Sempervivum Funckii
Not unlike the Mountain House-leek photographed on the previous page is Sempervivum Funckii. It is not a common plant, being only found in Eastern Switzerland, the Tyrol, the Carpathians, and a few other mountainous districts, and does not seem to have acquired any local name. Compared with the Mountain House-leek the rosettes of leaves are a little smaller. They are covered with much longer hairs, which are not, however, twisted together into a spider’s web like those of the Cobweb House-leek. As will be seen the flowers are of a beautiful pale pink colour, and each petal has a stripe of a darker tint running down its centre. The plant grows in rocky places.
The Common House-leek (Sempervivum tectorum), which is often seen in England growing on old walls and on cottage roofs, where it is supposed to protect from lightning, is also found in Switzerland. It is fairly common in dry, rocky places, and ascends from the plains to 7000 feet. Its purple flowers are not unlike those of Sempervivum Funckii, but its wedge-shaped rosette leaves are only provided with hairs along their margins, and are armed with sharp spines at their extremities. It is, moreover, a much larger plant. The rosette leaves of Sempervivum Wulfeni, another Alpine species, are very like those of the Common House-leek, but the plant is readily distinguished by its yellow or greenish-yellow flowers. It grows on primary rock between 6000 and 8000 feet, and is rather uncommon.
Plate XIX.
SEMPERVIVUM FUNCKII. BRAUN.
Funcke’s House-leek. Joubarbe de Funcke. Funcke’s Hauswurz.
The Evergreen Saxifrage
(SAXIFRAGA AIZOIDES)
THE Saxifrages have been extraordinarily successful in the Alps. Some thirty different species, some of them exceedingly common, are met with in Switzerland.
The Evergreen Saxifrage is one of the most abundant. It grows in moist rocky places, at the foot of glaciers, and on the banks of mountain streams and waterfalls. It ascends to 9000 feet in places and descends almost to the plains with some of the rivers. The plant grows in tufts. The erect flower stems are covered by the narrow, succulent leaves, which have hairs along each margin; they terminate in branches bearing four to eight flowers. The star-like flowers, which appear in July and August, are made up of five brightly coloured petals alternating with five green sepals. The petals may be lemon yellow with orange red spots, or, as in the specimen here photographed (var. atrorubens), pure orange red. Next comes a ring of ten stamens with dark red pollen, and then the showy ring-like nectary and the two styles in the centre of the flower. The honey is so obvious and abundant that insects of all kinds—flies, bees, butterflies, and beetles—visit the flowers; but self-fertilisation is, in the main, prevented by the pollen being shed before the ovaries with their stigmata are ready for fertilisation. The Evergreen Saxifrage is to be found in all parts of the Alps, and is also met with in the Arctic regions.
With the help of the photograph no difficulty should be experienced in recognising the plant. From the Stonecrops, notably the Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre), it is recognised by its possession of two styles. But several of the other Saxifrages resemble it much more closely. The Rough Saxifrage (S. aspera) has paler flowers and more hairy leaves. The Moss-like Saxifrage (S. bryoides) has a moss-like growth and the flowers are borne on long, usually unbranched, flower stalks. Saxifraga Sequieri has more flattened leaves, and Saxifraga Hirculus, which is rare, has two raised spots at the base of each yellow petal.
Plate XX.
SAXIFRAGA AIZOIDES. L.
The Evergreen Saxifrage. Saxifrage toujours verte ou Saxifrage pain d’Oiseau. Immergrüner Steinbrech oder Borsten-Steinbrech.
The Large Astrantia
(ASTRANTIA MAJOR)
This tall and handsome plant is common from the lower mountain region up to 6000 feet all over Switzerland. It grows in meadows, bushy places, and mountain woods. Several long-stalked leaves rise directly from the root stock. They are of a large size, circular in general outline, and consist of five or six radiating lobes with deep depressions between them. The branched flower-stem, perhaps some 2 or 3 feet in height, bears relatively few leaves. Its various branches terminate in what appear to be single flowers, but what are really masses of tiny flowerets with short stalks all of the same length, surrounded by a sort of cup made up of radiating leaves. The individual flowers are greenish-white, often with a pinkish tinge, and the radiating leaves are pale pink, with a central green stripe and greenish tip. The flower-masses of the Astrantia are an excellent example of the way in which small and unattractive flowers combine together and form a structure, both large and conspicuous, to attract insect visitors. These floral societies are even better seen in the large natural order the Compositæ, of which our next four photographs are examples. The Large Astrantia flowers in July and August, and is met with in many of the mountain woods of Central Europe as well as in the Alps. It is occasionally found in England.
