The Scottish Naturalist. 33 



Note on Altitudes.— I have recently found Nymphcea alba, at an altitude 

 of 1400 feet, and Pilularia globulifera at 960 feet. Mr. H. C. Watson gives 

 for the first "Lake Province to 350 yards," and for the second " Wales to 300 

 yards" Regarding Betula nana, Mr. Roy writes, "I have specimens from 

 Ross shire as low as 1000 feet. The lowest altitude given by Mr. Watson is 

 600 yards. "— F. Buchanan White. 



Monstrous form of Teuerium seorodonia.— Last August', Colonel 

 Drummond Hay and I found at Craig Tronach, near Dunkeld, about a square 

 yard full of a very curious form of Teuerium seorodonia in a large bed of the com- 

 mon form. The monstrosity may be thus described : — The racemes in length, and 

 their branches in length and number are not different from the usual form ; 

 but the pedicel of each flower is increased to about ten times the usual length, 

 and the lower ones of each branch bear several pairs of branches, thus making 

 the raceme tripinnate. The pedicels thus altered (to secondary and tertiary 

 branches) bear altered flowers at the extremity of each branch. The usual 

 bract is present at the base of the original pedicel, and each supplementary 

 pedicel has also a bract at its base ; then follow on the pedicel numerous bracts, 

 gradually increasing in size till at the summit they form a rosette. In the 

 centre of the rosette is first a whorl of narrow leaves (imperfect carpels) with 

 long subulate points (modified styles) — these leaves are glandular at the back. 

 Then a cluster of less imperfect carpels — four or five in number— also glan- 

 dular, and furnished with long styles, often bi- or trifurcate. Each carpel con- 

 tained ovules. The colour of the inflorescence is green, except the styles, which 

 are greenish ochreous. — Id. 



Acclimatisation of Exotic Trees in Scotland — For the last ten years 

 an experiment has been in operation in the Green-house and grounds of the 

 Murray Royal Institution, Perth, regarding the growth in this country of one of 

 the handsomest .New Zealand Trees — the "Goai'' or "Kowhai" ( Sophora 

 Utrapiera Aiton : var. microphylla Jacq.y. It is one of the many New Zealand 

 trees or shrubs which, apparently hardy and suited for out-door growth in the 

 climate of Scotland, have, neverthelesss, so far baffled the attempts made to 

 cultivate them as to have gained for them the reputation of being only half- 

 hardy, requiring glass for their due protection in winter. Eminent arboriculturists, 

 such as Messrs. Gorrie k Macnab, of Edinburgh, have attained the most oppo- 

 site results, and consequently hold the most opposite opinions. The Perth ex- 

 periment, made by Mr. Gowenlock, bade fair for some years to succeed in its 

 proof of the-hardiness of the " Goai," and its suitability for out-door cultivation 

 in Scotland. But the tree on which these hopes were founded gradually failed 

 in its vitality, and at length succumbed to the cold of the winter of 1870-1. A com- 

 parative experiment under glass has on the other hand succeeded admirably : 

 and Mr. Gowenlock is able at present to display a very handsome seedling 

 " Goai,'' so tall and vigorous as to threaten speedily to acquire unsuitable 

 dimensions for the roomy Greenhouse, part of whose space it occupies and 

 adorns. Though ten years old, it has never yet shown signs of flowering. 

 Should it flower or fruit in Perth, it will be an exception to the general rule that 

 the "Goai" has never — even though fifty years old — flowered so far north in 

 Great Britain as Scotland, though it is said both to be hardy and to seed abun- 

 dantly in Guernsey. The history of the Perth and other experiments on the 

 acclimatisation of the "Goai'' in Scotland is to be found in Dr. Lindsay's 

 "Contributions to New Zealand Botany,'' 1868, p. js^. 



