ALIEN PLANTS NEAR EDINBURGH 107 



city, which is being levelled up with the refuse from shops, 

 streets, railway stations, stables, demolished buildings, etc. 

 Grasses and Crucifers are its main features. 



No. 5 lies within the Leith Dock gates, is about a mile 

 long, and varying from a few yards to one-third of a mile 

 broad. It consists of ground which has been reclaimed 

 from the sea during recent years, and which is lying waste 

 and vacant, while it is being levelled up to prepare it for 

 the buildings, timber stacks, and railway lines which will 

 cover it when the new Imperial Dock is opened for trade. 

 All the refuse from roads, quays, ships, railway waggons, 

 etc., within the Dock gates, and perhaps a good deal from 

 without, has for years been emptied into the hollows of this 

 large area, and the number of alien plants which have 

 sprung up in it is enormous. All those in the list, with 

 the exception of about a score, were gathered here. 

 Crucifers, Grasses, and plants of the Pea-flower family were 

 the most prominent and plentiful, Sisymbrium altissimum, 

 L. (S. Pannonicum> Jacq.), 5. Irio, L., Erysimum cheirantkoides, 

 L., Melilotus indica, All., and Matricaria discoidea, DC., 

 being very abundant. 



The numbers, i to 5, attached to the species indicate 

 the localities (mentioned above) in which they occur, 

 and their relative abundance is expressed, as suggested by 

 Professor Trail, by the Greek letters thus : a = once found ; 

 /3 = twice or thrice, but rare ; 7 = neither rare nor frequent ; 

 8 = frequent ; e = abundant. 



The sign f indicates that there is a shadow (only) of 

 doubt as to the plant's identity, owing to the specimen 

 being immature, over-mature, starved, or without fruit. 



RANUNCULACE^:. 



Ranunculus arvensis, L. 5, /3. Ranunculus parviflorus, Z. 5,0.. 

 R. muricatus, L. 5, (3. R. sceleratus, L. 5, (3. 



PAPAVERACE^:. 



Chelidonium majus, L. 2, /?. Papaver argemone, L. 5, /?. 

 Glaucium corniculatum, Curt. Rcemeria violacea, Medic. 5, {3. 



5. 



