332 
FLORA AND SVLVA 
where the soil is Httle more than hu- 
mus ; and, Hke Si km acaulis and Sax- 
ifraga oppositifolia^ it is the better for 
being starved. Otherwise its leaves and 
flowers come less refined in tone and 
texture, and the whole growth becomes 
rank. Grown in the moraine-garden, 
however, it keeps its true character and 
charm— this arising no less from its in- 
trinsic beauty than from its extreme 
rarity and romantic interest. 
Polyg07tatum officiftale is also an un- 
common native plant which has never 
received due consideration. It is a 
miniature Solomon's Seal, rarely ex- 
ceeding a foot in height, and with only 
a pair or so of waxy bells in the axils 
of its leaves ; the flowers, too, are much 
larger and more conspicuous than the 
bunched blossoms of P. multiflorum, 
P. officinale is neat and quiet for a rock- 
garden, where P. multiflorum^ stout 
and riotous, would be out of place. It 
is also a true rock-plant, being found 
among the white limestone scars and 
high copses of Craven, in company 
with Convallaria majalis^ though it 
has not borne the denudation of the 
hills as patiently as the Lily of the Valley, 
and prefers the undergrowth at the 
cliff^'s foot to the deep crevices of rock 
in which the Convallaria is found all 
across the wind-swept flats of the Upper 
Scar limestone. 
V tola lutea is another neglected alpine 
plant, which occurs sparingly on Pen- 
y-gent and more abundantly on the 
eastern fells, till in Upper Teesdale it 
forms the main growth of the meadows, 
and ranges from pure yellow through 
an almost infinite variety of subtle tones 
to the deepest violet. As a rule, the 
Craven form bears flowers of soft clear 
yellow and, even in a wild state, these 
golden sparks are beautiful among the 
tough moorland grasses ; but in culti- 
vation it develops into a splendid dwarf 
tuft, crowded to concealment with its 
large and exquisite blossoms. Vain in- 
deed is the labour spent in wrestling 
with the peevish caprices of V tola cenisia 
and other of her difficult sisters, when 
such a charming and contented little 
wildling is ready to hand. Indeed a 
large yellow form of V tola lutea might 
at a glance almost be taken for V. Zoysi^ 
and a fine purple one for V. calcarata. 
Primula farinosa is perhaps the best 
known of our British alpines, and is 
probably also the most brilliant. At 
the same time, ever since Parkinson's 
day it has laboured under a sorry re- 
putation for uncertainty and intoler- 
ance, whereas, in a wild state, the plant 
is conspicuous for its vigour. Unlike 
itsonlyEnglishrivalin beauty, Gentiana 
verna^ it is rather a waxing than a waning 
species. Its distribution centres round 
the Craven highlands, with the adjacent 
fells of Cumberland and Westmorland. 
Outside this district it is less seen, but 
certainly here in Craven its area is in- 
creasing as well as its abundance. High 
barren scars, where ten years ago hardly 
a flower could be found, are now rosy 
in the spring, and in its lowland haunts 
it thrives so sturdily that a well-grown 
plant might be taken for a pink P. 
capitata^ and little groups by the way- 
side are so brilliant and robust that one 
hesitates for a moment to recognise 
them as wild British plants. A curious 
