CONTRIBUTION TO A FLORA OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES 165 



His collections show that much yet remains to be done 

 in the islands ; and it would seem by Mr. W. S. Duncan's 

 researches that the alpine element (noted as so poor by 

 Babington in I 844) is richer than has been supposed. 



THALICTRUM ALPINUM, L. " Can be gathered in South Harris with 

 one foot on heaps of seaweed on the shore." AV. S. Duncan. 



RANUNCULUS HEDERACEUS, L. Stornoway and near Loch Boisdale 

 in South Uist. Duncan. 



R. FLAMMULA, L., forma MINIMA, A. Benn. Dry moorland by the 

 coast, on the west side of North Uist. Dr. Shoolbred, sp. 



SUBULARIA AQUATICA, L. South Harris, M'Gillivray. Two stations 

 in North Harris (Duncan, sp.}. On record for Shetland 

 (Beeby, .$/.) and Caithness (Henderson), but not for the Orkneys. 



VIOLA ERICETORUM, Sclirader, forma. Scarp, 1896, W. S. Duncan, sp. 

 " I don't think this is ericetoruin ; I think rather ericetorum x 

 Riviniana ; but for absolute certainty it would be necessary to 

 know whether sterile or not." Mr. Beeby in litt. 



V. LUTEA, Huds. Sandhills, Kirkibost Island, 1898, Shoolbred, 

 sp. ; looks like Symei, Baker. Found in Sutherland 

 (Grant, sp.) and Caithness (Grant, sp.), but not in Orkney or 

 Shetland. 



V. CURTISII, Forster. Scarp, Hushinish ; North Harris, Duncan, sp. 

 The Lancashire V. Curtisii was named V. sabulosa, Bor., 1 by 

 M. Lloyd, of Nantes, France. Lange in " Danske Fl." 

 p. 654, 1887, refers Boreau's plant to V. tricolor, var. arenaria, 

 Sonder, " Fl. Hamb." p. 137, 1851 ; and Nyman puts Curtisii 

 as a variety of V. lutea, Huds. Of course Forster's name 

 precedes all these. 



Among these Hebridean Violas there are three distinct 

 forms, one from Scarp with large flowers like lutea, the inter- 

 mediate (Benbecula), and the North Uist, the last with the 

 growth of Anglesea specimens, but larger flowers, and also 

 larger than the Devon Curtisii. In its mode of growth the 

 Scarp plant is as diffuse as the Devon plant, but the flowers 

 are three times the size. The North Uist and Barra specimens 

 grow in compact masses, and the flowers are larger than in the 

 Devon plant. In boreal plants the flowers are often large, at 

 the expense of the foliage. So far as leaves go, they are of all 

 sizes, breadth, etc., between the narrowest (Lythan Sandhills), 

 through the next (Braunton Burrows), to the wide leaves of 

 Irish specimens. All these forms are wholly yellow-flowered. 



1 'Notes et obs. quel. pi. de France,' 3; "Bull. soc. indust. d' Angers," 

 1846-53. 



