ARENARIA

(from arena, sand; in which most of the species are found). Sandwort. O RD. Caryophyllaceæ. T RIBE Alsineæ. A very large genus of hardy herbaceous plants, consisting of about 150 species. It is distinguished by having generally three styles. The perennials only are worth growing; these are extremely pretty little alpine plants, and will thrive in any ordinary soil in exposed places; the rarer species may be grown in small pots, well drained, in a mixture of sand, loam, and leaf soil, or in well-drained crannies of the rockery. They may be increased by either division, seeds, or cuttings; the latter, placed under a hand-gla , will root freely. The best time to divide the plants is early spring, or July and August. Seeds should be sown in spring in a cold frame.