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Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tped18 I. Botanical Trip to Mont Cenis and the Maritime Alps. By GEORGE MAW, F.G.S., F.L.S George Maw F.G.S. F.L.S. Published online: 29 Nov 2010.

To cite this article: George Maw F.G.S. F.L.S. (1873) I. Botanical Trip to Mont Cenis and the Maritime Alps. By GEORGE MAW, F.G.S., F.L.S, Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 12:1-4, 211-221, DOI: 10.1080/03746607309469519 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03746607309469519

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10th December 1874.—ALEXANDER BUCHAN, M.A., in the Chair. Tbo following Communications were read :—

I, Botanical Trip to Moid Cents ami the Maritime Alps. By GEORGE MAW, F.G.S., F.L.S. Mr Ball, in his " Guide to the Western Alps," says of Mont Cenis that " it is one of tlio best headquarters for a naturalist in the entire chain of tbe Alps." There is no part of the Alps more easily accessible. You may breakfast in London, and on tbe evening of the following day find yourself comfortably quartered on tbe summit of the Pass, be­ tween G000 and 7000 feet above the sea, almost within sight of tbe glowing plain of Lomhardy, and surrounded by mountains abounding in tbe richest gems of the alpine flora. Soon after daybreak, just twenty-four hours from leaving London, you are entering a picturesque valley through tbo

Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 chain of tbe Jura, shut in by noble escarpments of oolitic limestone, clothed with a luxuriant growth of Box and a rich subalpine flora. Many interesting plants are seen from tbe railway, including Orchis luxijlora, Caihanthiis avgua- ti/olius, with pale rose-coloured flowers. Here ami there, at the margins of the woods. Spit a a A i minis displays its ftrttbtry sprays of elegant in am-coloured flowers, and iu 'be early autumn Saiitbwus rats bunches of coral-red fruit. One of the commonest plants 212 Mi George Maw on a Botanical Trip to

b\ the hide of the nilway ami on the shingle beds of the btiuiin is Epilubium rosmarinifoliuiii—perl tips the most ornamental speeies of the beautiful genus. It attains a height of 3 feet, and in the higher alps assumes a dwarfer habit, under the name of Epilubium Dodonozi. Salvia pralcnsis is a frequent weed on the railway banks, and here and there may be seen Salvia Sclarca and S. glu- tinosa. Amongst the other commoner plants may be enu­ merated Suxifraga rotundifolia, Sedum altissimum, Primula farinosa, Saponaria ovymvides (which forms lovely rose- coloured patches on the rocks), Genista sagitlalis, Teucrium Chamadrys, and T. montanum. At 9 A.M. Culoz Junction is reached, and after half an hour's delay for the division of the Swiss from the Italian train, we turn south, cross the Rhone, skirt the beautiful lake of Bourget, and enter, after passing Chambery, the Yal de Marienne. The line gradually ascends through a picturesque subalpine district. HippopJiae rhamnoides, laden with orange-scarlet berries, is remarkably abundant on the shingle beds of the valley, and Berbcris vulgaris, in full fruit, is one of the commonest shrubs. Here and there the remains of ancient moraines form dams across the ravine, through which the turbid river has cut narrow chan­ nels, and rushes amid huge boulders in its course towards the Isiire. Deeply striated rock surfaces are occasionally seen where the glacial debris has been removed, indicating the former existence of a great glacier that filled up the valley, and has now receded 20 miles in distance, and 4000 or 5000 feet in altitude. The valley gradually narrows, and up the lateral ravines glimpses are occasionally obtained of the snow-capped summits of the Mount Tabor range to the south, and the Dent Parassee to the north. Picturesque Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 cliffs of contorted strata of the age of our lias and upper trias shut in the valley through which the rail ascends, and here and there are so twisted as to completely invert by great folds the succession of the beds. Soon after one o'clock Modane is reached, and the entrance of the great tunnel high overhead approached by a double bend in the railway, and a steep incline of three miles. Mont Cenis is, how­ ever, still fifteen miles off, and leaving the rail at Modane, a drive of three or four hours brings me at nightfall to the (V,i« and the Maritime Alps. 213