The Small Astrantia (Astrantia minor) is a much smaller and more slender plant. The notches in its leaves extend right up to the stem, thus completely separating the eight or nine leaflets from one another. The Hare’s-ear (Bupleurum ranunculoides) somewhat resembles the Large Astrantia, but its flower-masses are entirely devoid of any tinge of pink and its leaves are strap-shaped.
Plate XXI.
ASTRANTIA MAJOR. L.
The Large Astrantia or Master-wort. Astrance Majeure ou Radiaire. Grosse Sterndolde.
The Alpine Starwort or Alpine Aster
(ASTER ALPINUS)
The beautiful little Alpine Aster is found all over the Alps. It flowers in July, August, and September, but occasionally it may be found in bloom even as early as May. It grows in dry Alpine pastures, sunny meadows, and rocky places, not infrequently in company with the Edelweiss, between 4000 and 9000 feet; in a few places it extends much lower. The plant consists of a rosette of woolly tufted leaves, with a central stem bearing the solitary flower-head. In the higher regions the flower-stem is short, perhaps only 4 inches in length, but nearer the plains it may be 8 or 9 inches. In any case, however, the flower-head is large, an inch or two in diameter, and conspicuous on account of the broad purple ray florets, which contrast strongly with the golden yellow centre. The Alpine Aster is very widely distributed, being found in Northern Asia, Arctic America, and in most of the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Europe, but not in the far North.
Closely resembling this plant is the Alpine Fleabane (Erigeron alpina). It has narrower ray florets, which are arranged in several rows and not in a single row like those of the Alpine Aster, and a branched flower-stem bearing several separate flower-heads. The much rarer Aster Amellus differs from the Alpine Aster in the possession of a branched flower-stem and blue, not purple, ray florets.
Plate XXII.
ASTER ALPINUS. L.
The Alpine Aster or Alpine Starwort. Aster des Alpes. Alpen-Aster.
The Cat’s-Foot, Mountain Everlasting or Mountain Cudweed
(ANTENNARIA DIOICA)
The Cat’s-foot, which is, after all, perhaps the most suitable name for this curious plant, is abundant in the Alps from the lowest levels right up to 7000 or 8000 feet. It is found in dry places, on moors and heaths, and in dry open woods. It sometimes forms an unwished-for inhabitant of the mountain pastures where it is disliked by the herdsmen, for it is an undesirable plant for fodder. The leaves, like those of the Edelweiss, are covered with white woolly hairs, and the flower stems are also hairy. The flowers, which are pink or white, are dioicious, that is to say, the same flower does not produce both pollen and seed, and seed-forming and pollen-producing flowers do not occur on the same plant. As the pollen is not carried by the wind from flower to flower, the plant is entirely dependent upon its insect visitors for the fertilisation of its seeds, and without them no seeds will be formed. The plant is also spread by means of runners, which extend over the soil and take root at intervals. The Swiss peasants make wreaths of the Mountain Everlasting, which they wear as a charm, especially on Ascension Day. The plant is widely distributed, and is found in the North of England and Scotland, as well as most parts of Europe and the Polar regions.
The Carpathians Cudweed (Antennaria carpathica), which is also common in Switzerland, differs from the Cat’s-foot in that its flowers are brown rather than white or pink, and that it does not send out runners.
Plate XXIII.
ANTENNARIA DIOICA. GÄRTNER.
The Cat’s-Foot, Mountain Everlasting, or Mountain Cudweed. Gnaphale dioique ou Pied de Chat. Echtes Katzenpfötchen oder Mayensässblume.
The Arnica
(ARNICA MONTANA)
A bright conspicuous plant is the Arnica, with its yellow star-like flower-heads. It grows in meadows, pastures, and on sunny moors, and is widely distributed in the Alps, from the lower mountain regions up to 8000 feet. It is much less common in limestone than in other districts. Four broad green leaves grow from the root in the form of a cross. In the centre of these rises the erect flower-stalk some 8 or 9 inches long, and covered with glandular hairs. On the flower-stalk are borne the one or two pairs of leaves, without stalks, and arranged opposite to one another. The flower-heads are drooping in the bud, but when they open they are large and conspicuous and of a deep yellow colour. They give forth a faint, resinous, not very pleasing, odour. The outer or ray florets of the flower-head have long projecting strap-shaped petals. Their purpose is to attract insects to the floral society, and the less conspicuous florets in the centre of the flower-head produce just as good seeds. At first but a single flower-head is formed, but later on, if the plant is vigorous, buds appear in the axils of the opposite stem-leaves, and two more flower-heads appear. This is what has happened in the two specimens here photographed, and a second pair of buds is seen in one of them. It is interesting to note that a mould-like fungus is found constantly associated with the roots of the plant. It is believed that the two plants grow together to the mutual advantage of each, the fungus assisting the Arnica to obtain nourishment from the soil, and in return receiving from it some of the organic matter manufactured from the air with the help of light. The root has a bitter aromatic taste. From it is made the tincture of Arnica, which is often applied to bruises, apparently, however, without any very considerable influence upon them.
