1917.] 



THE FLORA OF THE SWISS ALPS 



45 



bells above the white grave, one of the most touching spectacles of 

 the victory of life over death. In their thick leathery leaves those 

 typical alpine spring plants have stored up a rich reserve of food 

 in the form of thickened cellwalls, containing a soluble modification 

 of the cellulose. All the four species of the Alps (Soldanella Mon- 

 tana Mikan; S. alpina L. ; 8. pasilla Baumgartner; 8. minima 

 Hoppe) are endemic, are autochthones of our mountains. The honey 

 secreted in the base of the flower is protected from rain and from 

 unbidden guests by the hanging position of the flower and by little 

 scales projecting from the corolla. 



Another plant of the melting snow is the spring Anemone (Ane- 

 mone vernalis L.), which charms us by the long silky golden hairs 

 covering the flower and its stalks, forming a good protection against 



Fig. 20. — Spring Anemone {Anemone vernalis L.) on Mt. Pilatus near Luzern. 



Photo Arnberg. 



dangerous loss of water, checking transpiration (Fig. 20). We must 

 not forget that the cold soil saturated with snow-water is "physio- 

 logically dry," because the roots cannot fully perform their duty 

 to pump the water. So we understand the curious fact, that a plant 

 growing in wet soil has adaptations against drought. 



The spring Saffron {Crocus albiflorus Kit.) follows with the 

 snow of its flowers directly after the snow of the winter; also this 

 plant shows means to check transpiration (Fig. 21). 



