122 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



senses the Japanese Larch shows a very much stronger odour, and 

 this is especially the case when one passes a nursery break of this 

 tree on a hot, steamy, summer day. This preference, of hares 

 especially, for the tree is a point of some little natural history 

 interest, although, in view of the efforts nurserymen have been 

 making to induce planters to grow the species extensively, it is 

 hardly one that a member of the craft ought to unduly emphasize ! 

 ROBERT SERVICE. 



BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS. 



Potamog'eton faleatus, Fryer, in Scotland. This plant was 

 described and figured by Mr. A. Fryer in the "Journal of Botany," 

 t. 286, p. 65, 1889. I have a specimen from Ardblair Loch, E. 

 Perth (Co. 89) August 1881, collected by the late Mr. A. Sturrock. 

 This matches specimens gathered by Mr. Fryer at Stocking Fen, 

 Ramsey, Huntingdonshire. Various opinions were given on this 

 plant by Mr. Fryer's correspondents in Britain, by Dr. Morong in 

 N. America, and by Dr. Fischer in Europe. It comes nearest to P. 

 nitcus, Weber; but fruits freely, and in its early spring and autumnal 

 states differs from that. 



Ascherson and Graebner ("Synop. der Mitteleurop. Flora," i. 

 326, 1897), put fakatus under P. grainineus, L., var. P. heterophylhis, 

 Schreb. x nitens, Weber, citing " P. graminea x perfoliata, A. > 

 graminea (i.e. a double hybrid), (P. innominatiis, Tiselius, herb?) " 

 for their plant, with a reference to Almquist. 



Now Dr. Tiselius's plant may be a hybrid between heterophyllus 

 and a large form of P. nitens (like var. latifolhts, Tis., non Fieber). 

 In this Mr. Fryer agrees so far as it refers to two specimens in my 

 herbarium, but the third one he unhesitatingly refers to P. coriaceus, 

 Nolte. But to associate Mr. Fryer's plant with this seems to me 

 difficult, if not impossible. I see no actual similarity in a large 

 series of fakatns to this innominatits of Tiselius ; who still further 

 complicates the case by writing on his labels " Ad P. nigrescentem, 

 Fries, accedens." In this I cannot agree, as Lestadius' original 

 specimens, described by Fries, are a form of P. alpinus Balb. (P. 

 rufescens, Schrad.): of this I possess an example. 



Another difficulty suggests itself; if P. nitens, Web., is "ab- 

 solutely sterile " how does it cross with other species ? Perhaps 

 occasionally (though rarely), on hybrids usually sterile, mature fruits 

 are found. 



Ascherson and Graebner may have been misled by the plate of 

 P. faleatus, which, though admirably representing the form figured, 

 hardly gives a good idea of the plant as a series of specimens 

 represents it. 



