404 MR. C. C. LACAITA : A REVISION OF 
Echium majus et asperius flore albo so common in Italy. Its identity with the 
E. altissimum of Jacquin is proved by comparison with an authentic specimen 
of the latter in the British Museum * herb. Jacq." and by numerous modern 
exsiccata, of which I have selected those in my list A as being absolutely 
identical with the Linnean specimen. 
The Linnean specimen of italicum is an upper part only, without root or 
lower leaves; the narrow inflorescence measures about 30 by 5 em. ; it is in 
flower, so the cincinni are not yet fully unfurled. — Corollas and filaments now 
show a dirty eream-colour. In similar specimens the fully developed radical 
leaves are very long and narrow, 30 by 3 cm., even 30 by 2 em. ; the inflores- 
cence in the flowering state averages 45 by 5-6 cm., even reaching 55 by 
6 em., but broadening after the cincinni are fully unfurled to 45 by 8-12 em. 
Jacquin’s figure, Austr. tab. 16 (in App.), shows a more than usually 
luxuriant plant. In his admirable description, v. p. 35 (1778), he remarks 
“corolla perpetuo alba ; filamenta alba ; antheræ cum virore flavescunt,” 
which agrees with Italian examples. It may be asked how Jacquin came to 
create an Æ. altissimum if it is identical with Linneeus’s italicum. The reason 
is simply that from Linneus’s brief diagnosis he could not know that the 
species said to live in Italy and England was his own Hungarian plant. 
He makes no attempt to distinguish altissimum from italicum, which he does 
not so much as name. Subsequent authors, especially the French, followed 
by Kerner in Oest. Bot. Zeit. xxiii. p. 164 (1873), and in Fl. Exs. Austr. 
Hung. nos. 3174 and 3175, assuming, without sufficient thought, that Jacquin’s 
and Linnzus’s names must indicate different plants, had to find another to 
play the part o£ italicum and unfortunately pitched upon pyrenaicum as being 
the true italicum, regardless of Linn:us's own descriptions and without 
dreaming of consulting nis herbarium. 
The following attempt to describe is based on Italian specimens, but it 
must be remembered that in the case of so large a plant, herbarium specimens 
are either incomplete or are undersized individuals, which do not always 
exhibit characteristic habit. 
ECHIUM ITALICUM ; unicaule, sive in exempl. luxuriantibus, pluricaule *. 
Caules in typo 40-100 em. alti, simplices, non nisi ramulis singulis ex 
axillis preediti (in var. Biebersteinii subramosi propter ramulos inferiores 
ipsos cincinnis pluribus brevissimis dissitis munitos). 
* This character is claimed specially for E. albereanum, Naud. & Debeaux (=L. flavum, 
Lap., non Desf.), by Roumeguére in Soc. Agr. Pyr. Or. xxii. p. 163, note, * la plante est 
multitige, le type, on le sait, est constamment unitige," but the writer meant pyramidale, 
Lap. not true italicum, by “le type”; Debeaux remarks, op. cit. xxiii. p. 176, “cette 
espèce se distingue à premiere vue de IE. pyramidale par ses tiges élevées, nombreuses dès 
la base et non unitiges.” Admirable to distinguish it from pyrenatcum — pyramidale, but 
the character is common to all forms of true italicum, and -often occurs in strong plants of 
E. vulgare. 