Several other Alpine plants, the Doronicum and Aronics, for example, have bright yellow flower-heads like the Arnica, but as no similar Alpine plant has pairs of opposite leaves on the flower-stem, the recognition of the Arnica becomes a very simple matter.
Plate XXIV.
ARNICA MONTANA. L.
The Arnica. Arnica. Echtes Wohlverlei.
The Spiny Fuller’s Thistle
(CIRCIUM SPINOSISSIMUM)
This stately and beautiful plant is common in all parts of the Alps, but is found nowhere else. It grows in moist places in the meadows and pastures, and beside the streams, between 4000 and 7000 feet. It is generally looked upon as a noxious weed by the herdsmen, but in one or two places the upper and more succulent parts are gathered and preserved as pigs’ food for the winter.
The thick evergreen leaves, armed with formidable spines, are paler at the upper part of the stem where they surround the large brown flower-head. Usually but a single flower-head is borne by each plant, but each one produces some hundreds of seeds. Each seed has a feathery wing-like appendage, so that it may be more easily distributed by the wind. The Spiny Fuller’s Thistle is usually some 3½ or 4 feet high, as was the specimen photographed, but in high altitudes the plant is more bushy and stunted. Under these conditions it is not unlike the Stemless or Alpine Carline Thistle (Carlina acaulis), which, in spite of its name, has sometimes a stem some 8 or 10 inches long. But the Carline Thistle has a larger and more flattened flower-head, and when the flowers are in bloom they are of a purple colour, though they soon turn brown as they get dried up.
Probably the nearest relation of the plant here photographed is the Common Fuller’s Thistle (Circium oloraceum), abundant in moist places, both in the Alps and lowlands. It is a plant that would seem to be protected by its resemblance to other members of its family, for though it appears spiny, it is soft and succulent, and bears not a single prickle anywhere. The leaves, which are sparsely distributed on the slender stem, are of a dirty grey-green colour, and though as tall as its spiny relative, the plant is much less robust.
The Round-Headed Rampion
(PHYTEUMA ORBICULARE)
In England we have only two kinds of Rampion and both are rare, but in Switzerland there are no less than ten different species, with blue and white flowers, and some of them are extremely abundant. One of the commonest of the blue-flowered varieties is here photographed. It grows in mountain pastures and poor meadows between 3000 and 8000 feet, and is found not only in the Alps but all over Central Europe, though absent in the North. It flowers in July, and the size of the plant undergoes considerable variation according to the altitude at which it grows. Sometimes the flower-stalks are but 3 or 4 inches long, at others 16 or 18. The leaves, which grow from the root stock, have serrated edges, and are frequently a good deal larger than those of the specimen photographed. The methods adopted by the plant for the distribution of its pollen and the fertilisation of its seeds through the agency of insect visitors are of particular interest. Each flower of the flower-head is formed of a blue tubular structure (corolla), which is at first closed above. In the centre of this is the style covered by short hairs and surrounded by the five stamens. While still in the bud the stamens shed their pollen, which collects in the tube around the style and is retained in position by the short hairs. Now the flower opens at its tip, and while maintaining its tubular character above splits longitudinally below into five or six segments, so that linear openings are formed. The result is that when an insect settles on the flower the tubular corolla is very easily depressed, exposing the style surrounded on all sides by pollen. Any pollen that is not removed by the insect falls from the style, for the short hairs on the style by which it is held in position very soon fade. The style then splits above into three segments, exposing for the first time the sticky stigmatic surface now ready for pollination.
The Round-headed Rampion is one of the five Swiss species with rounded, not elongated, flower-heads. Three of them can at once be put aside, because they are usually much smaller plants and have less than twelve flowers to a flower-head, whereas the Round-headed Rampion has always more. Phyteuma Scheuchzeri is distinguished from this plant by its lilac flowers, longer stalked and usually broader basal leaves, and especially by the circle of leaves immediately beneath the flower-head, which are longer than the flowers themselves.
Plate XXV.
PHYTEUMA ORBICULARE. L.
The Round-headed Rampion. Raiponce à Capitules Arrondies. Kugelköpfige Rapunzel.
