Summer Flowers Of The High Alps - free ebook by Somerville Hastings

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Summer Flowers Of The High Alps

Somerville Hastings

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SUMMER FLOWERS OF THE HIGH ALPS

SUMMER FLOWERS OF THE HIGH ALPS

CIRCIUM SPINOSISSIMUM. SCOP. The Spiny Fuller’s Thistle. Le Chardon le plus épineux. Stachlige Kratzdistel. Frontispiece , see page 50 . SUMMER FLOWERS OF THE HIGH ALPS BY SOMERVILLE HASTINGS M.S. AUTHOR OF “ALPINE PLANTS AT HOME,” SERIES I. AND II. ILLUSTRATED BY REPRODUCTIONS FROM DIRECT COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR LONDON: J. M. DENT &amp; SONS, Ltd. NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON &amp; CO....

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Preface

Preface

The coloured plates of Alpine plants, which are the special feature of this book, are all reproduced from colour photographs taken directly from nature. The plants were all photographed exactly as they were found, with two exceptions, in the immediate neighbourhood of Rosenlaui in the Bernese Oberland during the month of July 1909; so that the pictures are true portraits of the flowers “at home.” The Lumière process of colour photography which was used, depends on the action of light on a photog

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Introduction

Introduction

No one can visit Switzerland for the first time without being struck with the singular beauty of its wild flowers. In the early summer the whole country from the lowland meadows right up to the snowline is ablaze with beauty. Probably in no other part of the world are the forms of the flowers more pleasing and their colours more brilliant. Hence it is that almost everyone who visits the Alps, however little interest he may take in the wild flowers of his own home, desires to know something of th

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The Narcissus-Flowered Anemone (ANEMONE NARCISSIFLORA)

The Narcissus-Flowered Anemone (ANEMONE NARCISSIFLORA)

Many varieties of Anemone are found in Switzerland. Not only have we the common English Wood Anemone ( A. nemorosa ) of the early spring, and the much rarer Pasque Flower ( A. Pulsatilla ) of our downs, but there is also the white or yellow Alpine Anemone ( A. alpina ), which forms so marked a feature of the Alpine pastures in early summer. Even in July and August, when most of the flowers have faded, the feathery tufts of seeds of the Alpine Anemone are still to be seen as the so-called “Chamoi

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The Globe Flower (TROLLIUS EUROPÆUS)

The Globe Flower (TROLLIUS EUROPÆUS)

THIS large and stately plant is common in mountain pastures from the lower levels right up to 7000 feet. It has finely divided leaves and bright yellow globe-like flowers, borne on long stalks which are usually unbranched. It is evidently a near relation of the buttercups, but differs from them in the possession of numerous brightly-coloured sepals, which enclose and conceal the much smaller tongue-shaped petals. Although not exclusively Alpine, being found all over Central Europe, in Scandinavi

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The Common Monk’s-Hood (ACONITUM NAPELLUS)

The Common Monk’s-Hood (ACONITUM NAPELLUS)

Several species of Aconitum are met with in Switzerland. They have all bright-coloured flowers, especially adapted for fertilisation by humble-bees. It is only where there are humble-bees to convey the pollen from flower to flower that seeds can mature, so that where these insects do not exist the Aconites cannot spread. The five sepals of the Aconite flowers are coloured for attractive purposes, the highest being especially large and helmet-shaped. Protected by this are the representatives of t

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The Yellow Wolf’s-Bane (ACONITUM LYCOCTONUM)

The Yellow Wolf’s-Bane (ACONITUM LYCOCTONUM)

This plant is a species of Aconite, and a close relation of the common Monk’s-hood illustrated on the previous page. It is common on the borders of woods and in bushy places between 3000 and 7000 feet above the sea level. In this species, which, like the common Monk’s-hood, is visited almost exclusively by humble-bees, the upper helmet-like sepal which conceals the honey is especially long. It is interesting to note that the humble-bees do not, in all cases, obtain the honey in the way intended

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The Two-Flowered Violet (VIOLA BIFLORA)

The Two-Flowered Violet (VIOLA BIFLORA)

