18 Mr. C. C. Babington on the British Ruhi. 



inferne foliosse aculeis paucis tenuibus rectis declinatis seti& bre- 

 vibus apice et ramis brevibus ascendentibus multifloris paniculatis. 

 R. Giinteri, Weihe, Ruhi Germ. 63. t. 21. 



Prickles rather numerous on the barren stem, remarkably de- 

 clining, but straight, short, their base thick ; hairs few ; aciculi 

 more numerous ; setse rather plentiful, short and nearly equal (in 

 an old shoot now before me the hairs, aciculi and setae have nearly 

 all fallen off) . Leaves ternate or (in very rare instances from the 

 subdivision of the unequal lateral leaflets) quinate, green on both 

 sides, nearly or quite glabrous above, rather paler, and with yel- 

 lowish downy and hairy veins beneath ; terminal leaflet broadly 

 obovate, cuspidate, slightly cordate or emarginate below ; lateral 

 leaflets placed nearly at right angles with the intei'mediate leaflet 

 as in R. glandulosus and Bellardi, unequally ovate or lobed on 

 the lower margin, cuspidate ; all irregularly but rather strongly 

 dentate- serrate ; general and partial petioles and midribs beneath 

 armed similarly but less strongly than the stem, and their 

 prickles are often deflexed ; stipules linear, hairy, setose. Flower- 

 ing shoot long, very hairy, wath rather numerous, short (and a 

 few longer) slender declining prickles ; aciculi and seta3 short, 

 not longer than the hairs, not very numerous, except in the 

 upper part of the shoot and amongst the flowers. Leaves ter- 

 nate ; leaflets nearly equal, rather obovate or lanceolate, green 

 and hairy on both sides with paler veins beneath ; general and 

 partial petioles armed like the shoot but with more numerous 

 prickles ; the two or three uppermost leaves simple, ovate or cor- 

 date-ovate, often lobed on one or both sides. Panicle long, nar- 

 row, with three or four axillary short panicled branches, and a 

 long slightly compound panicled ultra -axillary summit with very 

 short branches, each bearing four or five long-stalked flowers. 

 Sepals downy, setose, ashy, with a long point, reflexed from the 

 fruit. 



Hartshill Wood, Warwickshire, in abundance. Rev. A. Blox- 

 arrij to whom I am indebted for most beautiful specimens. 



Ohs. 1. This plant very much resembles R. glandulosus, of 

 which I was once inclined to consider it as a variety ; but its pa- 

 nicle is so different from that of all the forms of that species as 

 to claim specific distinction. Its leaves (on the barren stem) are 

 often exactly like those of typical R. glandulosus [R. Bellardi) in 

 look and form, but difier greatly in their dentition. In one of 

 the specimens now before me the panicle is almost exactly like 

 that represented in the ' Rubi Germ.^ as characteristic of R. thyr- 

 siflorus, except that its upper ultra-axillary portion is narrower 

 from its shorter branches ; other specimens have the ultra- axillary 

 part shortened and the axillary branches lengthened, thus ap- 

 proaching some forms of R. glandulosus. 



