HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



139 



acaulis, an elegant little plant without scape or 

 stem, the flower-stalk rising direct from the crown 

 of the root, like the common primrose ; the flowers 

 are numerous and large, of a delicate orange and 

 white colour, the flower-stalks about three inches 

 high. 1 gave some live plants to the Professor of 

 Botany at Montpellier, also to the late Sir Wm. 

 Hooker, who was previously unacciuainted with it ; 

 nor was it known as a living plant in Paris. The 

 well-known garden species, Asphodellus alhus, is 

 abundant about Oran, rising to the height of three or 

 four feet. Prom the fasciculated roots, consisting of 

 large fleshy tubers, is extracted an alcohol by the 

 colonists, and sold under the name of trois six 

 d'' Asphodel. Both the A. alhus and ramosus are 

 natives of Europe, and one of them I have seen 

 covering an entire field on the road between Civita 

 Vecchia and Home : both (or one of them) are 

 very abundant at Palermo, ^icWj.—T.B.JF. 



Pkepaking Chaiue for the Herbarium.— The 

 calcareous encrusted Charce make wretched herba- 

 rium specimens, as is well known, being not only 

 unsightly, but usually also very fragile. M. Corum 

 remedies this by plunging the fresh specimens for a 

 short time in water containing one per cent, of 

 hydrochloric acid, and afterwards washing in pure 

 water. Their aspect, when thus prepared and 

 dried, is nearly that of the living plant. 



The Ba?ylonia^ Willows. — A writer in 

 Sillimans American Journal says that from the 

 investigations of Karl Koch, it appears that the 

 " Garab," upon which, according to the psalmist, 

 the captive Jews at Babylon hung their harps, is 

 not the "Weeping AA'illow," named Salix Baby- 

 lonica by Linnaius on account of the current tra- 

 dition ; and indeed, is not a willow at all, but a 

 poplar. Ranwolf had long ago concluded that the 

 tree was not a willow. The Salix Bahylonica, 

 whose hardiness indicates a cooler climate than that 

 of Mesopotamia, is now regarded as of Chinese or 

 Japanese origin; so that its specific Linnsean 

 name gives place to that of Salix pendula, Moench. 



Senecio squalidl's.— Though this Ragwort is 

 so rare that its only recorded stations in Britain are 

 Oxford and Bideford, it grows rather plentifully on 

 the walls of the passage on the north side of the 

 Cathedral library. Why this species should have 

 been called squalidas might well be questioned, for 

 it is really so gay and elegant, and has such a lasting 

 and profuse bloom, as to be well worth attention for 

 the adornment of rock-work and the Cathedral pre- 

 cincts, for which very likely this Hagwort has been 

 planted. But Mr. Gulliver, when quartered with 

 his regiment at Canterbury, about a quarter of a 

 century ago, saw Senecio squalidus growing on the 

 city walls, where it has not been found of late years. 

 The pollen-grains are oval, muricated, and about 



1-SOOth of an inch long, and l-lli3rd broad, which 

 is mucli smaller than those of Petasites fragrans ; 

 and iu both they show three scars, with the extrud- 

 ing tubes, when treated with sulphuric acid. The 

 Canterbury Senecio is quite glabrous, and so is' the 

 ovary, and the' plant is nearly, if not wholly, inodo- 

 rous. Thus it differs from Professor Babington's 

 description of the " fruit silky," from the figure GOO 

 of " English Botany," aud its text, which says, " the 

 whole plant smells strongly, somewhat like worm- 

 wood." These are characters that perhaps vary ; 

 and specimeus having been sent to Mr. Edgeworth, 

 he agrees with Mr. Gulliver's determination of the 

 species as Senecio squalidus. Seeing the beauty 

 and rarity of this plant, it is perhaps not too much 

 to hope that it may be carefully preserved by the 

 Cathedral authorities, otherwise, as soon as it 

 becomes generally known, it will fall a prey to the 

 ruthless cupidity of collectors, aud indeed may be 

 destroyed in the usual "tidying up and setting to 

 rights" by ignorant Jabourers. — G. [This plant is 

 very abundant at Eaton, near Norwich, whither it 

 was brought many years ago by the late Mr. Ewing 

 from Bristol. It has since spread over a consider- 

 able area. — 'Ed. S. G.] 



Crystal Prisms in the Ovary or Composite. — 

 This plant is further interesting as containing, in 

 the ovar or its coat, those small crystal prisms 

 which were figured in different members of the 

 order in Science-Gossip of last month. In this 

 species the prisms are about 1-lOOOth of an inch 

 long, and l-6100th thick. They seem entirely to 

 have escaped discovery by previous observers, 

 though, as shown iu Gossip, sometimes affording 

 good characters to systematic botany. 



Hiekochloe borealis. — There seems to be a 

 considerable difference of opinion amongst writers 

 on Botany as to the time of flowering of the Northern 

 Holy Grass (Uierochloe borealis). Most authors 

 say May and June ; Sowerby and Babington, July ; 

 Syme, that specimens from Thurso flowered in his 

 garden in April. I have plants of this grass in my 

 garden from the same place, the flower-buds on 

 which were perfectly formed by the middle of April 

 this year, and fully expanded at the beginning of 

 May. I think, therefore, it is a mistake to say that 

 it flowers in July, even in its native habitat. It 

 sends up too, its barren shoots early in spring, and 

 not in late summer or autumn. It seems to be a 

 grass of small agricultural value, though it increases 

 \ ery fast from its running roots. I have several 

 living plants which I should be glad to exchange 

 for other varieties.— 5. W. Westward, Wigton. 



The Holly Pern {Tolystichm lonchitis) is by 

 our usual authorities asserted to be be found only 

 in mountainous districts of Wales, Scotland, aud 

 Ireland, and very rarely in the north of England. 



