Drypis
(the old Greek name used by Theophrastus, from drypto, to tear, on account of the leaves being armed with stiff spines). ORD. Caryophylleae. A very pretty little herbaceous perennial, admirably adapted for ornamenting rockwork, where it becomes suffruticose, and produces an immense number of flowers. Increased either by cuttings, placed in sandy soil, under a hand glass; or by seeds, sown in a light compost. When seedlings are of sufficient size, they should be separated and planted on the top of rockwork, care being taken to keep them watered until fresh roots are emitted. D. spinosa (prickly).* fl. pale pink or white, corymbose; bracts with three teeth on each side. June. l. stiff, awl-shaped, somewhat trigonal, mucronate. Stems at first procumbent, four-sided; flowering stems erect. h. 6in. South Europe, &c., 1775. (B. M. 2216.)