DESCRIPTIVE AND SELECTIVE. 205 



the most useful. Florentinus^ with white flowers, is 

 one of the most compact. Hirsutus (or laxtis) has 

 white flowers and is fairly compact. Its specific name 

 derives from its hairiness. Ladaniferus, the Gum 

 Cistus, is one of the most handsome of all, and it is 

 unfortunate that it is too large for most rockeries. It 

 has white flowers, but there is a spotted form called 

 maculatus. Monspeliensis is a handsome Cistus. It 

 varies a good deal in height, but is generally too tall. 

 It is white with yellow blotches. Three of the most 

 important of the remaining species are salvifoliuSy 

 (Sage-leaved) with white flowers ; vaginatits, with rose 

 flowers in spring ; and villosus, rose ; but they are all 

 rather too large for small rockeries. 



CNICUS (Cirsium). — ^This is a genus of Thistle-like 

 plants, some members of which are used for bedding. 

 The plant often sold in seed shops and nurseries as 

 Chamaepeuce Casahonae, and popularly called the 

 Fish Bone Thistle, is now classed with the Cnicuses by 

 botanists, while Chamaepeuce diacantha, the Ivory 

 Thistle, has become Cnicus diacantha. Again, Cirsium 

 spinosissimum, the subject of one of the coloured plates, 

 is now called Cnicus spinosissimus. It bears yellow 

 flowers in summer. The Cnicuses are not front-rank 

 rockery plants. Most of them, indeed, are too large. 

 They thrive in ordinary soil, and come readily from 

 seed. 



COLCHICUM (Meadow Saffron). — As an autumn- 

 blooming plant, with bright purple flowers, the Meadow 

 Saffron arrests the attention of rock gardeners, for 

 bloom is scarce at its season. It is a Crocus-like flower. 



