THE ALPINE PINKS 113 



It is easily recognised by its pale pink corolla, deeply 

 cut into a fringe of delicate segments. 



The flowers have a scent resembling oil of cloves. 

 The Wood Pink {Dianthus sylvestris, Wulf, also 

 known as D. inodorus, Steud.), on the other hand, is 

 scentless, and has solitary flowers. It is perhaps the 

 commonest species all over Switzerland, especially in 

 rocky places. In the Carthusian Pink {Dianthus 

 CartJmsianorum, Linn.), the dark red flowers are 

 borne in clusters, and the leaves are blue-green. In 

 our cultivated Sweet - William, which is a Pink, we 

 find similar flower-clusters. In addition to the erect 

 flowering shoots, we sometimes find at the base of 

 this plant small, more or less prostrate shoots, each 

 bearing only a single flower, which is female and does 

 not possess stamens. 



There is nothing very striking, biologically, to 

 relate of the Alpine pinks. Their tufted habit and 

 erect, grass-like leaves, peculiarities also shared by 

 other Alpine plants, such as the Anthericums (natural 

 order Liliacese), are adaptations fitting them to exist 

 in situations fully exposed to the sun, and on soils 

 which are comparatively dry. 



The Alpine Toadflax. 



The Alpine Toadflax (Linaria alpina, Mill, 

 natural order Scrophulariaceee, the Foxglove family) 

 is a characteristic plant on the dry stony debris 

 bordering on Alpine streams and in other localities 

 physically similar. We are familiar in Britain with 



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