The Bearded Bell-flower or Campanula
(CAMPANULA BARBATA)
Of the numerous Bell-flowers which abound in the Alps none is more quaint and beautiful than the one here photographed. The whole plant, stem, leaves, and flowers, is covered with short hairs, but around the mouth of the bell the hairs are longer and stiffer, and pure white. It is interesting to note that when cultivated in rockeries in England the hairy character of the plant almost entirely disappears. Some three to five pendent flowers are borne by each flower-stalk, all turned in the same direction. Occasionally a single flowered variety is met with, usually at a high altitude. The ordinary pale blue colour of the flower may disappear entirely, and specimens with pure white blossoms are not infrequent. The plant is found abundantly all over the Alps and Sub-Alps, in meadows and pastures, and to a less extent in open woods, from 3000 feet almost to the snowline (7000 to 9000 feet). It is usually less abundant on limestone than on other rocks. The Bearded Bell-flower is also met with in the Carpathians, Jura, southern parts of Norway, and in other mountainous districts in Europe. It is probably a native of the Alps.
No difficulty will be experienced in recognising the Bearded Campanula. No other Bell-flower has little projections between each of the five teeth of the calyx which are turned back towards the stem. Only one other Bell-flower (Campanula Zoysii), and that a species not always recognised as distinct, has a light blue corolla with long hairs around its mouth. But here there is a constriction just immediately below the opening of the bell, and the plant is smaller and very rare, and occurs only in Eastern Switzerland.
Plate XXVI.
CAMPANULA BARBATA. L.
The Bearded Bell-flower or Campanula. Campanule Barbue. Bärtige Glockenblume.
The Dwarf Hair-Bell or Bell-Flower
(CAMPANULA PUSILLA)
The photograph gives a good general idea of the tufted growth of the Dwarf Bell-flower. The plant is quite small, rarely more than 3 or 4 inches high, and forms dense close-growing tufts of some size. The smooth or hairy flower-stalks bear one to six pale blue flowers and the narrow leaves, which are most numerous and have serrated edges below. There are also short flowerless branches covered with similar leaves, and a few broader leaves with longer stalks grow directly from the root stock. These last are not well seen in the photograph. The plant is very abundant in dry rocky and sandy places, in dried up torrent-beds, by the roadside and on the tops of walls. It is found from the lower mountain region up to some 8000 feet, and descends with some of the rivers towards the plains. It is also found in the Jura and parts of the Black Forest.
The Dwarf Bell-flower will be recognised from most of the other species of Campanula which abound in Switzerland by its broad basal leaves, its narrow stem leaves, and its erect seed pod. But, unfortunately, there are three other Swiss species to which this description equally well applies. Of these the rare Campanula excisa is at once picked out by the deep rounded clefts between the five segments of its bell-shaped flower. Campanula Scheuchzeri is a larger plant of more open and less tufted growth and with fewer flowerless leafy shoots. Its bell-shaped flowers are usually of a darker blue, are more conical, and have a wider opening; they are, in fact, less truly bell-shaped. Campanula rotundifolia, the common Hair-bell of our heaths and downs, which occurs also in Switzerland, is slightly taller than our plant and has also more cone-shaped flowers. Its flower buds are held erect, while those of the other three Bell-flowers we are considering are dependent. In a general way, the low stature and tufted growth of the Dwarf Bell-flower will, in most cases, suffice for its recognition.
Plate XXVII.
CAMPANULA PUSILLA. HÆNK.
The Dwarf Hair-bell or Bell-flower. Petite Campanule ou Campanule Naine. Kleine Glockenblume.
The Hairy-Leaved Alpenrose
(RHODODENDRON HIRSUTUM)
The Alpenrose is the commonest and best known of all the Alpine plants. It abounds almost everywhere; were it not so it would have become practically extinct years before, for it is gathered unmercifully. Nor are the visitors to Switzerland alone responsible for this. Every Sunday throughout the summer, crowds of the native peasants, both children and adults, may be seen returning home, each bearing in his arms an immense bunch of the favourite flower, and often with a second and smaller nosegay tied round the top of his alpenstock.
There are really two distinct species of Alpenrose, the Hairy-leaved (Rhododendron hirsutum), and the Rusty-leaved (Rhododendron ferrugineum) varieties, and a hybrid or cross between them is also less commonly found. Both varieties are low evergreen shrubs with thick leathery leaves which only fade after three or four years. Both have raised brown spots on the lower surfaces of the leaves, only they are much more numerous on the Rusty-leaved species, so that the under surface of the leaf is completely covered with them while they are only sparsely scattered on the leaf of the Hairy-leaved variety. They contain a balsam, and are thought to be of use to the plant in preventing its drying up. They may also assist in the absorption of water. The flowers of both species are admirably adapted for cross-fertilisation by the humble-bees which visit them. The stamens first mature, and not until the great part of the pollen is shed does the stigma lengthen and become ready for pollination. The long hairs growing from the stalks which bear the stamens interlock with similar hairs on the inside of the corolla, and thus effectively prevent the entrance of smaller insects which might visit the flower in search of the abundant honey, but which would fail to effect its fertilisation. The flowers of the species here illustrated are usually a little paler in colour, slightly smaller, and open a little later than those of the Rusty-leaved variety. The plant usually forms a lower and more thickly branched shrub, with rather shorter twigs. But the essential distinguishing features between the two are to be found in their leaves. The leaves of Rhododendron hirsutum are usually broader and less pointed, green underneath, and have well-marked hairs all round their edges. In Rhododendron ferrugineum the leaves tend to be narrower, darker green above, and brown underneath, and are entirely devoid of hairs, but have rolled back edges. Both species are found abundantly in rocky places between 4000 and 8000 feet, and flower in June, July, and August, and may be seen at their best in July. The Rusty-leaved variety seems to prefer a rather moister spot and may also be found on peat. It is most abundant on primary granitic rock, while the other species grows best on limestone.
