The Box-leaved Milkwort is a shrubby mountain plant with a woody branching stem and leathery evergreen leaves, which resemble those of the common box but are somewhat thicker. The flowers occur singly or in pairs in the axils of the upper leaves. They consist of a boat-shaped corolla of a pale yellow colour, which becomes darker towards the tip, and two wing-like appendages, which look like petals but are really sepals. These are usually white but are sometimes purple red. It is stated that their colour is determined by the soil on which the plant grows and is white or pure slate; on calcareous, slate coloured.
The Box-leaved Milkwort is widely distributed in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, between 1500 and 7000 feet, and grows on wooded hills and in dry rocky places, where it is often extremely abundant. It flowers from May till the end of August. The plant is quite distinctive and will be readily recognised. Although belonging to the Milkwort tribe it is quite different from all other species, which have red, white or blue, never yellow, flowers and deciduous, not evergreen, leaves.
The Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris) of our English downs and heaths is also found in the Alps. It is a small herbaceous plant with a slender stem, perhaps three or four inches long, which is thickly covered with leaves, and terminates in a cluster of pink, blue, or white flowers. Polygala calcarea, a nearly-related species found only in limestone districts, has sky-blue flowers and leaves for the most part clustered in the form of a rosette at the base of the stem.
Plate VII.
POLYGALA CHAMÆBUXUS. L.
The Box-leaved Milkwort. Polygala faux-buis. Immergrüne Kreuzblume.
The Creeping Gypsophila
(GYPSOPHILA REPENS)
The Creeping Gypsophila is a perennial plant with a woody stem, from which branches arise bearing the narrow strap-shaped leaves and pale crowded flowers. It is found in all the limestone regions of the Alps, amongst the rocky boulders beside mountain streams, and in dry torrent beds between 1000 and 7000 feet, and even descends to the plains with certain of the rivers. It is found, for example, near Munich on the banks of the Isar. The plant is also widely distributed in the mountain regions of Central Europe and extends from the Pyrenees to the Carpathians. The flowers, which open in July and August, are white with more or less of a tinge of pink about them, which may be quite marked in certain cases. Together they form what is botanically known as a corymb. The numerous flower stalks branching off from different points of the ascending stem are of such a length that all the flowers are approximately on the same level. In this way they are displayed to the best advantage, so that their insect visitors may find it easy to pass from flower to flower. There are several species of Sandwort and Chickweed to be found in Switzerland that closely resemble the Creeping Gypsophila. Apart from technicalities the chief points to keep in mind in the identification of the plant are the woody creeping stem, the much-branched flower stalks, and the entire absence of hairs.