MR. J. a. UAKEK'S monograph of BRITISH ROSES. 213 



deep, and ripens before that of any other species, changing 

 colour in the north of England early in August, or even some- 

 sometimes late iu July, and sometimes, but not always, cernuous. 

 Styles densely villose. Disk none. 



From the Humber northward through England and through 

 Scotland this species appears to be universally distributed, coming 

 next in order of frequency to canina and tomentosa^iov^hich three 

 species at least 90 per cent, of the Eoses of the northern half of 

 our island must belong. Tomentosa and mollissima often resemble 

 one another so closely that it is not safe to pronounce upon ordi- 

 nary herbarium specimens ; but the fruit is very different both iu 

 character and time of ripening, and the sepals generally furnish 

 a character, and, when growing, the habit of the bushes is dif- 

 ferent ; and although both have forms with entirely naked 

 peduncles, and often with naked calyx-tubes, this never runs 

 down like the other into forms with stouter curved prickles, or 

 with the leaves nearly or quite naked on the upper surface. 

 Both the British and the Continental distribution of the two ap- 

 pear to be materially different. I have seen this from northward 

 as far as Orkney {Boswell Syme\) and Caithness {I>icJc\\ but 

 cannot vouch for it from further south than Derbyshire {^Pur- 

 cJias !), Caernarvon {Wilson !, Bloxam !), and Merioneth {Borrer !, 

 Lees^!)^ and now believe that the Isle-of- Wight plant I formerly 

 placed here is tomentosa, var. subglolosa. In the north of Eng- 

 land it ascends to 450 yards above the sea-level. In Ireland I have 

 seen it only from Antrim and Derry ; one of Dr. Moore's speci- 

 niens had a leaf 6^ inches long, with a terminal leaflet 2| inches 

 long by 2 inches broad. Our plant thoroughly agrees with the 

 Scandinavian one of Fries, which, he says*, is distributed through 

 the length and breadth of Scandinavia, whilst tomentosa is re- 

 stricted to Denmark and Gothland. It is, perhaps, open to 

 doubt whether Willdenow understood the plant clearly ; and it 

 certainly has not been individualized definitely by Koch, Eeichen- 

 bach, or Grenier and Godron ; but Eoth understood it clearly in 



* "Specierum distributio hujus generis valde insignis et in diversis terris 

 varia: in convallibus alpinis genus centrum suum habet, quamvis sub arcto 

 I-apponiam modo duic species intrant, B, cinnamomea et mollissima, Hffc duaj 

 species usque ad Seaniam ubique vulgares, maxiraam in Scandinavia habent 

 ©^nsionem, quamvis in Germania modo indicentur in convalliboB alpinis 

 australibus. E contrario in Scandinavia rarac, in oris occidentalibus potisei- 

 mum obviam veniunt R. pimpinellifolia et tomentosa, Sm."— Fries, Suimna, 

 p. 171. 



