Sept. 1, 1870.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



211 



agreeably to the statement lie makes with regard 

 to the condition apparently necessary to the lull 

 development of the inflorescence. Butomus 

 umbeU.atus, L., is in fine flowering condition, and 

 spreading. Numerous other good plants are to 

 be met with at this capital botanical spot. — 

 R. T., 31. J. 



Plant-Notes. — Old Gerarde traces the English 

 name of Chenopodium bonus Henricus, L., " Good 

 Henry," to a practice of the Germans, who, he 

 states, called a plant with bad qualities, "Bad 

 Henry," but this, because of its imputed good 

 qualities, " Good Henry." Ray, in his Catalogue 

 of Cambridge Plants, A.D. 1660, explains, upon the 

 authority of Dodonseus, " Bonus Henricus " to be a 

 name given to this plant because of its useful pro- 

 perties, which he enumerates as '* serving to cleanse 

 dirty ulcers, and to heal them ; and, as a poultice, 

 to soothe the pains of gout." But I find no infor- 

 mation in any book of the reasons for the addition 

 of " king " to the name. " Good King Harry " seems 

 to allude to our Henry VIII. Now that king fat- 

 tened his favourites upon other men's wealth, just 

 as this plant flourishes best upon cultivated soil ; 

 but whether such an allusion was designed, persons 

 learned in the history of plant-names best know. 

 The notice of Veronica Buxbaumii justifies me in 

 the remark that the species is not perhaps more 

 common than formerly, but that it had been gene- 

 rally overlooked as a form of V. agrestis. I have no 

 doubt of its being a native of this island. For in- 

 stance, when the cutting for the branchrail from Har- 

 rogate towards Ripon was made (in 1S62), in a few 

 months the newly-made banks were covered densely 

 with this plant, mixed with Galeopsis versicolor and 

 other more common field species. V. Buxbaumii is 

 spread widely over the high ground above Ash- 

 bourne, and I have noticed it on broken ground 

 about Denbigh Castle. The publication of the ex- 

 cellent figure in the supplement of "'English 

 Botany," has led, probably, to a more exact dis- 

 crimination of this species ; but that circumstance 

 makes the plant none the less native. The " ani- 

 mated oats," so called, are Avenafatua and Pennsyl- 

 vanica, both of which I enclose. If a dry seed, or 

 rather dry flower, of either species, be suddenly 

 dipped in water, shaken, and laid on a table, the 

 untwisting of the awns and the contraction of the 

 bristly hair of the florets cause the sudden jerks 

 and eccentric movements, which amuse children of 

 all ages. That movement is designed to facilitate 

 the burial of the seeds in the soil. The hairs at the 

 base of the florets take hold of the earth, and hold 

 fast the seed, as it works its way deeper, while the 

 awns, expanding or contracting, effectually screw the 

 seeds into the soil. I have seen the seeds of Stipa 

 pennata buried two inches in a week by means of 

 the feathery awn. — Gerard Smith, Ockbrook. 



Phacelia tanacetifolia, Benth. (pp. 167, 

 1S9). — "An inhabitant of California, whence its 

 seeds were sent by Mr. Douglas to the Horticul- 

 tural Society of London. It is a species in some 

 respects approaching P. congesta {Botanical Maga- 

 zine, p. 3152), discovered by Mr. Drummond, in 

 Texas, almost at the same time that the present 

 species was detected on the Pacific side of North 

 America." Botanical Magazine, p. 3703, where 

 there is an excellent Cgure of the plant. — James 

 Britten. 



Animated Oats (p. 190).— The manoeuvres of 

 the oats referred to by Mrs. Watney are due to 

 the hygrometric property of the awns. These are 

 long, and spirally twisted in their lower portion ; 

 and when the oats are soaked in water, the awns 

 swell, and become somewhat untwisted. When 

 placed upon a warm plate, or even upon the hand, 

 they commence to coil up again, sometimes twisting 

 in opposite directions ; and their contortions ai e 

 then very amusing. Electricity, however, has 

 nothing to do with the phenomenon. The oats are 

 produced by Acena sterilis, L., a native of the east 

 of Europe, cultivated in English botanic and 

 " curious " gardens. — James Britten. 



Aceras anturopophoka (p. 1S9). — Mr. Grin- 

 don is not responsible for the statement to which 

 Mr. Lees refers. The locality was recorded by 

 Mr. T. V. Wollaston in the Phytologist, i. 523, old 

 series (1843) ; and Mr. Watson (" Cybele," ii. 432, 

 and " Compendium," 327) quotes it without any ex- 

 pression of doubt ; so that we may safely conclude 

 that the plant has been found there, even if it have 

 now disappeared. Mr. Lees will remember that 

 the disappearance of many orchids (especially Op/irys 

 apij'era) from localities which have produced them 

 abundantly for many years, is by no means of un- 

 common occurrence. — James Britten, F.L.S. 



Handbook of British Fungi.— The first part 

 of this work, consisting of nearly 100 pages, and 

 containing the larger fungi, is nearly ready, and 

 will be delivered to subscribers who desire to have 

 it for autumn collecting, early in September. The 

 amount of subscription, together with sixpence for 

 postage of the two parts, can be sent by Post-office 

 order, payable to M. C. Cooke, at Charing Cross 

 Office, when the first part will be forwarded. It 

 will only be delivered to subscribers whose names 

 were sent in before July, when the subscription list 

 was closed. 



East London Naturalists' Society.— A 

 society under this title is just being established for 

 the east end of London. Further particulars may 

 be obtained of J. W. Love, secretary, 23, Fair foot 

 Road, Bow. 



