~~ Ey eee 
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POA LAXA. AND POA STRIOTA. 429 
“P flexuosa, Sm. E. B. 1123,” but leaving out the Ben Nevis 
locality, which, it will be remembered, was the only one given 
by Smith for his flewosa; and adds as a synonym Poa laaa, 
Fries, with a query. 
In the third edition of the ‘ Student's Flora’ Sir Joseph Hooker 
describes this plant as “ P. lava proper ; leaves channelled, tips 
concave, panicle open in flower, closed in fruit. P. flecuosa, Sm., 
and P. minor, Gaud.,” both synonyms being incorrect, as Gaudin’s 
plant differs in its being even more lax than P. laxa var. scotica. 
P. minor has 4-6 flowered spikelets, and the florets are more 
closely connected with longer arachnoid hairs, and it has longer 
and narrower ligules. 
We owe, therefore, the discovery of this plant to Prof. Balfour 
in 1846, and the publication of it under the name of P. minor in 
the ‘ Manual’ of 1847. 
Anyone who has studied these plants in nature will see that 
P. lava and P. alpina var. acutifolia are specifically distinct. 
Syme himself doubted if they should be united under one super- 
species. We cannot identify the former with P. minor, Gaudin, 
nor has it any specific connection with Smith’s Ben Nevis 
flecuosa, with which it bas been confused. The habitat in which 
I have seen it growing is on the screes beneath the Spout of 
Lochnagar, S. Aberdeenshire. Sumetimes it occurs in deep 
crevices between the larger stones in the screes, where, neces- 
sarily more sheltered, it becomes laxer and greener, and the 
outline of the plant is more irregular ; but even in these abnormal 
instances the uppermost leaf is well below the middle of the 
stem, and the same densely cespitose rootstock is found. The 
leaves in these abnormal instances are not so completely chan- 
nelled, but the tips are hooded, while the panicles are beautifully 
fiexuous, but do not tremble in the wind as Gaudin describes his 
P. minor doing, after the manner of Briza. It is also found, I 
believe, on the screes under the northern cliffs of Lochnagar. 
Syme also records it from the north slopes of Cairn Toul, which 
is, I suppose, near the Garachary ; and there are specimens 1n 
the Boswell-Syme Herbarium identical with those from Lochnagar, 
but with the upper leaves higher on the stem ; and Mr. Hanbury 
has also beautiful specimens from the same place. Syme also 
cites “Ben Nevis, Mr. John Mackay,” but, as we have seen, 
erroneously. 
