rUMAUIA CAPREOLATA 0¥ BRITAIN. 165 



3. V. coNFUSA {Jord.) : sepalis ovatis apiculatis dentatis tubi corolla 

 latitudinem sequantibus eodemque f brevioribus, fructibus sub- 

 globoso-compressis apice rotundatis demum paulisper rugulosis, hasi 

 fructus latissima pedicelli apice conspicue latiore, bracteis pedicellos 

 floriferos sdc^2iXit\h\x^ fructiferis patentibus duplo brevioribus, racemis 

 evolutis laxis brevibus paucifloris. 



F. confusa, Jord. Cat. Dij. 1848, 18; Lloyd, Fl. Quest Fr. 24. 



F. Rastardi, Bor. " in Rev. Bot. ii. 359 " ; Fl. Cent. Fr. ed. 3. ii. 34. 



F. agraria. Mitt. ! in Lond. Journ. Bot. vii. 656 ; Bah. ! in Bot. Gaz. i. &2 

 (not Lag.). 



F. capreolata, Bab. ! Frim. Fl. Sam. 4. 



F. capreolata y. media, Bab. ! Man. ed. 4. 17. 



F. media /3. confusa, Hamm. 28. t. 3. 



Sep. often persistent with the young fruit. Cor. rather large, 

 but less than that of F. pallidiflora, dingy white or pinkish ; tip 

 and sometimes the back dark purple ; tube rather thick ; lower 

 petal linear, flattened, blunt, keeled and brownish, and with in- 

 flexed sides towards the tip ; lateral petals linear, truncate-apicu- 

 late, broadly but shortly boat-shaped, winged on the back. Young 

 fruit rather obovate-acuminate. The fleshy base is nearly as broad 

 as the fruit, and wider than the much-enlarged tip of the pedicel : 

 it is scarcely narrower at its base than where it joins the fruit. 

 The vertical edge of the fruit is regularly rounded, and the whole 

 outliue, above the enlarged base, is nearly round; apical pits 

 broad but shallow. 



If attention be paid to the shape of the fruit, and especially to 

 its remarkable base, there cannot be any difficulty in distinguish- 

 ing this plant from F. pallidiflora and F. Borcei ; neither does it 

 seem probable that any botanist who examines them when fresh 

 will have doubts about the specific distinctness of this plant from 

 its allies. 



Had I possessed the acuteness of observation which belongs to 

 Mr. Jordan, I should not have been misled into reducing this 

 plant to a form of F. capreolata, after having recorded it as a 

 species, although with an erroneous name. The effect of my so 

 acting has been what is usual in such cases, viz. that the plant 

 has suffered total neglect in this country. There seems to be no 

 surer mode of diverting attention from a plant than that of placing 

 it as a Variety of some species supposed to be well known. 



I have seen specimens of this plant from Jersey and Gruernsey ; 

 Zennor and Trevenna, Cornwall ; Ilfracombe, Devon ; Tenby, 

 Pembrokeshire ; Aberystwith, Cardiganshire ; Bangor, Caernar- 

 vonshire ; Hawkhead, Lancashire ; and Dublin. 



