262 ALPINE FLOWERS. Part II. 



OMPHALODES TJUCUAM^.—LuciHa's O, 



A seldom seen and very charming sister of the sweet little Om- 

 phalodes verna, but with a dwarf crop of very glaucous smooth 

 leaves, in tone resembling those of the Oyster-plant, and with 

 flowers of a beautiful light skyblue, with a faint stain of some- 

 thing akin to the palest lilac. A native of Mount Taurus. It 

 will probably one day become one of the most admired plants 

 on our rockeries, as it is the very type of sweet modest beauty. 

 I have not observed enough of the plant to speak more fully of 

 its wants or habits, having only seen it on the rockwork in the 

 botanic garden at Geneva, but have little doubt that it will be 

 found to thrive on sunny flanks of rockwork in perfectly well 

 drained iissures of hght soil. It deserves careful treatment till 

 sufficiently abundant to be tried in various positions. 



OMPHALODES VERNA.^ — Creeping Forget-me-not. 



A NEAR relative of our Forget-me-nots, quite as beautiful as 

 and on the whole more useful than any of them in consequence 

 of the facihty with which it creeps about in shady places. Its 

 handsome deep and clear blue flowers with white throats, pro- 

 duced in early spring, iiiimediately remind one of the finest 

 Forget-me-nots, but are larger and of a more intense blue, 

 and immediately distinguished by the stems' sending out run- 

 ners from their base, apart from other characteristics. A native 

 of mountain woods on several of the great continental chains, 

 and indispensable for every rock and spring garden. I know 

 of no plant more worthy of naturalisation in half-wild places 

 under trees or shrubs, or even beneath Rhododendrons and the 

 like. In elevated woods I have seen it run about as vigorously 

 as any native plant, but it will thrive well by almost every wood- 

 walk, and prove one of the brightest ornaments of spring in any 

 position in which it grows. Easily increased by division. Tufts 

 of it taken up and forced in midwinter form beautiful objects in 

 pots or baskets in the conservatory. 



ONONIS AEVENSIS.— H^z/^ Liquorice. 



One of the prettiest of our wild plants, and well worthy of culti- 

 vation on banks and rough rockwork. It is a somewhat variable 

 plant, usually forming dense spreading tufts, clammy to the touch 



