213 



plant becomes tufted. Abromeit mentions "very low, densely 

 bushy plants, often only 15 mm. high," of Laxge's f. puiyura- 

 scens. I have also seen dense tufts, 2 cm. high, from Siberia. 



Probably frequently a shoot remains only one year in the 

 vegetative stage, and dies the second year, after flowering. 

 But in unfavourable localities the shoots may remain vegetative 

 several years. 



The fl.owers are formed during the year previous to that 

 in which they open. In specimens gathered by C. Ryder in 

 West Greenland (Upernivik) from 

 tinder the snow on July 18, 

 1887, the flowers had large 

 anthers and a large pistil. 



Sometimes only one, term- 

 inal flower occurs; sometimes 

 a few-flowered inflorescence is 

 developed. 



The diameter of the flow- 

 ers is small (5 — 8 mm., or 

 sometimes, according to Ekstam, 



10 mm.) because the petals are Forms of leaves from Greenland ; sUghtly mag. 



A, A typical leaf. B, A similar leaf, but 

 fairly erect (Fig. 30 ^, C). Pro- three-'lobed. C, a narrowly-lobed leaf; 

 ,,,,,« , Z), An entire leaf. (Drawn by E. W., 1908.) 



bably the flowers are always 



scentless. The petals are white, but red or dark-red examples 

 occur (Lange writes regarding f. purpurascens "sepala atropur- 

 purea; petala rubella." Andersson and Hesselman write (Spitz- 

 bergen): "sepals reddish-brown, petals white with a narrow 

 band of reddish-violet colour; the gynoeceum reddish-violet." 

 As is the case in Saxifraga cernua, irregular flowers occur, the 

 petals on the one side of the flower being smaller than those on 

 the other; this is seen especially in the young flower (Fig. 30 C). 



The stamens perform the usual movements, but less 

 markedly, and remain on the whole fairly erect. 



Slight protogyny or decided homogamy is the rule 



Fig. 29. Saxifraga rividaris. 