village of Lans le Bourg. Here at a lieight of 4465 feet I am at the foot of the Pass, and on the following morning, after an early breakfast, climb up the steep northern slope of 2000 feet, a long straight incline of alpine pasture, enli­ vened by the bright blue flowers of Gcntiana ciliata, and I reach the summit of the Pass at nine o'clock. I know of no point in the Alps more beautiful than this; northwards I look down between 2000 and 3000 feet into the deep ditch-like valley of the Maurienne, and on to the very roofs of Lans le Bourg, overhung on the opposite side by the snow-capped summits of the Dent Parassee, and the Grand Casse between 12,000 and 13,000 feet high, and 7000 feet above where I stand, the view to the right being completed by the wild valley of Bonneval. The Pass of Mont Cenis is an irregular plateau 6 miles across, with an average altitude of between 6000 and 7000 feet, and bounded on the right and left by mountains exceeding it in lieight by 3000 or 4000 feet. The tout ensemble is charming. Soon after reaching the top of the Pass., I look down on a pretty blue lake occupying the middle of the plateau, and on a terrace of crystalline white sulphate of lime. Overhanging it is an inn, which affords tolerable quarters. The brilliant alpine flora has passed its prime, but the scene is full of attractions, both of form and colour. The marshy meadows surrounding the lake are of a rich golden brown seared by " the mellowing year," and bright with patches of Saxifraga aizoidcs, and a band of fresh emerald-green vegetation separates this from the blue waters of the lake. The foreground is very singular; the terrace of several hundred acres of white saccharoid lime­ stone overhanging the lake has been perforated with thou­ sands of " pot-holes," due to the gradual dissolution of the

Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 limestone by watery percolation. Some of these are 30 feet deep, and they are in such close juxtaposition that the whole terrace has been wrought into an intricate network of narrow ridges environing deep pits, forming a complete honey-combed surface, across which it is difficult to climb without making a long and sinuous detour. On the opposite side of the lake the brown mountains shut in the view, the Petit Mont Cenis to the right, and Mont d'Ambin to the left, their picturesque outliuc-s deve- 214 Mr George Maw on a Botanical Trip to loped by a fresh sprinkling of autumnal enow, and framing in the more distant ranges over the Gorge of Savalain. A complete list of the plants of Mont Ceuis would include a large proportion of the alpine flora, but the following (including some species at the base of the mountain) were amongst my gatherings. The plateau of Mont Cenis at the time of my last visit in September was bespangled with the beautiful blue flowers of Gcntiana ciliata and the miniature Colchicum alpinum; Primula farinosa covers the moist meadows surrounding the lake, and amongst the more goneral plants on the plateau level may be enumerated—Gcntiana excisa, G. asclepiadea, G. verna, Hugueninia tanacetifolia, Atragene alpina, Cen- taurea un\flora,GnapJialium Lcontopodium,Alyssum alpestre, and another species of Alyssum, Erysimum helvelicum (ou the limestone terrace above the lake), Draba aizoides. Tu• nica Saxi/raga, Aster alpinus, several species of Semper- vivutn, Dryas octopetala, Hemiaria ihcana, Teucrium mon- ianvm, Ononis rotundi/olia, 0. Natria, with golden-yellow flowers, a most striking plant, but not easy of cultivation; Gypsophila repens, Polygala Chamabuxus, BclUdiastrum Michelii, Campanula ptusilla, C. rhomboidalis, C. thyrsoidea, C. barbala, Silene acaulis, S. exscapia, Saptonaria ocymoides, Anemone vernalis, A. alpina, Viola biflora, Viola calcarata (varying with blue, yellow, and buff flowers), Liliurn Marta- gon, Bupleurum ranunculoides, Rhododendron ferrugineum, Aqiulegia alpina, Thalictrum aquilegi/olium, Convallaria verticillata, Q. Polygonatum, and a host of other alpine plants. In Saxifrages Mont Cenis is particularly rich. During a former visit I, in company with my friend Mr J. Westcombe, met with sixteen species during a short after­ noon's walk; one of the most abundant is the lovely little

Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 Saxi/raga cwsia, which adorns with its neat little cushions of 6ilvery leaves and white flowers the tufaceous rocks on the west side of the lake ; and iu company with it we found the rarer Saxi/raga valdensis, easily distinguishable to the touch by its hard crusty masses of rosettes. This species is limited to a small district in the Western Alps. Saxi/raga diapensoides, allied closely to Saxi/raga val- aensts and also to Saxi/raga Tombicna of the Eastern Alps, is said to grow on the meadows surrounding the lake, but Mont ('tnia and l/ic Maritime Alp*. 215

