from: the isle or wight and south coast. 401 



tian. p. 140. "E. Gentaurium .... var. y. E. capitata, Cham. •* 

 Der Stengel ist vom Grunde an starker gefliigelt-kantig als an 

 der Stammart ; die Doldentraube bleibt auch bei der Fruchtreife 

 sebr gedrungen, indem die Aestchen sich kaum verlangern ; der 

 Kelch ist bei der geoffneten Bliithe meist una die Halfte kiirzer 

 als die Kohre, und bei der Fruchtreife fast urn das Dreifache 

 kiirzer als diese. Die Blume wie bei der Stammart .... die 

 Abart y. im Pastoreiholze bei Liibke in "Westphalen von Dr. 

 "Weihe gesammelt und mitgetheilt, auch haben wir sie von Dr. 

 "Wickstrom aus Schweden als E. Centaurium erhalten." — Mertens 

 Sf Koch, in Bold. Deutsch. PL, ii. p. 233. "JE. Centaurium, Pers. . . 

 (3. E. capitata, Koem. Plante courte, ramassee, a corymbe toujours 

 compacte; feuil. rad. nombreuses, grandes, arrondies, obtuses,a 5-7 

 nervures. Rochers, pelouses sablonneuses, graviers de la region 

 maritime, surtout de la cote du nord." — Lloyd, PL de l'ouest de 

 la Pr., ed. 3, p. 204. "Mrythraa Centaurium, L., var. capitata, 

 Koem. et Sch. On Freshwater Down and in the warren at Alum Bay, 

 plentifully"*. — A. G: More, Supp. to the Fl. Vectensis in Journ. 

 of Bot. for 1871. [No characters are given.] Mr. A. Gr. More is 

 the only English botanist who has applied the name " capitata " to 

 English specimens of Erythrcea ; but evidence is wanting to show 

 how far Mr. More distinguished the capitate variety of E. Centa- 

 rium from the plant which is the principal subject of this paper ; 

 for both grow abundantly in the localities named by Mr. More. 



Mr. James Lloyd has kindly sent me specimens of his 

 "JE, Centaurium, /3. E. capitata, Koem.," from the Loire Infe- 

 rieure ; and I have no hesitation in referring them to the capitate 

 variety of E. Centaurium, and in considering them quite distinct 

 from the Isle of Wight Erythr&a with free filaments. Mr. Lloyd 

 also sent me a specimen which had been given to him as E. Cen- 

 taurium, /3. suffruticosa, Griseb. (Ckironia sufruticosa, Salz.). I 

 believe with Mr. Lloyd, that this specimen must be referred to 

 his E. capitata from the Loire Inferieure, which, as I have just 

 observed, is a capitate variety of E. Centaurium. 



Since "Willdenow's time botanists have been unsuccessful in 

 * Mr. More adds : — " This is, I believe, the plant given in ' Flora Vectensis ' 

 as E. littoralis, which I have not succeeded in finding in the Isle of Wight." 

 The stations given by Dr. Bromfield in 'FL Vect.' are "Alum Bay, between 

 Grove's Hotel and the sea ; Headon Hill, within twenty yards of Mr. Ward's 

 cottage ; sea-banks near Compton." Dr. Snooke, in his ' Fl. Vectiana,' records 

 .' Chironia littoralis," "Dwarf Tufted Centaury," from "sea-banks near Comp- 

 ton" (Snooke 'Fl.Vect.' p. 12, 1823). Compton is east of and near Freshwater 



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