Plate XXVIII.
RHODODENDRON HIRSUTUM. L.
The Hairy-leaved Alpenrose. Rhododendron cilié ou hérissé. Bewimperte Alpenrose, oder Wimpern-Alpenrose.
The Lesser Winter-Green
(PYROLA MINOR)
The plant here photographed derives its English name from the evergreen character of its leaves. It is in fact a British plant, being found somewhat rarely in Scotland and in the North, but is much more common in Switzerland. It grows among the moss in shady woods, from the plains right up to the tree-limit and may even reach 8000 feet or higher, where protected by shrubs and bushes. The plant is widely distributed in Switzerland and is also found in Vosges, Pyrenees, and Jura. It flowers in July.
The Lesser Winter-Green will be recognised by its short, straight style, which does not project beyond the flower and which is closely surrounded by the stamens which converge toward it. Of the four other Swiss Pyrolas which resemble the above, two only are at all common, and these two will alone be mentioned. Pyrola secunda will be recognised by its longer straight style, which projects beyond the petals and by its greenish white flowers, which are all turned in the same direction. Its leaves are more pointed and have deeper notches than those of our plant. Pyrola rotundifolia has also a style that projects beyond the petals, but it is curved so that the stigmatic surface at its extremity is far below the centre of the flower.
Plate XXIX.
PYROLA MINOR. L.
The Lesser Winter-green. Petite Pyrole. Kleines Wintergrün.
The Stemless Gentian
(GENTIANA ACAULIS)
Many species of Gentian are met with in the Alps. One of the best known of the smaller varieties is the Stemless Gentian or Gentianella, which is a frequent inhabitant of heaths, meadows and pastures all over the higher parts of Switzerland, and is also found in the Jura and Carpathians, being less common on limestone soil and more abundant on primary granitic rock. The plant grows at an altitude of 4000 to 8000 feet, and flowers in June, July, and August. Occasionally it descends much lower and may even be found below 1500 feet in a few special localities. Each plant consists of a small rosette of leaves, a very short stem, and a single bell-shaped flower of deep azure blue. Very often two or three plants are found growing together and a small group such as that photographed is not infrequent. Occasionally also specimens with pale blue, rose red or even white flowers may be seen. When the flower has been fertilised, and while the seeds are maturing, the brightly coloured corolla shrivels up and surrounds the seed vessel, at the same time becoming of a green colour and perhaps taking on a vegetative function. The leaves are rather leathery, narrow, and pointed.
It is often quite a difficult matter to distinguish between the Stemless Gentian, here illustrated, and the Carved Gentian (Gentiana excisa), not only because the two plants are so much alike but also because intermediate forms exist; indeed, it is open to question whether the two plants are really to be regarded as distinct species. In the Carved Gentian the calyx lobes become contracted just above their bases, to widen out again above, and the recesses between the lobes are more rounded and less pointed. The leaves also are broader, less leathery, and not nearly so sharp pointed as those of the so-called stemless variety. The flowers of the Marsh Gentian (Gentiana Pneumonanthe) are also not unlike those of the plant here photographed, but it should be readily distinguished because its leaves are much narrower and several flowers are borne by a single plant.
Plate XXX.
GENTIANA ACAULIS. L. (GENTIANA CLUSII).
The Stemless Gentian. Gentiane à Tige Courte. Stengelloser Enzian oder Erd-Enzian.
The Short-Leaved Gentian
(GENTIANA BRACHYPHYLLA)
A particularly fine group of this beautiful little Gentian is here photographed. It is typical of the high Alps or snow region, and is rarely found below 6000 feet, and while scarce above 9000 is to be gathered even at 12,000 feet on the Matterhorn. But a single flower is borne by each little plant at the top of a short stem, which also bears the small, thick, closely packed leaves. The plant is found growing in the turf of mountain pastures and rocky places in the central parts of the whole Alpine chain. It is moderately common particularly on primary rock, and is also met with in Dauphiny and the Pyrenees.
