iS2 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



THE GENUS RUBUS IN THE SUPPLEMENT 

 TO THE THIRD EDITION OF "ENGLISH 

 BOTANY." 



By EDWARD F. LINTON, M.A. 



HAVING been interested in Mr. G. C. Druce's articles in the 

 " Annals " on the three published parts of the Supplement to 

 " English Botany," and learning from him that he did not 

 propose to continue through the genus Rnlnis, I offer some 

 observations on this portion of the work. 



The acknowledged difficulty of the genus, the mass of 

 accumulated and often contradictory determinations in its 

 more recent study, and the many confusions and alterations 

 of nomenclature that have occurred, called for a botanist to 

 undertake the task who was somewhat familiar with the 

 transitional period, and fairly acquainted with the genus in 

 the herbarium, if not in the field. Mr. N. E. Brown, unfor- 

 tunately, has none of these qualifications. He begins by 

 saying, " Concerning the members of this very difficult genus, 

 I express no opinion, as I have never made any attempt 

 whatever to study them. I have therefore merely collected 

 together the recorded notes concerning all names that are not 

 given in volume iii. of this work, and adopted Professor 

 Babington's and Mr. Baker's views as to the position of the 

 various forms enumerated," etc. After this, it is not sur- 

 prising to find that existing confusions are rather augmented 

 than cleared up. The work is weighted with the quotation 

 of numerous notes which are of no permanent value ; tran- 

 sient opinions of critics are accepted as if they were final ; 

 and a great deal of very useful synonymy on which great care 

 has been bestowed is in consequence in danger of depreciation. 



R. idceus, L. van, mermis, Pryor. Of this Mr. Brown 

 says there is no description. It was scarcely worth mention- 

 ing under these circumstances. 



R. Lcesii y Bab. If this were a species, it should be 

 named R. obtusifolius, Willd. (181 i), the oldest name, on Mr. 

 Brown's own showing ; but if it be a variety, and it has no 



