Mr. Ch. C. Babington on Dryas octopetala. 183 



I have seen specimens of this variety from Teesdale, Bread- 

 albane, Clova and Sutherland ; also from Munich, Mount 

 Stockhorn and the Col de Voza in Switzerland, the Pyrenees 

 and Calabria. 



{3. pilosa. Sepals three or four times as long as broad, slightly 

 pointed, covered with nearly black hairs ; base of the calyx hemi- 

 spherical ; petioles hairy, but without scales ; leaves oblong or 

 ovate-oblong, deeply cut into large slightly acute lobes ; under 

 side of the petiole and midrib dark red. (PL VII. fig. 2.) 

 I have only seen cultivated specimens of this variety ob- 

 tained from the county of Clare in Ireland. 



y. depressa. Sepals twice as long as broad, blunt and rounded at 

 the end, covered with red hairs ; base of the calyx truncate, nearly 

 flat ; under side of the petiole as in var. a ; leaves ovate, deeply 

 cut into large rounded lobes ; under side of the petiole and midrib 

 green. (PI. VII. fig. 3.) 



I have gathered this plant on Ben Bulben in the county of 

 Sligo, Ireland, but have not seen specimens from any other 

 place. Not having obtained recent flowers, I am unable to 

 state the colour of the petals, but suspect that they have a 

 considerable tinge of yellow. 



Should the colour of the flowers of var. 7. prove to be dif- 

 ferent from that of the other plants, or the characters derived 

 from the calyx remain constant (which I believe to be the 

 case), I should feel myself justified in naming it as a species, 

 and characterizing it as follows : — 



D. depressa. Sepals twice as long as broad, blunt and rounded at 

 the end ; base of the calyx truncate and nearly flat ; leaves crenate- 

 serrate, obtuse. (Fig. 3.) 



The character of D. octopetala would then stand as fol- 

 lows : — 



D. octopetala (Linn.). Sepals three or four times as long as broad, 

 more or less pointed ; base of the calyx hemispherical ; leaves 

 crenate- serrate, obtuse. (Fig. 1. and 2.) 



EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE*. 



Plate VII. Fig. 1. Dryas octopetala, var. cc. 



a. One of the scales greatly magnified. Those represented 

 upon the petioles in fig. 1. and fig. 3. are considerably 

 larger than they are found in nature, in order to make 

 them visible. 

 Fig. 2. Var. (k pilosa. 

 Fig. 3. Var. y. depressa or Dryas depressa (nova species). 



* The figures being only intended for the illustration of the subjects treated 

 of in this paper, all pubescence to which it has no reference is omitted. 