Of the twenty or more species of Gentian that occur in Switzerland, some are tall, stately plants, bearing numerous blue, yellow, or purple flowers. Others are much smaller and bear relatively few flowers, or even one only in small feeble plants. A few never have more than a single blossom to each little plant. Among these last are the Stemless Gentian with its bell-shaped flower, figured on the previous plate, and the Short-leaved Gentian with its star-like flower, which we here illustrate. As a matter of fact, there are really three single-flowered Star-Gentians and to distinguish between them is not easy. Of these the Bavarian Gentian (Gentiana bavarica) is recognised from our plant by its longer stem, perhaps 2 to 3 inches long, on which only two or three pairs of opposite leaves are borne, and by the fact that the lower leaves are smaller than the upper. The Spring Gentian (Gentiana verna) has a very short stem, covered by closely packed leaves like the short-leaved variety, and like it, too, the lower leaves are the larger, but its leaves are harder, narrower, and more pointed, and short wing-like projections are found on its calyx.
Plate XXXI.
GENTIANA BRACHYPHYLLA. FROL.
The Short-leaved Gentian. Gentiane à Feuilles Courtes. Kurzblättriger Enzian oder Eiförmiger Enzian.
The Alpine Toad-Flax
(LINARIA ALPINA)
This beautiful little plant is abundant in all parts of the Alps. It is one of the first to take possession of fresh soil, but disappears rapidly under the stress of competition with other plants. Its numerous winged seeds are carried far and wide by the wind, and take root and grow rapidly on any open space. Hence it is found among the general rocky débris of the mountain-side, on the moraines of glaciers, and on the fresh soil brought down by avalanches, and is most abundant in limestone districts. Its true home is the high Alps and the snow region, and it flourishes best between 5000 and 9000 feet; but it is often carried down to a much lower level by the rivers, and is even found locally in the plains of Southern Germany. The Alpine Toad-flax is an inhabitant of most of the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Europe, and is thought to have taken origin in the South. It flowers from June till September, and seems to have derived its name from its flax-like foliage.
From the root stock arise one or more prostrate branches which creep over the rocks and soil, and turn upward at their extremities to terminate in a bunch of the brightly-coloured flowers. The grey-green leaves are narrow and succulent, and are arranged in whorls of four on the stem. The flowers are furnished with a long spur which contains the honey, and are only visited by bees and humble-bees. The common humble-bee has a long enough tongue to reach to the tip of the spur and is the chief agent in the fertilisation of the plant. The orange-yellow spot at the only opening to the flower is equivalent to a notice “this way to the honey.” Should no insect visit a flower self-fertilisation will nevertheless occur and seeds will be produced all the same. A variety of this plant, with flowers of a uniform red-violet colour and without any orange-yellow spot, grows on primary granitic rock. A second and much rarer type has pure yellow blossoms.
The plant is sure to be easily recognised. The prostrate stem, narrow leaves, and entirely closed up flowers that grow together in bunches are some of the more characteristic features.
Plate XXXII.
LINARIA ALPINA. MILL.
The Alpine Toad-flax. Linaire des Alpes. Alpen-Leinkraut.
The Alpine Balsam
(ERINUS ALPINUS)
The Alpine Balsam is a characteristic rock plant of the limestone Alps. Taking root in the clefts of the rocks, it sends out radiating branches in all directions, which adhere closely to the surface. It may also be sought in dry mountain meadows and among the grass of dry stony slopes, and is fairly common between 4000 and 7000 feet. Sometimes it is met with at a lower altitude in rocky places. The leaves, which are broader at their free extremities and covered by short hairs, are crowded together at the base of the stem. They have deeply serrated edges. The violet-purple or occasionally white flowers, which are formed of five petals united at their bases, are borne at the extremities of the branches. The Alpine Balsam is found not only in the Swiss Alps but also in the Tyrol, the Jura, the Vosges and Pyrenees. It flowers from early June till August.
The flowers of the Bird’s-eye or Mealy Primrose (Primula farinosa) are not unlike those of the Alpine Balsam, at any rate at first sight. But each Mealy Primrose plant bears but a single leafless flower-stem which terminates in a cluster of flowers. Moreover, the Mealy Primrose is found in moist meadows and boggy places, and rarely among rocks, and its leaves have a grey, powdery bloom on their lower surfaces.
Plate XXXIII.
ERINUS ALPINUS. L.
The Alpine Balsam. Erine des Alpes. Alpen-Leberbalsam.
