ALYSSUM 



WALLFLOWER ORDEB 



DRABA 211 



rough with stellate hairs, lower ones 

 obovate, upper ones oblong. Flowers 

 from May to July, yellow, sweet-scented. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



A. olympicum. — A native of N. Greece 

 2-3 in. high, with small, greyish, spoon- 

 shaped leaves without stalks. Flowers 

 in summer, small, deep yellow, in 

 roundish corymbose heads. 



Culture do. as above. 



A. orientale. — A native of Crete, 1 ft. 

 high, with lance-shaped, repandly-toothed 

 waved and downy leaves. Flowers in 

 May, in corymbose clusters. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



A. podolicum. — A small alpine from 

 South Eussia, with a profusion of small 

 white flowers in early summer. 



Culture dc. as above. 



A. pyrenaicum. — A tufted Pyrenean 

 species 8-10 in. high, with roundish 

 leaves woolly on the under surface. The 

 white flowers appear from June to August, 

 and are noticeable for the brownish 

 anthers in the centre. 



Culture do. as above. 



A. saxatile. — A well - known and 

 beautiful species about 1 ft. high, from 

 B. Europe, somewhat shrubby at the 

 base. Leaves lance-shaped, entire, hoary. 

 Flowers in April and May, bright yellow, 

 freely produced, in loose panicles. The 

 variety called compactum, which comes 

 true from seeds, is particularly useful for 

 rockeries and edgings on account of its 

 dwarf bushy character. The variety 

 va/riegatmm, with yellowish-white leaves, 

 is a pretty form, and does well in a sunny 

 place in the rockery. 



Culture So. as above. The variegated 

 form is best increased by means of cuttings. 



A. serpyllifolium. — Also from South 

 Europe, 3-4 in. high, somewhat woody 

 at the base. Leaves J-J in. long, ovate, 

 rough and hoary. Flowers from April to 

 June, pale yellow, in simple racemes. 



Culture So. as above. 



A. spinosum. — A native of S. Europe 

 4-8 in. high, resembhug A. macrocarpum. 

 Leaves lance-shaped, small and hoary, 

 the branches being spiny when old. 

 Flowers in early summer, small, white, 

 in clusters at the ends of the branches. 



Cultv/re Sc. as above. 



A. tortuosum, — A Hungarian species, 

 6 in. high, shrubby at the base, twisted. 



with rather lance-shaped, hoary leaves > 

 and corymbose racemes of yellow flowers 

 in June. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



A. Wiersbeckii. — A native of Asia 

 Minor, about 18 in. high, with roughish 

 erect stems. Leaves 2 in. long, oval, 

 oblong, acute, without stalks, narrowed at 

 the base, and covered with rough pro- 

 minences and fine hairs. Flowers in 

 summer, deep yellow, about I5 in. across, 

 in large corymbose heads. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



A. wulfenianum. — A dwarf alpine 

 Cruciter, native of Eastern Europe. The 

 decumbent or trailing stems are 1-3 in. 

 long, and the small oblanoeolate leaves 

 are covered with down. The golden- 

 yellow flowers appear in summer in 

 small compact corymbs. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



DRABA (Whitlow Grass). — A genus 

 containing, according to various authors, 

 from 80 to 150 species consisting chiefly 

 of very small, tufted, and hoary alpine 

 plants, with entire leaves, the lower ones 

 in rosettes. Eaoemes short or elongated. 

 Flowers vyithout bracts, often small, white 

 or yellow, rarely purple or rose. 



The Drabas are essentially rock 

 plants, owing to their compact habit and 

 to their love for sunny spots. For iilliug 

 up nooks and crevices, on the top of old 

 walls, ledges, copings &c., they are very 

 useful, their cushions of leaves, thickly 

 studded with white or yellow flowers, 

 being at once effective and beautiful. 



Culture a/rid Propagation. — They 

 grow easily in ordinary soU, and the per- 

 ennial sorts may be increased by dividing 

 the roots in early autumn. The annual 

 and biennial species and also the peren- 

 nials may be raised from seed sown in 

 spring in the open border. If sown late 

 in summer, annual kinds will flower the 

 following year. 



D. aizoides. — A brilliant species 2-3 

 in. high, native of S. Wales and Central 

 Europe. Leaves narrow, lance-shaped, 

 keeled, hairy at the edges, and arranged 

 in neat rosettes. Flowers in March, 

 bright yellow, in terminal racemes. The 

 variety dedea/na from Spain is a pretty 

 plant with white flowers. It is some- 

 times regarded as a distinct species. 



Culture Sc. as above. Increased by 

 seeds and division. This makes fine 



p2 



