.252 ALPINE FLOWERS. Part II. 



Known in old gardens as Pulmonaria virginica, which name is 

 also often erroneously applied to one of the forms of the much 

 dwarfer and very different Pulmonaria officinalis of our woods 

 and gardens. In its native country it is occasionally found with 

 white flowers, but I have not seen a white-flowered form in 

 cultivation. 



MESEMBEYANTHEM0M ACINACIFORME.— Wall M. 



An Ice-plant from the Cape of Good Hope, with purple flowers 

 of extraordinary beauty, four to five inches across, and abun- 

 dantly produced. Stem prostrate, young shoots compressed and 

 angular ; leaves two to three inches long, sometimes margined 

 with a red line. The peculiar interest that this plant .offers 

 to lovers of alpine and rock plants is that it may be grown 

 successfully on ojd walls and on warm parts of rockwork in 

 dry soil, and in warm and sunny spots in old quarries, chalk 

 pits, and like places. Doubtless many will be as proud of 

 succeeding with this African plant as with those that bloom 

 where the icicles drip. 



MUSOAEI BOTRYOIDES.— Gm/^ Hyacinth. 



Among spring bulbs few exceed this in loveliness ; it is quite as 

 valuable as the Siberian Squill, and should be in every garden. 

 At one time it was much grown, but latterly it has been far from 

 common. The flower-stems, from six inches to a foot long, 

 spring from among the channeled leaves, bearing in March and 

 April little racemes of blossoms tinted with one of the sweetest 

 tones of deep skyblue that ever stained a spring flower. The 

 tiny mouth of each almost globose bloom has six teeth or 

 diminutive segments, which, being white, give each individual 

 pip, as well as the whole spike, a. peculiarly dressy character. 

 There is a white variety also well worthy of cultivation. There 

 is scarcely a position in a garden that may not be embeUished 

 by this plant, but its most appropriate place is here and there 

 along the shrubbery borders, where, being hardy and free, it 

 will thrive without attention, care being taken, however, to pre- 

 vent its disturbance or destruction by digging in winter. A 

 native of Southern and Middle Europe, readily increased by 

 division, and will be the better for being raised and divided 

 occasionally, say every third or fourth year. 



