246 Alpine flowers. eart ii. 



Britain, says Mr. 3entliam, " it is only known on the summit of 

 Little Kilrannock, a mountain in Forfarshire," but in 1866, under 

 the safe guidance of Mr. James Backhouse, I had the pleasure 

 of seeing it abundantly in Cumberland in very lonely and high 

 mountain gorges. We found it on the face of a dry crumMing 

 crag quite 500 feet, long and of great height, and generally in 

 such positions that extermination is impossible, at least until 

 such times as travelling botanists are provided with wings. In 

 some places where the rocks overhung, it was in full health, 

 where a drop of rain could scarcely ever fall upon it ; but many 

 plants which had sprung from seeds fallen from these cliffs were 

 growing freely in moist shattered rock. The form seemed to be 

 somewhat larger than that usually grown as L. alpina. In 

 cultivation it is a pretty and interesting, if not a brilliant, plant, 

 and may be grown without difficulty on rockwork or in rather 

 moist sandy soil. 



LYCHNIS -L,k.GhS,QlS,.—Rosy L. 



A LOVELY dwarf alpine plant, with a profusion of bright rose- 

 coloured* flowers, with white centres when young, each about 

 three quarters of an inch across, and quite obscuring the small 

 and slightly glaucous leaves. In consequence of its exceeding 

 brilliancy of colour, and slightly spreading, though firm, habit, it 

 is peculiarly well suited, for adorning fissures on the exposed 

 faces of rocks, the colour telling a long way off, while it is also 

 a gem for association with the smallest alpine flowers, being 

 beautiful when closely examined, as well as attractive at some 

 distance. It is a native of the sub-alpine region of the North- 

 Western Pyrenees, and was introduced two or three years ago 

 by Mr. J. C. Niven, of the Hull Botanic Garden, in whose 

 collection I first had the pleasure of seeing it grown in pots, 

 in whif h it seems as easy of culture as on rockwork in any free 

 sandy or gritty soil. A thoroughly exposed position in the open 

 air, however, should always be preferred, as the plant is so free 

 to grow, as well as neat and hardy. The figure in the ' Botanical 

 Magazine ' gives no idea of the brightness of colour of tufts of 

 this, plant grown in fully exposed positions. It is distinct from, 

 and more beautiful than, any other alpine or dwarf Lychnis. 

 The pale-flowered L. pyrenaica, which comes nearest to it, is 

 not, since the introduction of the present subject, worthy of a 



