52 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Mr. Macvicar found Sulmlaria aquatica growing with it, as at 

 Mr. Marshall's original station. 



Judging by descriptions, the varieties of R. flamnmla that come 

 nearest to Mr. Marshall's plant are : var. e. alismoides, Van den 

 Bosch., "Fl. Bataviae," p. 9 (1850), and 8. tenuifolius, Wallroth, 

 "Sched. Critics," p. 289 (1822); but they do not agree; and the 

 habit of the plant is so curious and characteristic that Mr. Marshall 

 seems at present to be justified in giving it a specific name. 

 ARTHUR BENNETT. 



Caltha palustris, Z.,and its forms. In the"Scottish Naturalist," 

 1887, pp. 52-56, Dr. Buchanan White called attention to a paper by 

 Dr. Gunther Beck of Vienna on the above plant, giving a translation 

 of its more important parts, and calling attention to such Scottish 

 forms as he had seen. 



Since then I am not aware of any results having arisen from the 

 above notes ; but the receipt of some well-dried specimens obtained 

 at various heights in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire by Mr. A. 

 Somerville, induces me to recur to the subject, as it is much to be 

 desired that we should know what forms really do grow here, whether 

 considered as species, subspecies, or varieties. 



Since Dr. Beck's paper, Dr. E. Huth has published a " Mono- 

 graphic der Gattung Caltha," with a plate of leaves and fruits. He 

 here somewhat modifies Dr. Beck's results ; but his paper is by no 

 means exhaustive, as he has, /'// it, to add an appendix for materials 

 taken from the Russian collections at St. Petersburg. But even with 

 this he has not taken up all the names, as one misses C. glabra, 

 Gilib., "Fl. Lith." (1782), C. radicans, DC. (iSiS), etc. 



Dr. Huth keeps the Scottish radicans distinct by itself, adding 

 C. zetlandica, Beeby, as a synonym. The Finland plant placed 

 under it, he refers to a variety procumbens, Beck, m. s. C. minor, 

 Miller, he localises from the mountains of Westmoreland (" Herb. 

 Mertens"). Var. mem^ranacea,Turcz., to which Dr. White was inclined 

 to refer Syme's var. minor, he gives from Siberia and Japan, but has 

 not seen a specimen. Schur's rammculoides he separates from this, 

 but puts Schur's ranunculiflora under Miller's minor. 



Mr. Somerville seems to have gathered the var. procumbens, Beck, 

 the var. minor, Syme, a large form resembling radicans in habit, but 

 certainly not with the leaves of that plant, and a plant from 3900 feet, 

 in Aberdeenshire, 1 that I cannot make agree with any of Huth's 

 forms. 



Some of these specimens I hope this winter to submit to Dr. 

 Huth, by the kindness of Dr. G. Beck. ARTHUR BENNETT. 



Lepigonum neglectum., Kindb., and Polygonum minus, Huds., 

 in North-east Scotland. As I am not aware that either of the 



1 500 ft. higher than on record for Scotland. 



