154 SUB-ALPINE PLANTS 



HACQUETIA DC. 

 Hacquetia Epipactis DC. 



Stem simple, leafless, about 4 inches high, bearing a single 

 simple umbel with short rays and a large involucre 3 times the 

 size of the umbel. Flowers small, greenish yellow. Calyx-limbs 

 toothed. Leaves all radical, 3-5 lobed, glabrous. 



Bushy places up to 5000 feet in the Eastern Alps, from Carinthia 

 to Carniola. April, May. 



ASTRANTIA L. 



Herbs with mostly radical, palmately divided leaves. Umbels 

 simple or compound ; involucre large, membranous, and often 

 purplish in colour. Flowers polygamous. Petals notched, with a 

 long inflexed point. Calyx-limb with 5 long teeth. Carpels with 

 5 inflated crimped ribs. 



A small genus extending over Central and Southern Europe to 

 Western Asia. 



Astrantia major L. (Plate XV.) 



Stem 1-2 feet high or sometimes higher, erect, furrowed, glabrous 

 like the entire plant, simple or more usually divided above into 

 2 or 3 branches. Leaves palmately 5-fid, lobes lanceolate or 

 obovate-lanceolate, acute, undivided or 2-3 cleft, unequally doubly 

 serrate ; radical and lower stem-leaves long-stalked, upper ones 

 mostly sessile. Secondary umbels many-rayed, collected into 

 I, 2, or 3 irregular umbellate cymes. Bracts of general involucre 

 net- veined, coloured white and red like the petals, 2-3 cleft or 

 toothed, upper ones usually entire ; bracts of partial involucre 

 lanceolate, entire, coloured, radiating, rather longer than the 

 secondary umbel. Mountain pastures and damp, shady, woody 

 places in the Alps, descending to the plains. June to September. 



Distribution. Carpathians, Sudenic Mountains, Eastern, Central, 

 and Western Alps, Jura, Black Forest, Corbieres, Pyrenees. Some- 

 times naturalised but not native in Britain. 



Astrantia minor L. (Plate XV.) 



Stem 6-10 inches high, weak. All the leaves digitate, with 7-9 

 lanceolate, cut and serrated segments. Calyx-teeth ovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminate. Flowers small, greenish white. Involucral bracts white 

 with green apex. 



Pastures and damp rocks in the granitic Alps, 4000-8000 feet. 



Distribution. Tyrol, Switzerland, Western Alps, Pyrenees, Spain. 



This plant will probably not thrive on a limestone or chalky 

 soil, for it is a great hater of lime. It should have plenty of water 

 in summer and shade. However, it is a poor species compared 

 with major. 



