26 SUB-ALPINE PLANTS 



bright red Hieracium aurantiacum. These plants afford good 

 examples of the deepening in colour at high altitudes of plants of 

 two genera, the species of which are almost always characterised 

 by yellow flowers in the plains. Primula is another genus in which a 

 pale yellow colour predominates in the lowlands, but which is 

 represented chiefly by red or purple flowers in the high mountains. 

 Again, in the great Saxifrage genus there are several in the high 

 Alps with red flowers, such as 5. oppositifolia, S. biflora, and S. 

 retusa, though we do not know a single red-flowered Saxifrage 

 indigenous in the plains of Central Europe. 



The THOMASIA garden at Pont de Nant above Bex, in Canton de 

 Vaud, is smaller though quite as beautiful, and it is one of those 

 which are laid out on strictly scientific lines. This garden is called 

 Thomasia, after an early botanist at Bex, who belonged to a family 

 who made collections of dried plants and minerals for sale. Some 

 of the Thomas family were among the earliest visitors to Zermatt 

 in the middle of the eighteenth century in search of rare plants. 

 The garden is on limestone formation, and is situated at the foot 

 of the precipitous sides of the Grand Muveran, at about 3800 feet 

 above the sea. Started originally by a society in Bex, it was after- 

 wards taken over by the Canton de Vaud and affiliated to the 

 University of Lausanne, and it is under the management of Professor 

 Wilczeck. 



The RAMBERTIA is also a limestone garden. It is romantically 

 situated at the summit of the Rochers de Naye, above Montreux, 

 and is one of the very highest gardens in Europe, being at an eleva- 

 tion of 6900 feet. For the most part it is laid out on the southern 

 face of a more or less precipitous cliff, from which in fine weather 

 a magnificent panorama of mountains can be enjoyed. Here again 

 Monsieur Correvon has made the most of striking surroundings, 

 and the result is an attractive display of Alpine flowers growing in 

 unique circumstances, while everywhere the Iceland Poppy seems 

 to have found a home for itself. 



Let us now pass to Geneva, the Mecca of botanical science, and 

 say a few words about its new Botanic garden, for of all the gardens 

 we have ever visited the Geneva Alpine garden is arranged in the 

 most thorough geographical order. Landscape gardening, as 

 practised in England, seems hardly to be understood on the Conti- 

 nent, especially in France and Germany ; so that for neatness 

 combined with artistic effect we have seen nothing abroad to equal 

 some of the English rock-gardens. Too often the stones are dumped 

 down anyhow, as they still are in many suburban gardens in 

 London and elsewhere. But at Geneva it is different ; and great 

 skill has been shown not only in the conception of the garden, but 

 in the arrangement and disposition of the rocks, and it is obvious 

 that geological knowledge was shown in the execution of the whole 

 thing. In all probability the distinguished botanist, Dr. John 



