SOME CRITICAL SPECIES OF ECHIUM. 427 
Cliff. there is the observation, * varietates hujus fere tot quot individua," 
and the desperate suggestion that even the two following species, which are 
ereticum, rubrum, angustifolium and orientale, may not be specifically different. 
The specimen is the upper part of a plant, with the inflorescence 24 em. long 
by only 5 em. broad, composed of over twenty simple, very scorpioid, axillary 
cincinni, none of which in flower exceed 25 mm. in length. The stamens all 
protrude beyond the longest part of the corolla, and have glabrous filaments. 
No habitat is marked, but the specimen is exactly the W. vulgare common in 
England. 
To include in Æ. vulgare, L., the rather numerous forms which in southern 
Europe replace this plant of Scandinavia, England, and Central Europe, and 
differ from each other as much as from typical vulgare, is surely putting a 
great strain on the Linnean name. (See my paper on the Lehia of Sibthorp’s 
herbarium as to the relation of some of these forms to true vulgare.) 
(VIII) SPECIMEN G. 
This is a young specimen of one of the Spanish forms of the vulgare- 
pustulatum-gaditanum group, but it is too scanty to determine more closely. 
It is a very small erect plant, not over 15°5 em. high, with twofold 
indumentum and smallish blue pubescent corollas, about 2 cm. long, with 
style and the two longest stamens only protruding, equalling the upper 
corolla-lobes. 
The mark, “ 152 «" seeing that this sheet is pinned to one marked 
* L. 152," indicates almost certainly that this specimen also was collected by 
Lófling. I have not been able to trace the phrase, * Æ. montanum parvum 
flore magno," in the old books, nor to ascertain what locality is meant by 
“in mont. Espartal," although I find Cape Spartel on the African coast 
spelt “ Espartel" in an old Spanish gazetteer. There is no evidence that 
Loefling ever visited the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, but if this 
specimen really came from that region other possibilities as to its identity 
are opened up. 
V. 
THE ECHIA OF MILLENS ‘GARDENER’S DICTIONARY,’ 
Of the seven species of chium described in Miller's eighth edition of 1768 
all but the seventh give rise to troublesome questions. This innocent no. 7, 
Echium fruticosum, L., is a South African Lobostemon, L. fruticosus, Buek, 
of which no more need be said here. To take the other six in order : the 
first two are named by Miller Echium anglicum and Echium vulgare. The 
first, Æ. anglicum, of which he says * staminibus corollam æquantibus ” is 
doubtless Æ. vulgare, L., var. parviflorum, St. Am., Fl. Agen. p. 82 (1821), 
the small-flowered pistillate form usually known as Æ. Wierzbickii, Haberl., 
LINN. JOURN,—BOTANY, VOL, XLIV, 2y 
