thymeleace^ 253 



Daphne L. 



Shrubs with pink, white, or green fragrant flowers, and often 

 thick evergreen leaves. Perianth tubular, 4-lobed, petaloid. 

 About 80 species inhabiting Europe, Asia, and Africa. 



Daphne alpina L. 



A small shrub. Leaves lanceolate or obovate, spathulate, 

 downy, ultimately glabrous, deciduous. Flowers terminal, crowded, 

 sessile, woolly, appearing at same time as leaves, fragrant. Perianth 

 white, segments lanceolate, acuminate, about one-third shorter 

 than the perianth-tube. 



Alpine and sub-alpine rocks, descending to the plains ; local. 

 May to July. 



Distribution. — Carpathians, Eastern, Central, and Western Alps ; 

 Jura, Cevennes, Pyrenees ; mountains of the Var. 



Daphne Blagayana Freyer. 



An evergreen creeping shrub with coriaceous leaves and very 

 fragrant yellowish white flowers. Stem ascending, usually simple. 

 Leaves obovate-lanceolate, obtuse, glabrous. Flowers in terminal 

 clusters. Tube of perianth slightly hairy on the outside, longer 

 than the oval segments of the perianth-limb. 



Bushy places at about 5000 feet ; very rare. April, May. 



Distribution. — Carinthia, Styria, and Camiola. 



Daphne Cneorum L. 



A small under-shrub 6-18 inches high, with spreading reddish 

 brown branches, downy and very leafy at the top. Leaves glabrous, 

 leathery, persistent, small, oblong or linear-spathulate, sessile, 

 i-nerved. Flowers rose-coloured, very scented, sub-sessile, 6-12 

 inches, terminal heads. Perianth-lobes oval or lanceolate, tube long. 

 Berry ovoid, yellow-orange. 



Dry, stony places from the plains up to 5000 feet. April to 

 August. The rose-coloured D. striata is more Alpine. 



Distribution. — Southern Switzerland (Tessin), S. and S.W. France, 

 Eastern Alps, Central Europe. 



Daphne Mezereum L. Mezereon. 



A stiff, glabrous shrub 1-3 feet high with the branches ending 

 in a tuft of lanceolate leaves about 2^ inches long. The flowers 

 appear before the leaves, and are light purple and sweet-scented. 

 Perianth-tube slightly hairy. Berries red, as large as peas. 



Mountain woods and stony pastures, sometimes seen at 7000 and 

 even 8000 feet in the Alps. Flowers in spring. 



Distribution. — Nearly all Europe, to the Arctic regions. British. 