The Leafy Lousewort
(PEDICULARIS FOLIOSA)
The Louseworts as a whole have been exceedingly successful in the Alps. No less than fourteen different species are to be found, and some of them are exceedingly common. In spite of their unpleasant name they are for the most part really beautiful plants, and as a group they are interesting in several ways. In the first place, they are all in some degree parasites on other plants. Branches arise from the roots which attach themselves to the roots of neighbouring plants and absorb from them water or salts or even organic nourishment. The Leafy Lousewort is not a great offender in this respect, but other species are capable of completely destroying many of the surrounding plants. The method of pollination of the Lousewort flowers is also somewhat remarkable. The flowers are only visited by humble bees, for no other insect appears to be strong enough to force an entrance into the flower. As may be made out from the photograph, the flower consists of two lips. In the upper is a vertical slit through which the stigma alone projects, but immediately behind the slit are the four stamens. The lower lip forms practically a landing stage for insect visitors. When the humble-bee alights on the flower his head is sure to come in contact with the projecting stigma and some of the pollen which he unconsciously carries with him will be removed. As he bends forward and thrusts his head into the flower to suck the honey the vertical slit in the upper lip will be widened out and the stamens will protrude and strike the insect’s head. When the humble-bee at last leaves the flower to continue his journey its various parts will resume their former relative positions. Should no insects visit the flower self-pollination will occur. This appears to be the usual course of events in the North where humble-bees are scarce. In Spitzbergen, where there are no humble-bees, a nearly-related species, Pedicularis lanata, is said to be regularly self-fertilised without apparently suffering in any possible way.
The Leafy Lousewort here illustrated is the commonest variety in most districts. It is a tall, stately plant, often some two feet high, which is found on grassy slopes and in rocky places between 3500 and 7000 feet, and grows best on a limestone soil. The large fine-divided leaves are even found among the pale yellow flowers on the flower-stem. The plant flowers in June and July, and is found in the Alps, Pyrenees, Vosges, and Jura. It will be readily recognised by its alternate leaves, and pale yellow hairy flowers, without any beak-like projection at their summits. Pedicularis Oederi, which is a little like it, has no foliage leaves between the flowers, which are devoid of hairs, and have a blackish red spot on either side of the upper lip.
Plate XXXIV.
PEDICULARIS FOLIOSA. L.
The Leafy Lousewort. Pédiculaire à épi feuillé. Reichbeblättertes Läusekraut.
The Yellow Auricula
(PRIMULA AURICULA)
Directly the snow melts up come the Auriculas, but only on limestone soil. The Auricula is really a spring plant, and usually flowers in May, but where protected by slowly melting masses of snow it may not bloom till much later; the accompanying photograph was taken in July. The thick, dense rootstock penetrates deep into the clefts of the rock. The leaves are smooth, rather fleshy, and of a bluish-green colour. The upper surface of the leaves, the flower-stalk and the calyx are covered with a white mealy substance. The leaves appear to serve the plant as a means of absorbing or storing water. Although the thick, dense cuticle usually present on leaves which have this function is here absent, they are found to dry up very slowly. It is probable that the thick cellulose walls between the individual cells replace the cuticle in the leaves of this plant. The flowers give forth a pleasant odour, something like that of the cowslip, but rather sweeter. Like the flowers of the primrose, they are of two kinds. The one has a long stigma which projects as far as the opening of the flower, and short stamens, and the converse is the case in the other. The object of this arrangement is to facilitate the pollination of the flowers by the agency of insect visitors as they pass from the one type to the other. Darwin found that very few seeds were formed when the flowers were self-fertilised.
The Auricula grows in rocky places between 3000 and 7000 feet. It is only found in limestone districts, and is rather local. It is also to be met with in the Jura, Dauphiny, the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, and in one or two places in the Black Forest.
The Auricula will be readily recognised. From the Oxlip (Primula elatior) and Cowslip (Primula officinalis or veris), it is distinguished by its smooth, not wrinkled, leaves and mealy stem. It is probable that most of the brilliantly coloured garden Auriculas were originally derived from this species.
Plate XXXV.
PRIMULA AURICULA. L.
The Yellow Auricula. Primevère Auricule. Felsen-Aurikel oder Flühblüemli.
The Marsh Orchis
(ORCHIS LATIFOLIA)
A large number of Orchids are to be found in the Alps. They form a well-defined group of plants which are particularly interesting in view of complicated devices which they have adopted to ensure the fertilisation of their seeds by the agency of insect visitors. Nearly all the English species are found in Switzerland, and most of them are met with in much greater abundance there. The beautiful pink Helleborine, the sweet-scented Butterfly Orchis, may be found in profusion on the lower mountain slopes, and the dark red Nigritella, with its odour of vanilla, and the ghost-like Coral-root, in the higher regions.
Of the genus Orchis alone there are no less than seventeen Swiss species. Many of these are much alike, and by no means easy to distinguish from one another. One of the most abundant is the Marsh Orchis, which is also met with in England, but is not nearly so common there. The plant grows in damp meadows and boggy places, where an average sized plant may be 18 inches or two feet high. Its large purple spotted flowers appear in June and may last until July.
