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S A X I F R A G A hypnoides.
M oJJy Saxifrage, ■ o r Ladies' Cujhion.
B E C A N D R I A Bigyma.
G en. Char. Cal. 5 -c le ft. Petals 5. Cap/. with a
beaks, i- c e lle d . Seeds numerous.
S p e c . C h a r . L e a v e s linear, undivided or three -cle ft.
Shoots procumbent. S tem ereét, almoft naked.
S y n . S a x ifra g a hypnoides. Linn. Sp. PI. 5 7 9 . Hudf.
1 8 2 . With. 4 0 7 . Light/. 2 2 4 .
S . mufcofa, trifido folio. Rail Syn. 3 5 4 .
T u f T S of this faxifrage often clothe rocks, whofe inequalities
are filled with black turfy earth, on the mountains of
Wales, Scotland, and the north of England. We have gathered
it on Ben Lomond, and on Arthur’s Seat near Edinburgh.
The fpecimen here reprefented was fent frefh from North
Wales, by J. W. Griffith, Efq. It flowers in May, and often
again fparingly in July and Auguft.
Roots fibrous, long and flender, perennial, throwing out
many procumbent leafy fhoots, which grow matted together,
forming thick tufts, and from the common origin of which
arifes a folitary ere£t round flem, bearing two or three flrag-
gling linear undivided leaves, and terminating in an upright
panicle of a few large white flowers. Leaves alternate, linear,
acute, pale green, fmooth, their edges only often hairy with
foft white woolly filaments ; the leaves on the fhoots Ample
and undivided; thofe at the bottom of the flem all deeply
three-cleft, but never (we believe) more compound. Bra£teae
folitary at each fubdivifion of the panicle, lanceolate, and (like
its branches) clothed with vifcid fhort hairs. Calyx alfo vifcid,
its fegments acute. Petals lanceolate, approaching to an elliptical
form, acute, entire, yellowifh at the bafe, ribbed with
three green lines, which are all united for fome dillance above
their origin, and the central one moftly branched near the top.
Stamina fubulate, five of them rather the fhorteft. Styles flill
fhorter, nearly ere£b; Stigmas blunt. This fpecies grows well
in gardens in a fhady fituation. By a careful attention to the
above characters it may be known from all other Saxifrage.
The S. ajugifolia is very like it, but has all the leaves 3 or 5-
cleft, as well as more numerous, though much fmaller and
yellower, flowers, with blunt petals, whofe mid-rib is not
branched at the top. We fhould not wonder if this fhould
prove to have been hitherto overlooked by Britifh botanifls, as
we find by Mr. Davall has been the cafe in Switzerland.
The fludent of natural genera may be amufed with tracing
the affinity, and yet diflinftion, between this genus, the Adoxay
and their connecting link Chryfofpkmum.