BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 61 



The differences stated by Mr. Marshall as observed by him are that 

 arctica has seeds smaller, " stem-leaves all sessile (except the very 

 lowest in some plants), much longer, narrower, more numerous and 

 regularly scattered up the stem, nearly or quite entire, the root- 

 leaves withering early, generally ovate, gradually narrowed into the 

 petiole ; petals small, broadest at the tips, tapering uniformly to 

 their base, instead of being abruptly clawed. The rootstock is more 

 slender, and the general aspect dissimilar, though it is not easy, 

 especially without having the sheets before one, to put the difference 

 in words." 



British Hieraeia. To all but the few initiated (if not to them 

 also) the Hawkweeds form a group of plants that few can dare to 

 claim a knowledge of. Varieties and species among them are not 

 as among other groups, and require a very special training for their 

 successful study. Mr. Hanbury, by his "Tentative List of British 

 Hieraeia," published in the "Journal of Botany" for July, with the 

 accompanying " Notes on British Hieraeia " in the August number, 

 has given a much-needed aid to the ordinary British botanist. The 

 foreboding expressed in his " Notes," when referring to the "nearlyone 

 thousand named forms for North Europe," that "such subdivision 

 . . . will render the study of a wonderfully attractive and interesting 

 genus an impossibility, except to the few specialists who may devote 

 their entire lives to its elucidation," is well-founded ; and few will 

 feel that life is long enough to undertake such a task. Meanwhile 

 gratitude is due to Mr. Hanbury for his unwearied labours in this 

 very difficult field, and for his placing the results of such labours 

 clearly before us. The " List " gives in tabular form all the named 

 " species " and " varieties " yet recorded from Britain (including a 

 good many described in the " Notes" in August), divided into two great 

 groups {Pilosella and Archieracia), which are themselves divided 

 into sections and subsections. Each named form is provided with 

 a reference to its original description or record. Pilosella includes 

 3 species only, of which H. pilosella has 4 named varieties. 



Archieracia contains 99 species, with 106 named varieties and 

 i subvariety ; and in addition several " species " are represented in 

 Britain only by forms differing so much from the usual continental 

 types as to receive varietal names. Many of these forms have been 

 detected and named by British botanists. Thus Backhouse is 

 responsible for 12 species and 5 varieties, Babington for i variety, 

 Beeby for i species, F. J. Hanbury for 28 species and 37 varieties, 

 and the brothers Linton or W. R. Linton for 7 species and 9 

 varieties. 



In the " Notes " the following Scottish forms are mentioned, with 

 full descriptions of all those named for the first time : H. petiolatum, 

 Elfstrand, from ascent to Ben-na-Muicdhui, from Glen Deny; H. 

 atmtum, Fr. f., from Stuchd-an-Lochain, in Perthshire, and Ben 



