234 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



virens, Ballota ruderalis, Pyrus rupicola, Tragopogon minor, 

 Stellaria neglecta, Silene dubia, Juncus nigritellus, Agrostis 

 nigra, etc., have full specific rank ; but other plants with as 

 strong or stronger claim to specific rank are omitted, e.g. 

 Fumaria Boraei, Polygala austriaca, Viola lactea, Primus 

 insititia, Pyrus minima, Crat&gus oxyacanthoides, Potentilla 

 procumbens, Quercus sessilis, Valeriana sambucifolia, Zanni- 

 chellia maritima, Carex Paircei, Bromus interruptus, Des- 

 champsia alpina, Lastrea uliginosa (L. remota, also supposed 

 to be a hybrid, is given), etc. 



The view (in the preface we are told that naturalised 

 plants are printed in italics) of Mr. Britten respecting the 

 indigenity^of certain plants is very remarkable, and so far as 

 I know unique since, I believe for the first time, plants such 

 as Barbarea verna, B. intermedia, Melilotus Petitpierreana 

 (better known as arvensis, and unfortunately again changed 

 by Mr. Britten (" Journ. Bot., I.e.} to M. officinalis}, Coronilla 

 varia, Poterium polygamum, Pyrus communis (JP. cordata, 

 which has more claims to indigenity, is omitted), Galinm 

 spurium, Mentha spicata, Silybum Marianum, Echium plan- 

 tagineum, Urtica pilulifera, Populus alba, P. canescens, P. 

 nigra (the commoner P. deltoides, var. serotina, is omitted), 

 Naias graminea, Allium carinatum, Digitaria linearis, Avena 

 strigosa, Scrrafalcus arvensis and .$. secalinus, and Lolium 

 temulentum are given as native species. On the contrary 

 Tilia platypJiyllos, which is almost certainly native by the 

 Wye, is italicised. Mr. Britten also admits as British plants 

 Ophioglossum lusitanicum (although the Irish plant has 

 been shown to be only a form of O. mdgatuni), Statice 

 Armeria, Carex vitilis, Rumex aquaticus, and Triticum aciitmn, 

 DC., although there appears to be no satisfactory evidence 

 for their occurrence in Britain. On the other hand a 

 Benthamic and Babingtonian species Ononis reclinata, which 

 is certainly native on the Devon coast, is unaccountably 

 omitted. 



Among other numerous omissions, even as italicised 

 species, may be instanced Brassica CheirantJms, Lonicera 

 Caprifolium, L. Xylosteum (the latter said to be native in 

 Sussex), Astrantia major, Carum Carvi (said to be native in 

 Hereford, etc.), C. Petroselinum (Benth. and Hook., absolutely 



