The Scottish Naturalist. 281 



and character." As a rule, tills is no doubt true, but authentically named 

 Perthshire specimens show a considerable amount of variation. 



Under Caltha radicans, the statement that it is said to have been found by 

 Th. Fries in E. Finland should have been in E. Finmark. The attention of 

 botanists to the species or forms of Nuphar that occur in Britain is much re- 

 quired. In the Flora N. intermedium Ledeb. is given as a variety of N. 

 luteum from Northumberland and E. Perth ; while N. pnmilum ranks as a 

 species, and has a wider distribution. An examination of living specimens of 

 the plant that usually passes under the name of N. pumilum has recently 

 shown us that there is something eminently unsatisfactory in the descriptions 

 in all the text-books. Our plant combines the characters of N. intermedium 

 and N. pumilum, but which name (if either) it should bear we are not yet 

 prepared to say. Herbarium specimens of this genus are often in a bad con- 

 dition for examination, and notes should be taken of the characters of living 

 examples. According to Caspary, N. intermedium is a hybrid between N. 

 luteum and A T . pumilum. 



Nasturtium palustre is said to range from the Clyde southwards. It is, 

 however, native, and not very rare in Mid and East Perth. Barbarea vulgaris 

 var. areuala is reported only from Ireland. It occurs, however, in Perthshire, 

 and is there as much (or as little) a true native as B. vulgaris proper. 



Under Viola sylvatica, V. J\eichenbachiana is raised to the rank of a sub- 

 species, and the same rank is accorded to Stellaria umbrosa under S. media. 

 The unsatisfactory plant that in Britain went by the name of Cerastium 

 latifolium is reduced to varieties of C. alpinum, that species now including 

 C. alpinum proper, with var. Smithii (C. latifolium Sin. not L. ) and var. 

 Edmonstonei Wats, {nigresuns Syme). Syme's var. compactum is not men- 

 tioned. 



Stellaria glauca With, and Silene inflata Sm. take the names of St. palustris 

 Ehrh. and Sil. Cueubaius Wibel respectively, and will serve to illustrate the 

 many necessary changes (in accordance with the law of priority) that have been 

 made in the nomenclature. But it may be remarked that the earlier name 

 Ranunculus Sardous Cr. for I\. Inr.u.'us Curt, is rejected as "being too in- 

 appropriate," while the seemingly as inappropriate name of Armaria liirla 

 Wormsk. is adopted instead of A. rubella Hook. It seems to us that when a 

 name is the earliest and belongs to the species without any dubiety, it must be 

 adopted whether it seems inappropriate or not.* Arenarianorvegicais made a 

 sub-species of A. ciliata, and is said to occur in Orkney, as well as Shetland. 

 If we are not mistaken, the Orkney habitat requires verification. Sagina 

 saxalilis and 6". nivalis, it may be noticed, are clumped together under S. 

 Liniuri Presl., S. nivalis being given as a sub-species, and S. saxalilis taking 

 the name of 6". Linimi. 



The two forms of Moniia are still retained as varieties. They certainly seem 

 worthy of the rank of sub-species, though perhaps not that of species, to which 

 they are raised in some Continental floras. 



As an example of alterations in the arrangement, it may here be noticed that the 

 order Paronyc/ziecc, which in the second edition followed Porlulacece, has been 

 removed to beyond the order Labialcz, and the name changed to Illecebracece. 



Under Sftir&a Ulmaria, it may be mentioned that British botanists (or at 

 least British Floras) do not seem to recognise that there is more than one 

 form. The common form has the leaves white and downy below, but another 

 form occurs with the leaves glabrous or nearly so below. The latter is either 

 glaucous below (var. glauca Fr.) or green (var. viridis Fr.), or the two com- 

 bined are perhaps S. deuudata Hayn. The stem leaves should be examined. 

 This form is rare in Perthshire. ' Spiraea salicifolia L. might well be dropped 

 out of our Floras, as it apparently never occurs but where planted. 



In Potentilla, P. norvegica is a species that is naturalised in several places in 

 England, and is reported to be "apparently rapidly spreading." A look out 



* Since this article was written, I have seen an article in the "Journal of Botany" for 

 September, in which the Editor (Mr. Britten) takes the same view about the necessity of 

 adopting the oldest names. This paper may be consulted with great profit by botanists who 

 take an interest in the correct nomenclature of British plants.— F. B. W. 



