A COLLECTING DAY ABOVE AROLLA 87 



ing brilliant blossoms, waxy-pure against the gold of 

 their stamens, except where the fertilised flowers are 

 fading to a dim, sad pink. And then, joyous find, comes 

 an isolated mass of Getmi reptans. Geum montanum, the 

 golden Mountain- Avens, is a common little glory enough, 

 quite dwarf and vigorous, with bright yeUow flowers as 

 large as a florin. And this, in cultivation, is as thrifty and 

 easy a thing as you could have for any sunny rock-work 

 or raised border — healthy, spreading, floriferous — though 

 in cultivation its stems shoot up to six inches or so. 

 But its big cousin, Geum reptans, is very different in 

 every respect. You are generally very high on the last 

 moraines of all before, far ahead of you, on the unbroken 

 grey of the stones, you see a sudden flare of gold. As 

 almost all flowers except the smallest and dullest are now 

 left behind, you cannot imagine what the yellow vision 

 may be. It is Geum reptans, making one compact colony at 

 that point, and not occurring again over the whole moraine. 

 It is much bigger in growth than montanum, the pinnate 

 leaves standing erect, and the whole plant reaching eight 

 or ten inches in height. The flowers are, I think, the 

 most magnificent in all the high- Alpine flora, from the 

 point of view of combined brilliancy and size. They 

 conquer even Aster alpinus and Senecio Doronicum — 

 great golden St. John's Worts they are, as large as a 

 crown-piece — yes, and much larger, too. From the 

 stock each parent-plant sends out a thin pink runner like 

 that of a strawberry, which produces a young growth. 

 Thus the species multiplies, yet stays perpetually in the 

 same spot. 



In cultivation, unfortunately, Geum reptans is uncer- 

 tain. It lives perfectly well, even multiplies, with some 

 success. But it very rarely flowers. I am convinced, 

 though,that it will prove (I haven't yet tried it so, but mean 

 to this season) a first-rate moraine plant, since what it 



