SAXIFEAGACE^, 229 



On wet rocks or gravel, along rills and springs, in almost all mountainous 

 districts of Europe, Russian Asia, and northern America, to the Arctic Circle, 

 descending also much lower than the last. Abundant in Scotland, the north 

 of England, and some parts of Ireland, but apparently wanting in Wales. 

 Fl. summer and autumn. 



3. Marsh Saxifrage. Saxifirag^a H^culus, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 1009.) 



Perennial stock still shorter than in the last, and often reduced to a small 

 tuft. Leaves alternate, narrow-oblong or hnear, and entire. Flowering 

 stems ascending, as in the yelloio S., to about 6 inches, but terminated by a 

 single, rather large flower ; the calyx almost entirely fi-ee, with oblong, re- 

 flexed divisions, not half so long as the erect, narrow-obovate or oblong, 

 yellow petals. Capsule rather large, ending in 2 spreading beaks. 



In wet moors, at high elevations, chiefly in the mountain-ranges of eastern 

 Europe and central and Russian Asia, and generally round the Arctic 

 Circle ; rare in western Europe. In Britain, only in a few locaHties in 

 northern England, southern Scotland, and Ireland. Fl. August. 



4. Cut-leaved Saxifrage. Saxifraga hypnoides, Lmu. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 454, 8. platypetala, t. 2276, 5. elongella, t. 2277, S. hirta, 

 t. 2291, and S. affinis, Suppl. t. 2903.) 

 Perennial stock usually shortly creeping and rather slender, much 

 branched, with numerous decumbent barren shoots, attaining, in moist 

 situations, 2 or 3 inches, but sometimes contracted into a short, dense tuft. 

 Leaves mostly entire, 2 or 3 hues long, narrow-linear and ijoiuted, but 

 some of the larger ones are often 3-lobed, or even 5-lobed, and attain half an 

 inch ; they are glabrous, or more or less cihated with slender, often glandu- 

 lar, hairs. At the ends of the shoots, and in the axOs of the leaves, the leaf- 

 tufts are often somewhat enlarged and crowded into an oblong head or bulb. 

 Flowering stems 3 to 6 inches high, with very few leaves, and from 1 to 6 

 or 8 rather large, wliite flowers. Calyx adherent to about two-tliirds the 

 length of the capsule ; the segments not one-third so long as the petals, and 

 usually more or less pointed. 



In rather moist, rocky situations, in the mountains of western Europe, 

 descending occasionally to low, hiUy districts. Abundant in Scotland, Ire- 

 land, Wales, and northern England, but very local in the southern coun- 

 ties. Fl. summer. It is very variable in the degree of develojiment of its 

 stems, leaves, and flowers, m the more or less viscid hairs, and in the 

 leaves and calyx-segments more or less pointed or almost obtuse. This has 

 given rise to its subdivision into numerous supposed species ; besides that 

 some of its extreme varieties have been mistaken for 8. geranioides, S. mv.s- 

 coides, and other Continental species not found in Britain. 



5. Tufted Saxifrage. Saxifraga csespitosa, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 794, and & palmata, Eng. Bot. t. 455.) 

 Very near to the last, but never emitting the weak, procumbent barren 

 shoots of that species ; the leaves broader, more obtuse, and more fi-equently 

 lobed, and the calyx-divisions also obtuse. The short, leafy stems are 

 crowded into dense tufts ; the flowering stems from 2 to 3 inches high, 

 generally covered witli a short, glandular down, and bearing 1 or 2 white 

 flowers, smaller than in the cut-leaved S. 



X 



