BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS 185 



BOTANICAL NOTES AND NEWS. 



Viola tricolor, Z., and its allies in Britain. The great diversity 

 of forms that are included under this name in the older floras, both 

 those of the British Islands as a whole and provincial floras, is 

 familiar to every one that attempts to work out their relationships, 

 even within a limited area ; for the most various are connected by 

 many intermediate grades. A number of forms have been named 

 by Continental botanists, and it is most desirable that the British 

 forms should be studied in relation to the results arrived at elsewhere, 

 difficult as it often is to reach a definite conclusion. 



Mr. Edmund G. Baker, F.L.S. (in the "Journal of Botany," 

 1901, pp. 9-12), has recently discussed some forms sent to the 

 British Museum in the past year, with special references to the 

 occurrence of the following : 



1. V. Curtisii, Forster, f3 Pesneaui, Rouy and Foucaud. Said 

 to differ from typical V. Curtisii in petals violet, the upper one 

 deeper coloured, pubescence greater, lobes of stipules larger, and 

 bracteoles on or very little below curvature of pedicel. Near 

 Harlech. 



2. V. carpatica, Borbas. Agreeing with V. lutea in having flowers 

 showy with petals longer than sepals, and in being perennial or 

 subperennial, while it agrees with V. tricolor, segr., in having the 

 stipules pinnately (not digitately) partite. West Lancashire, on land 

 reclaimed from peat-moss. 



3. V. nana, DC. From maritime sands on Jersey and Guernsey, 

 and also in the Scilly Islands. It was noticed in 1871 by Trimen 

 ("Journ. Bot.," 1871, p. 99) as V. nemausensis, Jord. ; and it is 

 by some regarded as a variety of V. Kitaibeliana, Roem. and Schultes. 

 Mr. Arthur Bennet comments ("Journ. Bot.," p. 72) on this form, 

 which is described in "English Botany," ed. 3, suppl., p. 32. 



He also alludes (I.e.] to another form gathered by Rev. W. H. 

 Purchas in North Staffordshire, and named by Mr. Lloyd " V. confinis, 

 Jordan, V. Provostii, Bor." (" Exch. Club Report" for 1885, p. 124). 

 This " has much the facies of lutea, but the colour is paler, and the 

 growth that of tricolor." Very little has yet been put on record as 

 to the discrimination of the Scotch forms of V. tricolor. 



Rubus idseus, L., var. obtusifolius, Willd., in North Aberdeen 

 (93). This well-marked form has been recorded, as var. Leesii 

 (Bab.), from various counties in Scotland south of the Tay ; but I am 

 not aware of its having been observed in the north-east of Scotland. 

 In May 1901 I found a small group of it growing by the side of a 



