FORMS OF ALCHEMILLA VULGAR IS 47 



with which R. pimpinellifolia could have been crossed. It 

 is only by such investigations, made with the greatest care, 

 that one can succeed in discovering the true nature of these 

 varied forms, the origin of which was misunderstood by the 

 older authors. 



Having now traced the outlines of the investigations 

 that appear to me indispensable for the elucidation of the 

 genus Rosa in the British Islands, I place myself very 

 willingly at the service of British botanists to aid them in 

 their rhodological studies. If they wish to know my opinion 

 on any doubtful forms, I beg them to send to me materials 

 sufficient to allow of their correct determination. Too often 

 it is forgotten that a specimen of a Rose represents only a 

 small fragment of an individual, and that this fragment is 

 often far from giving the information that is indispensable for 

 satisfactory recognition. If in a multitude of herbaceous 

 species one had for their identification only fragments 

 corresponding to those of the Roses, one would experience, 

 as with the latter, great difficulty in naming them, especially 

 in dealing with related species or secondary types. 



FORMS OF ALCHEMILLA VULGARIS. 

 By Rev. E. F. LINTON, M.A. 



DURING the spring of 1894 a number of examples of 

 A. vulgaris, Linn., were submitted by me to M. Buser of 

 Geneva, in the hope of settling questions of identification 

 and nomenclature which have been raised from time to time, 

 but not satisfactorily answered. I have not by me the paper 

 by Mr. P. Ewing in the "Annals of Scottish Natural History," 

 for July 1893, in which three or four varieties were discussed. 

 Many botanists will have noticed that we have three forms : 

 a subglabrous plant, a moderately hairy plant, and a small 

 form which is usually more hairy than the last and has 

 often been labelled in herbaria A. montana, Willd. Each of 

 these three was well represented in the parcel sent to M. Buser; 