This pretty little plant is common in moist shady places between 3000 and 7000 feet all over Switzerland. It is also found in Bohemia, Silesia, the Vosges, and other parts of Central Europe. It flowers from May to August in the clefts of rocks, and amongst the boulders on the banks of streams. It was in just such a place as this that the present photograph was taken. The flowers are bright yellow, streaked with brown, and the dark green leaves are kidney-shaped and entire. Although there are sev

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The Long-Spurred Pansy (VIOLA CALCARATA)

The Long-Spurred Pansy (VIOLA CALCARATA)

The Long-Spurred Pansy flowers in June and July, and is a typical Alpine plant. The high mountain pastures are sometimes literally carpeted with its large purple flowers, all turned towards the sun. It is common on sunny slopes and among rocky débris between 5000 and 9000 feet, and prefers a limestone soil. The underground stem of the plant bears at its extremity a small rosette of leaves, and a short flower stalk terminated by the single large flower. The flower, which has a delicate and sweet

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The Box-Leaved Milkwort (POLYGALA CHAMÆBUXUS)

The Box-Leaved Milkwort (POLYGALA CHAMÆBUXUS)

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 thei

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The Creeping Gypsophila (GYPSOPHILA REPENS)

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

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The Moss Campion or Cushion Pink (SILENE ACAULIS)

The Moss Campion or Cushion Pink (SILENE ACAULIS)

Wherever conditions are unfavourable to plant life, not only on high mountains but also in deserts and by the seashore, the plants that manage to survive frequently respond by a process of co-operation and form dense cushion-like masses. In the high Alps many examples of this are seen. The individual plants are closely huddled together in the form of a tuft, not only on account of warmth and natural protection and to prevent their being blown away by rough winds, but also because the cushion act

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The Wood Geranium (GERANIUM SYLVATICUM)

The Wood Geranium (GERANIUM SYLVATICUM)

Seventeen species of Geranium or Crane’s-bill, so named from the shape of the seed, are met with in Switzerland, and several of them are rather difficult to distinguish from one another. The Wood Geranium is found in England, but is not very common. In Switzerland it is exceedingly abundant on the borders of woods and in rich mountain meadows and pastures between 3000 and 7000 feet. Though a beautiful plant it is by no means welcome to the herdsman, for it is not good for fodder. The finely divi

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The Alpine Clover (TRIFOLIUM ALPINUM)

The Alpine Clover (TRIFOLIUM ALPINUM)

This plant is the most beautiful and most sweetly scented of all the clover tribe. The long conical root stock which penetrates far into the soil terminates above in many radiating branches. On these are borne the long stalked leaves, composed of three narrow leaflets with serrated margins. The flowers, which are larger than those of any other clover, are borne in a group of four to twelve on top of a long flower stalk. They begin to appear early in June and continue coming out till the end of A

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The Brown Clover (TRIFOLIUM BADIUM)

The Brown Clover (TRIFOLIUM BADIUM)

Unlike the greater number of Alpine plants which persist from year to year the Brown Clover is a biennial, that is to say, its life is limited to two years, and at the end of its second summer the plant dies off. It is found abundantly in the limestone districts of Switzerland between 4000 and 7000 feet, and flowers in July and August. It grows in meadows and pastures, and seems to prefer a moist, open spot, where the competition with other plants will be less severe. Thus it is met with on mora

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The Cold Mountain-Lentil (PHACA FRIGIDA)

The Cold Mountain-Lentil (PHACA FRIGIDA)

The Cold Milk-Vetch or Mountain-lentil—to give a literal translation to its popular Swiss name, for it has no English—is a typical Alpine plant, found in fair abundance between 5000 and 8000 feet, perhaps most frequently in limestone districts. In rocky places or mountain meadows it often grows in profusion, but it seems to avoid the pastures. The stem is usually unbranched, about 6 or 8 inches high, and bears the pale yellow or cream-coloured flowers and the bright green leaves, made up of four

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The Dull-Flowered Sweet Clover or Alpine Sainfoin (HEDYSARUM OBSCURUM)

The Dull-Flowered Sweet Clover or Alpine Sainfoin (HEDYSARUM OBSCURUM)

