a critical study of these three species for Godman’s “‘ Nat. 
Hist. of the Azores,” sums up as his view, that longi- 
florum and cylindricum mean just the same thing, all the 
laboured distinctions set forth in order to keep up two 
species being mere verbiage.” And that with regard to 
V. cylindricwum and maderense, “the flowers do appear — 
much dissimilar in length and thus so far likewise in form, 
my largest Azore flowers being a full inch long, the 
smallest Madeiran less than half an inch. But an approxi- 
mate gradation in size is readily traced which leaves barely 
+ of an inch between the largest flowers of the Madeiran 
and the shortest of the Azorean.” 
Whether as a species or variety there can be no doubt 
of the common origin of these Asia Minor and Madeiran 
and Azorean Vaccinia, and that (like the Rhododendron 
above alluded to) and the Indian forms of Lawrinex existing 
in the Canary Islands, it points to Spain and the Atlantic 
Islands, being the isolated western homes of the fragments 
of a Flora that once extended over Europe and North 
Africa; but now, through climatic changes elsewhere 
expelled from those great continents. 
V. padifolium was introduced into Kew in 1777 from 
Madeira by Francis Masson, a collector for the Royal 
Gardens, where it has been in cultivation ever since. The 
figure here given is made from what is probably the 
original plant, which has stood ever since I can recollect 
(since 1843) in the grass-plot on the left-hand side of the 
principal entrance on Kew Green, where it flowers annually 
In June or July, and fruits in September. In Madeira, 
where it attains the size of a small tree, it inhabits 
elevations of 2000 to 5000 ft., and its fruit makes an 
excellent preserve.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1. Pedicel, bracts, calyx and : ne gt 
stamens ; 4, pistil —All enlarged. re et 
