ACANTHOLIMON GLUMACEUM 
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Acantholimon glumaceum, Bossier. Glumaceous Acantho- 
limon, or Prickly-Thrift.— Green; branches naked at the base, 
clothed with old deflexed leaves above, the yearling shoots 
rhombiform, crowded with leaves; leaves all nearly equal, 
acerose, the lowest flat, spreading-recurved, the rest su¬ 
bulate, three-sided; scape with a minute short pubescence, 
twice or three times as long as the leaves, two-ranked ; spikes 
sub-sessile, very short, compressed, densely seven- nine-spicu- 
late ; hracts rather broad, sub-equal, longer than the tube of the 
calyx, the midrib excurrent, forming a longish acerose mucro, 
the lower becoming blackish, ovate, broadly scarious at the mar¬ 
gin ; limb of the calyx unarmed, traversed by blackish violet 
veins. 
Synonymy. — [?] Acantholimon glumaceum, Bossier, in Be 
Cand. Prod., xii., 629. Statice Ararati of gardens. 
ACANTHOLIMON GLUMACEUM. 
Nat. Order, Plumbag inace;e. 
Generic Character. —Acantholimon, Boissier. Calyx fun¬ 
nel-shaped, tube narrow; limb scarious, multiplicate, five- 
nerved, shortly five-lobed. Corolla gamopetalous only at the 
very base, forming a ring, the petals free in the rest of their ex¬ 
tent, with long claws; the margins of the claws contiguous so as 
to form a kind of tube ; limb spreading. Filaments sub-dilated 
at the base, adherent to the base of the corolla, free above. 
Ovary cylindrical-linear, attenuated into the styles ; styles five, 
coherent together at their bases, then free, glabrous, shorter 
than the stamens ; stigmas capitate-depressed, sub-discoid, sub¬ 
vertical by the bending of the apices of the styles. Utricle crus- 
taceous-membranous, linear-cylindrical, acutely five-sided 
throughout its length, bursting (circumscissilly) by an elongated 
conical lid formed by the bases of the styles, and also splitting 
irregularly 'into valves at the angles.—( Boissier in De Cand. 
Prod., Part xii.) 
B ESCRIPTION.—A dwarf perennial herb, with crowded, short, grassy foliage, the leaves 
rigid and armed with sharp spines. The annual shoots bear an elongated, closely imbri¬ 
cated, spreading, and recurved tuft of leaves above, and are clothed below by withered leaves, 
loosely imbricated. The flowering stems, 2-3 times longer than the leaves, are axillary, rigid, 
curving upward, and bearing a few distinct membranous scales. Spikes distichous, with 
lanceolate ovate bracts, green at the back, and with broad membranous margins ; the mid¬ 
nerve running out into a slender hard prickle ; spikelets densely imbricated. Calyx bell- 
shaped, from a narrow tube, white and membranous, with five blackish purple veins, scarcely 
notched at the border, much plaited. Corolla rose-coloured, the limbs of the petals large, as 
long again as, and surpassing in almost their whole extent, the expanded part of the calyx. Leaves, 
flowering stems, pedicels, and bracts clothed with a fine pubescence. 
History, &c. —The present plant appears to agree best with the above description, taken 
from Boissier’s monograph of the Plumbaginacese, in De Candolle’s Prodromus ; but it appears 
to us that he has broken up the species far too much, which renders it somewhat difficult to 
decide without examination of authentic specimens from himself. It is known in gardens 
under the name of Statice Ararati, whence derived we know not. Acantholimon glumaceum 
is stated to be a native of Armenia. The plant has been cultivated in the neighbourhood of 
London for the last five or six years. Its common garden name would appear to favour the 
notion of its having originally been brought from the mountains of Armenia, whence the 
Acantholimon comes.—A. H. 
It blooms freely in the months of June and July, and w r hen growing in a good sized mass, 
is rather showy, remaining a considerable time in blossom. 
Culture. —Our present subject is a little alpine perennial, perfectly hardy in the climate 
of London, and from its habit of growing into dense tufted masses, it forms a very pretty 
ornament either for the flower-border, or for out-door rock-work, as well as for pot culture. It 
is cultivated with facility in the ordinary way in which alpine plants are managed, and is 
propagated readily by means of cuttings of the young shoots, placed until rooted in a 
moderately warm and close atmosphere, and subsequently hardened off when fully established. 
It prefers a rich moderately light loamy soil, when planted out. Cultivated in pots among 
other “ alpine” plants, it accommodates itself perfectly to the usual treatment given to these 
“ flowers of the sod.”—M. 
ON THE CULTURE OF CAPE BULBOUS IRIDACEAS. 
By Mr. M. SAUL, Gardener to Lord Stottrton, Allerton Park, Yorkshire. 
iAjlO this order belong the genera, Gladiolus, Ixia, Sparaxis, Tritonia, Watsonia, Babiana, and Ano- 
iv matheca. They are generally called Cape bulbs. It is matter of surprise that these charming 
plants, so beautiful, and abundant in their flowers, and of so easy culture, should be so very little 
grown. Many of the kinds will stand the winter in the open ground, if covered wfith tan or a little dry 
VOL. II. V 
