BRITISH PLANT LISTS AND THEIR DISCREPANCIES 99 



make a name applied to a unisexual segregate the authori- 

 tative appellative for a species, and to take rank over a 

 properly-applied binominal name, appears to stretch even a 

 "Vienna rule " to breaking point. If Linnaeus did not 

 understand the species, there is no reason to perpetuate his 

 name by miscalling our Butterbur Petasites Jiybridus, which 

 it is not. 



12/4. Gnaplialium nliginosum, L., var. b. pilularc 

 (Wahl.). Here again, I think, Mr. Fryer's observations 

 (" Journ. Bot." (1889), 83), which may have been quite cor- 

 rect so far as they went, cannot be said to be more than 

 suggestive. In the place where I found it the plants were 

 quite normal ; they grew with the type, and there was 

 nothing to account for their variation so far as soil or situa- 

 tion went. I may say at that period I examined many 

 hundreds of specimens, so evidently the variation is rare 

 with us. I commend further research to our active botanists. 



Genus 335. Arctium, I am afraid all three Lists are 

 wrong in their treatment of this genus. I followed Mr. F. N. 

 Williams ("Prod. Fl. Britt," 54) in treating our Burdock 

 as A. intermedium, Lange, and as he stated that he and Mr. 

 Bennett did not agree that our nemorosuvi was what was 

 understood by Continental authors, he therefore distinguished 

 it as a variety of intermedium under the name Newbouldii. 

 He gave no citation to show that this had been established 

 by Mr. Bennett either as a species or variety. I referred 

 to the " Journ. Bot," 1899, p. 342, but there the name was 

 only given by Mr. Bennett as to be used under certain con- 

 tingencies, and seems apparently to me to be invalid ; 

 therefore when raising Mr. Williams's variety to a species, I 

 was the authority. However, it appears Mr. Bennett had 

 elsewhere ("Irish Nat.," 1903, p. 289) published the name 

 with some diagnostic characters ; and if the name could be 

 retained it must be cited as of Arth. Bennett. Mr. \Y '. II. 

 Beeby has ("Journ. Bot.," 1908, p. 380) contributed a valu- 

 able note in which he shows that both Mr. Bennett and Mr. 

 F. N. Williams are wrong ; that A. ncmorosum, Lej., is 

 British (it is the plant with agglomerated, almost sessile heads, 

 at the apex of the principal stems), and that A, intermedium, 

 Lange, is partly made up of A. Lappa x minus, and partly 



