1903- PRAEGER. — What is an Annual ? 91 



It may be noted that remarks similar to those already made 

 apply to many biennials. For instance, Digitalis purpurea^ 

 Verbascuni Thapsus^ Crepis taraxacifolia^ and, no doubt, many 

 others, often spring up in the autumn, devote the next year 

 to vegetative growth, and flower, fruit, and die in the third 

 year. These plants, which are reckoned typical biennials, 

 will not, under such circumstances, fit the usual definitions of 

 biennials, say Babington's — ^" Bienniai, plants spring from the 

 seed in one year, flower in the following year, and then die " — 

 unless "year" be taken to mean a period of twelve months. 



Other species of limited life are in our climate quite inde- 

 pendent of the seasons. Groundsel and Chickweed may be 

 found as seedlings, in flower or in fruit, in any month of the 

 twelve ; but while the former appears to always complete its 

 life-cycle within twelve months, and generally in much 

 less, the life of the latter may extend to at least a couple of 

 years. 



. Then there is a large group of plants, nominally annuals, 

 which in a mild winter struggle through, and have two 

 summers of flowering and fruiting ; but these do not concern 

 the points under discussion. 



Can other botanists throw some light on this question, by 

 obsei-vations from different parts of our islands ? I^ike a 

 certain contributor to the proceedings of the recent meeting 

 of the British Association, I have brought the matter forward, 

 not so much in the hope of giving, as of receiving informa- 

 tion. In the West of Ireland I fancy the number of autumn- 

 growing annuals is even larger than here in the East. And it 

 would be particularly interesting to know how the same 

 plants behave in a more continental climate — say in the South 

 or Kast of England; a warmer summer and colder winter 

 would probably greatly affect the period of growth. 



Dublin. 



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