HARDWTCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTES ON THE TOOTH-\YORT 



{LATHR.-EA SQUAMARIA). 



EARLY in the present year I procured a copy of 

 J. E. Smith's " Plants of South Kent," pub- 

 lished in 1829, to assist me in working out the botany 



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Fig. I. — Lathma squajiiaria, as figured in Smith's 

 "Plants of South Kent." 



of this district. It has proved of great service, and 

 I am sure 'that botanists will be glad to learn that 

 most of the rarer plants mentioned by him still occupy 



the same localities, and in several instances have very 

 considerably extended their borders ; for instance, 

 Orobatichc caryophyllacea, which was confined to one 

 or two localities along the coast, is now found several 

 miles inland, and is comparatively abundant. 



It is very pleasing to visit a locality, seeking a plant 

 described as growing there fifty-four years ago, and 

 finding it in luxuriance ; on the other hand, it is very 

 disappointing to seek some rarity and find that, through 

 the publication of its locality it has long since been 

 exterminated, as in all probability has been the man 

 orchis from the immediate neighbourhood of Slowling- 



The first plant I sought this year was Lathma 

 squamaria, which I found growing in abundance in 

 the locality named by Smith. I gathered some 

 fourteen specimens, and examined many others, seek- 

 ing anything of different or unusual appearance ; but 

 all the plants I saw were of one type. On examina- 

 tion at home, and comparing them with Smith's 

 description and drawing, I found that there was con- 

 siderable difference ; so much so that I had three 

 plants photographed, and made careful drawings of 



Fig. 2. — a, Bud just burst ; b, flower with corolla about half de- 

 veloped : c, flower fully expanded ; d, bractea and calyx with 

 style projecting, the partially withered corolla being removed. 



the flowers in their various stages, together with many 

 analytical and microscopic dissections. Fig. i is a 

 copy of L. sqitatnaria as figured by Smith. I may 

 here remark that the five plates in his book have 

 been drawn with more than ordinary care, as they 

 are for the express purpose of illustrating some note- 

 worthy character. The description given agrees with 

 the drawing ; it is as follows : — 



" The plant which I have considered L. squamaria, 

 collected upon the first-mentioned locality, presents 

 no slight variation from the characters of L. squamaria 

 of ' English Botany,' vol. i., t. 50. With as great 

 variety of habit, for this I presume from the very dis- 

 similar figures to be found in works of accuracy, and 

 a frequently club-shaped and proliferous stem, the 

 Lathrsea of Lyminge, and, I suspect, of Hudson in 

 ' Flora Anglica,' and Rudbech, ' Elys.,' vol. ii. p. 

 234, fig. 17, presents more erect and purplish pink 

 flowers, whose upper lip is entire, or very slightly 

 cloven, the lower lip involute, the style scarcely bent, 

 and protruded from the fold of the upper lip. The 

 bractese are smooth and lanceolate, the calyx hairy. 



