158 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



in all the British specimens I have seen, with short stiff reflexed hairs, 

 the upper part immediately beneath the head sheathed with an ochrea- 

 like reflexed bract, laciniate at the apex. Outer involucral bracts more 

 or less green on the back, the green part excurrent and forming a 

 projecting point, or not reaching the apex at all, the sides more or less 

 broadly scarious ; inner bracts usually wholly scarious, but the second 

 row has sometimes a green patch on the back as well as the outer 

 ones ; bracteoles wholly scarious and white, folded down the back and 

 enclosing the flowers. Pedicel commonly about as long as the calyx 

 tube, but sometimes only half that length. Calyx decurrent on one 

 side of the pedicels, -svith 5 prominent hairy ribs excurrent through 

 the wholly scarious limb ; the tube of the calyx glabrous or hairy 

 between the ribs, but this character being inconstant, it is utterly 

 worthless as a means of separating the various forms, as has unfor- 

 tunately been done by M. Boissier in Vol. XII. of De CandoUe's 

 Prodromus. Flowers generally about | inch long, var}dng from pale 

 pink to deep rose, and occasionally to white. Fruit rather longer than 

 the calyx tube, marked with 5 radiating ribs at the apex. 



The var. 8 given above is figured and described from a plant culti- 

 vated by Mr. Hewett C. Watson, the root of which was brought by 

 him from the Higlilands of Scotland. Its characters cannot be well 

 seen in herbai'ium specimens, so that I am unable to say whether it be 

 at all generally distributed or no. I myself have never met with it 

 on the seashore, and have not been in any of the mountainous districts 

 where it would be likely to occur, since my attention has been directed 

 to it. It has the blunt and non-mucronate bracts of the ordinary 

 seaside foi-m, but m habit it approaches much more closely to A. 

 elongata of Hoffman, and except in the stem being haiiy, agrees well 

 with specimens labelled A. elongata sent from Scidertelje by Mr. 

 Cederstriihle : it has the tall stiff stems and short flat leaves of that 

 subspecies. The first leaves are 3-nerved, and widen towai'ds the 

 apex as in the form A. alpina, Willd. but the mature leaves do 

 not at all enlarge towards the apex as in that plant, and it is very 

 rarely that there is in them more than a single nerve, though occa- 

 sionally 2 faint additional lateral nerves may be discerned. It is 

 much to be desired that botanists visiting the Scotch Highlands would 

 investigate the Alpine forms of Armeria. 



Common Thrift or Sea Pink. 



French, Armerie Gazon d'Ohjmpe. German, gemeine GrasneUce. 



This plant is perhaps best known as an edging to cottage gardens, where it is 

 j)opulai'ly cultivated, and looks very pretty when in full blossom. It is found in 

 pastures on the sea coast, find often gives quite a glowing tinge of colour to 

 them. 



We are somewhat surprised on consulting our old friend Gerarde, as to the virtues 

 and medical properties of the thrift, to find that he has none to suggest ; but says : 

 " Their use in physicke as yet is not known, neither doth any seeke into the nature 

 thereof, but esteome them only for their beauty and pleasure." 



