102 FAMILIAR GASDEN FIOirESS. 



A very line mountain avens has been duly introduced 

 to pulilie notice in the Btiliniical ]][<iija :iiie. It is a 

 native of the Himahi^-a Mountains^ and bears the name 

 (Jritiii, elatnin. In general character it approaches the 

 beautiful Geniii moiitannin, but is far more rolmst in 

 <^T0\vth, with very bold, much-cut leaves^ and large hand- 

 some Howers of a full rich gdld-ycliiiw colour. There are 

 many sjiecies of geiim distriljuted about the mountains of 

 Europe^ Northern Asia^ and Northern America, one uf 

 them, (J . Itossi , running very far north, so as to form a 

 feature of Arctic vegetation. The best kn(iwn fjf the 

 American s])ecies are G. trijioni m , the three-flowered a\'ens, 

 and G. Pecki. On the Alps of Europe a handsome yellow 

 avens, known as G. fcjiiaiis, occurs, and is characterised by 

 all the proper characters of an Alpine plant — a close g'mwthj 

 and large handsome flowei's. Returning to the Himalaya, 

 it is projDer to observe that the robust G. elatii in is, in the 

 colder regions of Sikkim, replaceil by a dwarf species, called 

 G. Iiiniiili'', which ranks with G. rc/il<iii.s in its strikino-ly 

 Alpine character. 



This avens, and the scarlet variety referred to aljove, are 

 particularly valualjle as garden flowers by reason of their 

 earllness and their long continuance in flowering. And 

 there is yet a third variety, named (Jen in roccinenin Jlore 

 •plena, with semi-double flowers of a miist showy character, 

 but which, nevertheless, in common with the single forms, 

 produces an abundance of seed. If sown as soon as rijie, 

 the seedling plants acquire considerable strength bei'orc 

 winter assails them, and flower bravely in the following' 

 season . But the seed maj' be kej^t over to the spring, and 

 being' then sown, there will l)e a grand bloom in the vear 

 following. Treated as biennials, these geums are of great 



