Part II. SILENE. 339 



in any soil. It flowers in May, the flowers being of a pure and 

 polished whiteness, with the petals notched, and abundantly 

 produced over the shining green masses of leaves, and is one 

 of those plants which should be used in abundance on every 

 well-made rockwork, with the Aubrietias, and tiny shrubs hke 

 Menziesia empetriformis. To secure a perfect bloom, it should 

 not be disturbed, but allowed to spread forth into established 

 tufts, and, not being fastidious as to soil, will require no attention 

 except removing the flower-stems when the starry blooms have 

 passed away. Like most high-mountain plants, it should have 

 perfect exposure to the full ' sun ; it should never be elevated 

 amongst burrs or stones in such a position that a dry wind may 

 parch the life out of the tiny roots, so unwisely cut off from 

 revelling in the deep moist earth, and it should be protected 

 from being overrun by coarser plants. I once regretted to see 

 a colony of ants take up their abode under a tuft of this plant, 

 and begin to elevate the soil amongst its tiny leaves ; but as the 

 ants built their hill, the Silene expanded its leaves, and finally 

 grew to be quite a little pile of starry snow, finer than any of its 

 neighbours. A native of the Alps of Europe ; very readily 

 increased by seed or by division. Some individuals of this 

 species are quite sticky from viscid matter, and others perfectly 

 free from it. 



SILENE 'EU&KSEjrS.M.— Elizabeth's Catchjly. 



A REMARKABLY beautiful, and as yet very rare, alpine plant, 

 quite distinct from all its brethren, the flowers looking more like 

 those of some handsome but diminutive Clarkia than those of 

 the commonly grown Silenes. They are very large,' of a bright 

 rose colour, and with the claws or bases of the petals white, from 

 one to seven being borne on stems three or four inches high, 

 springing from tufts of acutely pointed and shining, slightly 

 viscid, and pubescent leaves', half an inch broad. This is 

 usually considered one of the plants difficult to cultivate, but 

 when we have once secured strong plants, it will be found as easily 

 grown as the Cushion Pink. It is rare in a wild state, occurring in 

 the Tyrol and Italy, where I had the pleasure of gathering it on 

 the top of Monte Campione, growing amidst shattered fragments 

 of rock, and in one case in a flaky rock without any soil. It 

 grows freely enough in sandy soil in a warm nook on rockwork, 