[

Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 distributed throughout the Mont Cenis and Dauphine moun­ tains. In the end of June nothing can be more lovely than largo patches of this pigmy pink, covered with its beautiful crimson flowers. Another more local plant oc­ curring on the mountains west of the Iako is Saponaria luttn, fi iming coinpai t ru IIIOIIH of lim ar loaves, and bear­ ing m it little In ads ol dull follow dowci, time or four Unln high Seal It led ubout the mountains ourhanging the Col du Clupicr, at all altitude ol from K000 to 10,000 216 Mr George Maw on a Botanical Trip to

feet, Erilrichium nanvm occurs on tlie drier ground, and is conspicuous by its bright patches of densely blue flowers, contrasting beautifully with the gem-like cushions of the rosy Ani/rosace glacialis, with which it is intermixed. Here also occur Lychnis atyina, and silvery white patches of Artemisia glacialis, A. mutcllina, and Scnecio incanus ; also Veronica alpina, V.fruticulosa, V. Allionii, V. bellidioides, V. tenclla, Sedum atratum, Gentiana nivalis, Gbrachyphylla, Astragcdus aristatas, Alchemilla pentophylla, A. subsericea, Astrantia minor, Silene rnpestris, Alsine verna, A. ciliata, Allium sphairocephalum, Potentilla pedemontana, Arnica moniana, several Phyteumas, Adenostyles albifrons, Achillea moschata and A. nana, Androsace carnea, A. lactea, Arelia Vitaliana, Myosotis alpestris, Erysimumpumilum, Oxylropis faiida, 0. pilosa, and several species of Astragali. This last might be much amended, but as my fortnight's ramble included a visit to tlie Maritime Alps, to which I must make some reference, I will bid adieu to Mont Ceuis. After four days' stay on the plateau, I crossed the Italian side of the Pass to Susa, by a continuous winding descent of about 4000 feet round the spurs of the Mont Cenis range into the valley of Susa, a hot cul-de-sac, which, before the opening of the tunnel, was the great highway between France and Italy. I leave the alpine flora behind me, and soon find myself again on the railway between mulberry orchards, vineyards, and fields of ripening maize, and enter, just before reaching Turin, on the great north Italian plain, which affords evidence of having been sub­ merged during glacial and post-pliocene times. Looking from Turin to the west, the alpine range of Savoy is seen to make a bend to the south-west, returning in an easterly direction along the Mediterranean coast, Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 and environing a great bay of the plain of Northern Italy, which runs up as a dead level to the very foot of the mountain chain. I crossed this in about three hours by the line from Turin to Cuneo, a picturesque city at the foot of the northern flank of the Maritime Alps. The grand mass of Monte Viso, 12,643 feet high, is seen to the north-west, from which the main chain branches out to the south in picturesque outline to a height of from 9000 to nearly 11,000 feet, for the most part a single ridge, with Si mi Vans and tie Maritime Alp*. 217 I Ural iparb nclosing narrow valleys. A drive of two bear* tak^s me to Valdiere and the vilhgc of Entraqne, i-'tatte 1 in 01 e of the lateral valleys on the north side of the w»t rshed, which I made my headquarters for four days. Tl cr is, perhaps, no part of the Alps so little frequented ty Uurists, though so rich in beautiful scenery and natural i reductions. It must be confessed that the accommodation' is, for the most part, wretchedly poor, I ut fair quarters can be obtained from June to the end of August at the Baths of Valdiere, situated at the head of one of the prin­ cipal valleys. There is also a tolerable inn at Limone ; both places are capital centres for a naturalist. The change in the flora from that of Mont Cenis is very strik­ ing. Quite one-fourth of the species are new to me, and many of these are peculiar to the Maritime Alps. Soon after leaving Cuneo the following species presented them­ selves:—Anchusa Barrilieri, a lovely little plant with intensely blue Forget-me-not-like flowers, the handsomest of the genus. Lamiuri longiflrrum, Satureia montana, Alyssum Aalimifolium, on limestone rocks between Boorg St Dalmazzo and Valdiere, which are also covered with the beautiful Saxi/raga lantoscana. In May and June this forms a conspicuous feature in the flora of the Maritime Alps, decorating many of the rocks and cliff's with its feathery panicles of snow-white flowers. Aster Acmellus is abundant on the rocks between Vernante and Limone. Dentaria digitata aud D. pinnata are conspicuous and beautiful, with their graceful foliage and handsome pink and white flowers. Another striking plant is Streptopus distortus (or Utularia amplexifolia), allied to Convallaria, which I found in the Valle dell' Anmellina, near Limone. Of Primulas there are several species, distinct from those

Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 found on the Mont Cenis range, of which Primula margin- ata is the most conspicuous. In many places the rocks ■ire completely covered with the handsome rosettes of its silTer-fringed leaves. Primula viscosa, All. (P. latifitia, Lap.), P. suaveolens and P. firinosa, are also abundant; but P. pedtmontana, so common on Mont Cenis, is not to be found in this region. The alpine meadows in June are richly enamelled with. the white and red firms of Orchis sambac'na intermixed 218 Mr George Maw on a Botanical Trip to with Corydalis coxa, both white and rose colour; and in the Valle dell' Anincllina near Liiuone, associated with hundreds of the lovely yellow Fritillary {Frilillaria delphin- ensis, Moggridgei), bulbous plants are extremely abundant. I found Tulijxi ausirah's, a small brown Fritillary (FrilU- laria delphinensis, Burnati), Muscari botryoides, Leucojum vernum, several Gageas, one or two species of Allium, and both the white and violet varieties of Crocus vernus intermixed with Soldanclla alpina. Cardamine asarifolia is abundant by the banks of the water-courses, and higher up in the Valdiere mountains I found the rare Senecio Bal- bisianus, also Achiltea Herba-rota, Asplcnium alternifolium, Silene cordifolia, Anemone ranunculoidcs, Leucanthemum coronopifolium, and several other alpine Composites. Amongst the specialties of the ridge of the Maritime Alps, Viola nummulariifolia is one of the most beautiful, and grows abundantly at an altitude of 8000 feet, near the Colle de Cerise and Colle de Fenestrelle. In habit it resembles Viola bijlora in miniature, but with bright azure- blue flowers and round leaves. The local Saxi/raga pede- montana makes vigorous tufts of bright green rosettes in the midst of a great mass of dead leaves, the remnant of many years' growth. It is only found near the snow line, and is difficult to cultivate. But by far the most interesting plant of this region is Saxi/raga fiorulenta, confined to a limited area of the Maritime Alps, and known in no other part of the world. It is said to have been discovered in the year 1824 by an English tourist, who communicated specimens to Professor Moretti, of Pavia. He published a 6hort description of the plant at the time, after which it was vainly sought for by many botanists, till M. Lisa rediscovered it in the year 1856 near Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 the Colle de Fenestre. Fresh localities have since from time to time been discovered in the same region, where, at an altitude of from 7500 to 9000 feet, it seems to be far from unfrequent; but all the habitats are within a radius of 4 or 5 miles of the spot where it was originally dis­ covered. During my recent visit I had the good fortune to observe it in two unrecorded habitats—viz., on rocks with a northern exposure near the Colle de Fenestrelle and the Colle de Mont Cents and the Maritime Alps. 219

Cerise, where its glossy green symmetrical rosettes, some of them 6 inches in diameter, nestle under the projecting ridges. Out of many hundred plants I found but one in flower, from which the excellent figure, from a drawing by Mr Fitch, in the "Botanical Magazine" for July, was taken. The rosettes evidently attain a great age before flowering, and then die, falling into the snow-fields at the foot of the cliffs, where, judging from the number I found, they must remain undecayed for many years. The flowers are of a dull rose colour, and are produced at a dense thyrsus on aglandulose stem from 15 to 18 inches in height. Its nearest ally is Saxifraga mutata, but as it is so unlike any other species, and has three instead of two styles and carpels, it is open to question whether it should not be placed in a separate genus. • After several days' exploration of the many beautiful valle3's intersecting the northern side of the watershed of the Maritime Alps, I again descended from Entraque, and following the main road from Cuneo to Nice, crossed the Colle de Teuda at a height of 615S feet. From this point a magnificent view is obtained. To the north I look down on the great western bay of the north Italian plain, bounded by the Alps, the complete range of which, from Monte Viso to Monte Eiso, is visible in the distance, framed in by the northern spurs of the range on which I stand. To the west, the fine chain of mountains forming its watershed rise in picturesque succession ; and to the south I look over a confused mass of peaks, and catch a single glimpse of the Mediterranean some 18 miles off, the foreground being a long straight descent of 3000 feet to the valley of the Koja, down which the road winds by numerous short bends and zig-zags to a narrow gorge, shut in by precipitous limestone

Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 cliffs. Fritillaria delphincnsis, Tulipa aiistrah's, and many other subalpine species enamelled the meadowy slope in early June. Genista cinerea is also abundant, and this is one of the habitats of the rare Cytisus Ardoina. Many other leguminous shrubs festoon the limestone rocks bound­ ing the valley at the foot of the Pass, in company with %xifi-aga lantoscana, Micromeria Pipcrclla, Ahjssum d'mifolium, and other species. At about 4 miles from the foot of the Pass the road suddenly turns to the right, 220 Mr George Maw on a Botanical Trip to

and I approach the picturesque town of Tcnda, situated at a height of 26S0 feet in a hot valley bounded by limestone cliffs. Here many fresh species present themselves, includ­ ing Silcne cordifolia, Mcehringia papulosa, Fritilhxria invohicrata, Saxifraga cunei/olia, Asperula hexaphylla, Passcrina dioica, Euphorbia spinosa, Saxifraga cochlearis, &c„ associated with a few alpine plants, such as Saxifraga valdenis and Scmpervivum arachnoideum, which are rarely found at so low a level. The road from Tenda towards Nice rapidly descends the valley of the Roja, which for 7 or 8 miles is contracted to a narrow defile, resembling the Via Mala on the Upper Rhine, but on a grander scale and more beautiful aspect, the river and road being narrowly pent in between high cliffs, here and there interrupted by lateral ravines, up which glimpses of the mountain ranges are occasionally seen. Many fresh species present themselves, including Primula Allionii, Potcntilla saxifraga, Majhringia dasy- pliylla, and the abundauce of the individuals of those special to the district give a marked character to the flora. The cliff sides are festooned with silvery patches of Cineraria maritima, and a rich arboreal vegetation, con­ trasting with the alpine district we have just left, adds to the beauty of the scene. Passing views of the valleys of the Miniera on the right and Briga on the left are espe­ cially lovely. We descend rapidly through chestnut and olive groves, alternating with narrow gorges, through which the Roja foams in boiling rapids and cataracts, the rocks on either hand being clothed with noble patches of Centran- thus ruber, Campanula macrorhiza, orange lilies, Cineraria viaritiiua, Saxifraga lantoscana, and other species. The frontier town of Fontan was reached at nightfall, Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 from which, on the following day, I made an excursion up the Val de Caiross, leading over by the Col de Rans to the valley of Lantosca, one of the habitats of the true Lilium pomponiuin. Saxifraga lantoscana, S. cochlearis, and Potcn• tilla Saxifraga adorn the rocks; and here I also found Primula Allionii, Ma'hringia dasyphylla, Scdum alsinifolium, Micromcria Pipcrclla, &c. From Fontan the road passes through another defile, the Gorge of Saorgio, shut in by precipitous cliffs, and terminating at Breglio, where we .IforU &' is arid tic Maritime Alpt. 221 Lav- "c ^*»Hey of the ftoji, which turns to the south t march the coast of Yei timiglia. The r>al winds over (wo of tlic literal spurs of the Maritiin.- Alps, and reaches Jfice through a hot villej rich with fig trees i 'uegraoates, vine3'ards, olive groves, and patches of Am id> Donax, 18 feet high, the result of little more than seven months' growth. The herbaceous and bulbous plants have long passed their beauty, but the aspect of the district in Sep­ tember is much more fresh and gTeen than I had antici­ pated, from the abundance of deciduous and evergreen trees now in full leafy strength. At Nice the market held daily in the streets strikingly exhibited the richness of the district in the extraordinary quantity and variety of fruit— figs, pomegranates, tomatos, grapes, peaches, capsicums, prickly pears, Arc, exposed for sale under the shade of the plane-tree avenues. I have now wandered far away from Mont CYnis and the Maritime Alps, which have been tl c subject of my paper, and i passing glimpse of the beautiful Mediterranean coast on my homeward route, with its shrubby headlands and blue bays, rich in a flora i eculiar to itself, concludes a fortnight's pleasant ramble.

II. Notice of Sabal umbraeulifera in the Pahn St*, vc at 'Royal Botanic Garden, Edinfairgl. By JAMES M'NAB. Curator, (riate III.) An addition has lecently been made to the conser­ vatories in the Royal Botanic Garden at Edinburgh, by fitting up in the open space in the centre of the chief range, a temperate house for the growth of cool Talins and tall hard-wooded exotic trees. The extra accom­ modation thus secured for these plants ha* permitted the

Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 20:04 04 November 2014 nnioval of the temporary partition, which for many years separated the eastern octagonal portion (pie\nusly usedfn- the cool Tabus, Ac.) from the present large Palm-house, thus converting the two houses into one for the growth of tropical Palms, Ac. In the centre of the l.ugi Palm house, and immediately 'l»po id tin chief entrance d. or, .toed a fnu *I«VIIIUII of IU Pull Pnlm (Unbal tuibincidif, ;i) It w.i- iti a tub 2-2 '<