The rich close sward which borders on the Dent de Jaman provides the herboriser with more than one agreeable surprise. You will be struck by the beauty of the flowery tufts of the _Linaria Alpina_, rejoicing in a deep sapphire blue. You will also have an opportunity of making acquaintance with a campanula which is abundant on Mont Cenis (_Campanula Cœnisia_); its beautiful terminal flower, of a pale blue, is characterised by the long hairs which line the opening of the corolla. * * * * * Among the gentians, those great ornaments of the Alpine pasturages, we shall direct the attention of our readers to-- The purple gentian (_Gentiana purpurea_), and the spotted gentian (_Gentiana punctata_). These are distinguished by their plentiful appearance: their large oval leaves, and the height of their vigorous stems, recall those of the yellow gentian. The features which separate these two species are not very distinct: the corolla of the former is purple without and yellow within; that of the latter is of a bright yellow, marked by spots of deep purple, which, however, are not permanent; the calyx is campanulated, with upright and lanceolate foliola. * * * * * The _Gentiana acaulis_ contrasts singularly with the preceding species, its stem being so short that one is almost tempted to deny the existence of any; its large corollas, of a bright celestial blue, lie on the ground as if they had fallen fresh from a bouquet. We must not confound this species with the _Gentiana pumila_, a much smaller plant, with a very elongated calyx, which grows abundantly on the turf of Mont St Bernard. The _Gentiana verna_ and the _Gentiana nivalis_, with a corolla of the finest azure, inhabit the loftiest points of the Alps, where all vegetation begins to disappear. The former, or the gentian of spring, flowers, in these frozen regions, in June and July; it is one of twenty-four phanerogamous plants of the last vegetable station of Mont Blanc. This station is formed by a series of vertical layers of protogene, which separates the upper part of the Glacier des Bossons from that of Taconay. The débris of the rock, decomposed under the influence of atmospheric agencies, form, in the midst of the _nevé_, tiny flowering parterres--oases in the desert, islands in the vast ocean of ice and snow. There, sheltered by the rocks, and warmed by the sun, and refreshed by the snow, which rapidly melts in summer, these pretty plants thrive and grow beautiful, though their brief existence is summed up in a few short weeks. According to Charles Martins, the phanerogamous plants which flourish at an elevation of 10,000 feet are the following:-- _Mean temperature, 47° to 36°._