the Alpine species, H. alpina, E. Br. Both 

 differ from our British Kock Hutchinsia (H. petrcea, 

 K. Br.) in the flowering stems being simple, un- 

 branched, and leafless. The white petals are also 

 much longer than the calyx, and therefore more 



