82 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
des Serres," tab. 1669. Stated to be rather tender, I have not met 
with it in cultivation, but it is no doubt still grown. 
This species is frequent in gardens, though often of doubtfully 
pure parentage. The name refers to its size ; in some of its forms 
it is the largest of European Sedums. 
24. Sedum Telephium Linn. 
5. Telephium Linn. Species Plantarum 430, 1753. Masters in 
Gard. Chron., 1878, ii. 303. 
This common species, which ranges right round the northern 
Hemisphere — for the American S. telepMoides does not appear to be 
specifically distinct — is easily known by its stout, erect, leafy stems, 
and dense corymbs of red-purple flowers. Its nearest allies are 
5. maximum and S. alhoroseum, but the former has (when typical) 
opposite leaves and green flowers, and the latter greenish -white 
petals and rosy carpels. 5. spectahile differs in its pink flowers with 
very long stamens. All have the characteristic Telephium rootstock 
— a bunch of carrot-shaped tubers. 
Linnaeus' name is derived from Telephus, son of Hercules. 
Sub-species S. purpureum Link (figs. 366, 38). 
S. purpureum Link, " Enum. Plant. Berol.," 1, 437, 1821. 
Illustrations. — Sowerby, " Engl. Bot.," ed. 3, pi. 526. Reichenbach, " Flor. 
German.," 23, tab. 44. Curtis, " Flor. Londin.," 2, pL 71. De Candolle, " Plantes 
Grasses,'* tab. 92. Cusin and Ansberque, " Herb. Flor. Fran9aise, Crassul.," tab. 6. 
Description. — A stout glabrous herbaceous perennial. Rootstock thick, 
with carrot-like tubers. Stems clustered, stout, erect, round, smooth, leafy, 
i-ij foot high, mostly with axillary branches above. Leaves numerous, 
alternate, glabrous, fleshy, ascending, about 3 inches long by inch broad, 
smaller above, blunt, irregularly toothed in upper two-thirds, lower ones obovate- 
oblong wedge-shaped below, upper ones oval-oblong rounded below, all sessile. 
Inflorescence of dense terminal and lateral subglobose stalked corymbs. Flowers 
purplish red, to inch across, about as long as the pedicels. Buds streaked 
purple, with green ribs. Sepals green, fleshy, lanceolate, acute, separate nearly 
to the base. Petals wide-spreading, lanceolate, acute, thrice the sepals. Stamens 
spreading, nearly equalling the petals. Scales yellow, strap-shaped, twice as 
long as broad, emarginate. Carpels erect, purple, shorter than the stamens, 
furrowed on the back ; styles very short. 
Flowers August-September. Hardy. 
Habitat. — From England to Japan. 
Sub-species S. Fabaria Koch (fig. 39). 
S. Fabaria Koch, " Synopsis Flor. German.,** ed. i. 258, 1837. 
Illustrations. — Sowerby, "Engl. Bot.," ed. 3, pi. 527. Reichenbach, 
" Flor, German.," 23, tab. 47. Cusin and Ansberque, " Herb. Flor. Fran9aise, 
Crassul.," tab. 7. 
Description. — Very like 5. purpureum. but is a smaller and slenderer plant ; 
leaves deeper green, narrower, and thinner, all wedge-shaped below (instead of 
