THE LONDON CATALOGUE OF BRITISH PLANTS m 



species, mean the same thing ! because after many years I 

 have seen the actual specimens. 



Mr. Druce says that (among many other names) he has 

 failed to find Potamogeton perfoliatus, L., var. lanceolatus ; but 

 in my copy of the "London Catalogue" it is 1595^. Surely 

 this was a slip on his part. Nowithstanding this, I am in 

 accord with him in wishing that the plants now expunged, but 

 included in the last edition, had been somewhere noted. Of 

 course, reasons for their exclusion could not have been given. 

 As to Carex pr&cox, var. capitata, I now think that this must 

 be regarded as a monstrosity (simulating C. capitata, L.) rather 

 than as a variety ; while Potamogeton polygonifolius, var. 

 linearis, Syme, is a state only of P. natans, L. 



In his "Appendix," Mr. Druce notes that Carex prcscox, 

 Jacq. (1778), is earlier than C. verna, Chaix, in Vill., " Fl. 

 Delph." (1784). This is perfectly correct; only there is an 

 earlier C. prcecox, i.e. of Schreber, in "Spec. Fl. Lips.," 1771, 

 which is reported to be the same as C. Schreberi, Schrk. 

 (1789). If it is so, why Schreber's name is suppressed I do 

 not know. 



The " London Catalogue " doubtless has many defects, 

 but what is required is careful work, and correlation of 

 specimens, as well as hunting through books for older names. 



MR. DRUCE'S NOTES ON THE LONDON CATALOGUE OF 

 BRITISH PLANTS. 9th ed. By EDWARD S. MAR- 

 SHALL, F.L.S. 



My friend Mr. Druce, in his recent exhaustive notes 

 (pp. 38-53), has adversely criticised some changes made in the 

 nomenclature of the Epilobia. Being personally responsible 

 for these, I may perhaps be allowed briefly to show cause 

 for what has been done. 



1 . The " E. alpinum " of Linne's herbarium is the 

 Scandinavian E. lactiflorum, Hausskn., which does not occur 

 in Britain. In face of this fact, it seems only reasonable to 

 adopt E. anagallidifolium, Lam., the meaning of which is 

 undoubted. 



2. Again, the " E. tetragonum " of Linne's herbarium is 