The Alpine Sainfoin is the only member of the sixteen European species of Hedysarum (Sainfoin) that is found in Switzerland. The plant consists of a thick, dense underground stem which persists from year to year and serves as a storehouse for food. Underground branches extend outward from this in various directions and give rise to ascending shoots bearing leaves and flowers. The short stalked leaves bear eleven to nineteen leaflets which are arranged in pairs; the purple-red flowers occur in cl

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The White Dryas (DRYAS OCTOPETALA)

The White Dryas (DRYAS OCTOPETALA)

The White Dryas, or Silver-herb as the Swiss call it, is a characteristic Alpine plant which is found all over Switzerland between 3000 and 8000 feet, and even descends to the plains with some of the rivers. It is common in dry mountain pastures and rocky places, and seems to grow best on limestone soil. Often the bare surfaces of rocks and boulders are thickly covered with its matted growth, which persists from year to year as soil gradually accumulates around it. The thick dense rootstock give

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The Alpine Rose (ROSA ALPINA)

The Alpine Rose (ROSA ALPINA)

THE Alpine Rose or Dog-Rose must not be confounded with the Alpenrose. The resemblance is only in the names, for the Alpenrose so much beloved by the Swiss is really a rhododendron and quite a different plant. The Alpine Rose is a shrub sometimes 8 or 10 feet high, and only a single branch is shown in the photograph. It is found on the borders of mountain woods and in bushy places, from the lower slopes up to about 7000 feet, and flowers in May, June, and July. The leaves consist of seven to ele

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Fleischer’s Willow-Herb (EPILOBIUM FLEISCHERI)

Fleischer’s Willow-Herb (EPILOBIUM FLEISCHERI)

This plant is fairly common in the Alps and grows in dry stony places, especially amongst the boulders of dried-up torrent beds and beside some of the streams; with some of these it descends towards the plains. Like not a few of the less common Alpine plants, where it is found at all, it is usually met with in great abundance. The flowers which open out in July are of great beauty, and their arrangements to prevent self-pollination are of considerable interest. The stamens first ripen, and while

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The Mountain House-Leek (SEMPERVIVUM MONTANUM)

The Mountain House-Leek (SEMPERVIVUM MONTANUM)

Several varieties of House-leek are found in Switzerland. They grow in dry, rocky places, where moisture is scarce and where they are exposed to the fierce heat of the sun. Their succulent leaves, covered by a thick, almost leathery, cuticle, are arranged in rosettes, and serve as storehouses for water. The plants grow slowly and in clusters, and when each one has accumulated sufficient strength it throws up a long central stalk bearing star-like flowers, and dies as the seeds mature. The house-

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Sempervivum Funckii

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.

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The Evergreen Saxifrage (SAXIFRAGA AIZOIDES)

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

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The Large Astrantia (ASTRANTIA MAJOR)

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

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The Alpine Starwort or Alpine Aster (ASTER ALPINUS)

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 i

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The Cat’s-Foot, Mountain Everlasting or Mountain Cudweed (ANTENNARIA DIOICA)

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

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The Arnica (ARNICA MONTANA)

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

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The Spiny Fuller’s Thistle (CIRCIUM SPINOSISSIMUM)

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

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The Round-Headed Rampion (PHYTEUMA ORBICULARE)

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 consi

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The Bearded Bell-flower or Campanula (CAMPANULA BARBATA)

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 di

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The Dwarf Hair-Bell or Bell-Flower (CAMPANULA PUSILLA)

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. Thes

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The Hairy-Leaved Alpenrose (RHODODENDRON HIRSUTUM)

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

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The Lesser Winter-Green (PYROLA MINOR)

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 Jul

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The Stemless Gentian (GENTIANA ACAULIS)

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

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The Short-Leaved Gentian (GENTIANA BRACHYPHYLLA)

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 Alp

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The Alpine Toad-Flax (LINARIA ALPINA)

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 distr

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The Alpine Balsam (ERINUS ALPINUS)

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 togeth

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The Leafy Lousewort (PEDICULARIS FOLIOSA)

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

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The Yellow Auricula (PRIMULA AURICULA)

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 w

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The Marsh Orchis (ORCHIS LATIFOLIA)

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 s

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The Lady’s Slipper (CYPRIPEDIUM CALCEOLUS)

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 pro

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The White Veratrum (VERATRUM ALBUM)

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

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