Part II. ERYSIMUM. 213 



ERYSIMUM OCHBOLEXJCUM.— ^^z«« Wallflower. 



This handsome and distinct plant forms, when under cultiva- 

 tion, very neat, rich green tufts, six to tvi^elve inches high, and 

 is in spring covered with a dense profusion of beautiful sulphur- 

 coloured flowers. Rockwork will be found to offer the most 

 congenial home for it ; it does very weU on good level ground, 

 but is apt to get somewhat naked about the base, and will per- 

 haps perish on heavy soils during an unusually severe winter. I 

 have found it thrive best when rather frequently divided. It is 

 propagated by division and by cuttings. Most probably this plant 

 would find the conditions that best suit it on old walls, ruins, 

 &c. ; but I have never tried it in such positions. It is capital as 

 a dwarf border-plant on hght soils, the flowers bear some re- 

 semblance to those of Vesicaria utriculata, and in spring, tufts 

 of it may be seen, covered with clear yellow bloom, in the bar- 

 rows of the London costermongers. A native of the Alps and 

 Pyrenees, flowering in spring and early summer. There are 

 several varieties. It is readily known from the following species 

 by its much greater size. = Cheiranthus alpinus. 



ERYSIMUM 'SXm.Th'UM..— Lilliputian Wallflower. 



A REMARKABLE- little plant, very rare in cultivation, resembling 

 in the size and colour of its flowers the alpine Wallflower, but 

 without the vigorous and rich green foliage of that species ; 

 producing flowers very large for the size of the plant, often 

 only an inch high, above a few narrow, sparsely toothed, leaves 

 barely rising above the ground. I have seen specimens of 

 it in full bloom with the flowers nearly as large as those on 

 healthy tufts of the alpine Wallflower, and yet the whole plant, 

 flowers and all, could be almost covered by a thimble. In richer 

 soil and less exposed spots it is larger ; but the specimens above 

 alluded to were grown in England. A native of high and bare 

 places in the Alps and Pyrenees, requiring to be grown on rock- 

 work in an exposed spot in very sandy or gritty loam, sur- 

 rounded by a few small stones to guard it from excessive drought 

 and accident, and associated with the choicest and most minute 

 alpine plants. It is very nearly related to the alpine Wall- 

 flower, E. ochroleucum, but is at once separated from that plant 

 by its minuteness and the dull greyish-green colour of its leaves. 