The methods adopted by the plant to ensure the fertilisation of its flowers by means of insect visitors are most elaborate and exact, but without the aid of diagrams they are a little difficult to explain. It is curious that no honey is contained in the spur. It is probably the cell sap in it that is attractive to insects.
The Marsh Orchis will be recognised by its spreading spotted leaves, hollow stem, the palm-shaped tubers of its root, and the thick spur to the flower.
Plate XXXVI.
ORCHIS LATIFOLIA. L.
The Marsh Orchis. L’Orchis à Feuilles Larges. Breitblättriges Knabenkraut.
The Lady’s Slipper
(CYPRIPEDIUM CALCEOLUS)
This is one of the most striking plants of the Swiss flora, and while nowhere common is pretty widely distributed in the limestone districts of the Alps. It is a plant of some size, perhaps 12 to 24 inches in height, and grows in stony woods from the lower mountain region up to 6500 feet. One to three large yellow flowers are borne by each plant. Their method of fertilisation is of exceptional interest. Close to the attachment of the yellow slipper-shaped petal to the rest of the flower is a projection bearing on each side a stigmatic surface below and a mass of pollen above. The large yellow petal is smooth inside and has overhanging edges, rather like those of the familiar beetle-trap that is used for catching cockroaches, and as we shall see in a moment it acts in a similar manner. There is no honey in the flower, and it is not quite clear what the small bees that have been seen visiting it go there for. But at any rate when they once get in they have the greatest possible difficulty in getting out again, and only succeed in doing so by climbing up the attached side of the flower where the edges are not overhanging, that is on either side of the central projection. In doing this they are sure to brush first against the stigmatic surface, leaving behind some of the pollen they may chance to have sticking to them, and then against the viscid mass of pollen, some of which is sure to become attached to them. This process has been actually observed by Dr Herman Müller in the Alps.
The Lady’s Slipper Orchid is found also in the Jura, Tyrol, Dauphiny, Pyrenees, in certain parts of Central and Southern Germany, and even in the North of England. It is everywhere rather rare, but specially so in this country. It flowers in May and June, and is sure to be easily recognised, for there is no other plant in the least like it.
No doubt such names as the Lady’s Slipper, Lady’s Mantle, and Lady’s-Tresses refer to the dedication of the plant to the Virgin in mediæval times. The French name, “Sabot de Vénus,” refers to a very different personage. A comparison between the English, French, German, and the scientific names, for the last of which Linneus is responsible, is a good example of the way in which the goddess Venus and the Virgin Mary were often confounded with one another in the early days.
Plate XXXVII.
CYPRIPEDIUM CALCEOLUS. L.
The Lady’s-Slipper Orchid. Sabot de Vénus. Gemeiner Frauenschuh.
The White Veratrum
(VERATRUM ALBUM)
The White Veratrum is a tall weed with large green leaves, very abundant in moist meadows and pastures in all parts of the Alps between 2000 and 6000 feet. Before the flowers appear it strongly suggests one of the larger Gentians, but the flowers, which come out in July and August, are quite different. It is a widely distributed plant, being found in Russia, Siberia, Lapland, as well as in most of the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Europe. It appears to have been left as a relic of the glacial period in the higher parts of Silesia and the Black Forest. The large green leaves are downy beneath, and the flowers, which are always green externally, may be pure white (var. typicum), or more commonly yellowish-green (var. Lobelianum), internally. Some would regard these two varieties as distinct species. The whole plant is extremely poisonous. Sometimes it is eaten by the sheep and goats with disastrous results to the herdsmen, but the cattle are wiser and rarely make this mistake. The poison is an alkaloid Veratrin, which is contained in largest quantities in the root from which it is extracted for medical purposes. If the root be tasted it will at first appear sweet, but its acrid, bitter flavour soon overpowers this first impression. The Swiss herdsmen look upon the White Veratrum as a noxious weed, not only because of its poisonous properties but also because it grows in the richest soil and robs the true fodder plants of nourishment. In the Jura, on the other hand, the farmers rather welcome it. They say that the shade of its large leaves preserves the grass for the cattle and prevents it becoming dried up by the scorching sun.
The White Veratrum will be easily recognised. Its nearest relative, the Black Veratrum (Veratrum nigrum), is a much rarer plant that grows in woods. It has reddish-black or chocolate flowers, which grow in large spikes like those of the plant here illustrated, but each individual flower has a relatively longer flower-stalk.
Plate XXXVIII.
VERATRUM ALBUM. L.
The White Veratrum. Hellébore blanc ou Vératre blanc. Weisser Germer.