88 Indigenousness and Distinctness of British Plants. 



has been reclaimed for so many generations. I scarcely 

 remember to have seen a specimen of a true Papaver in an 

 uncultivated district, unless P. Argemone be not an excep- 

 tion. One good test of the indigenous character of an 

 annual plant is when we see it vigorously disputing posses- 

 sion of the soil with perennials. Thus, the Rhinanthus 

 Crista-galli, which comes up abundantly among the herbage 

 of our pastures, must be considered as truly indigenous; 

 whilst the Caucalis latifolia and r/aucbides, which are only to 

 be met with in cultivated fields (in this county, at least), 

 ought not to be considered in any other light than as intro- 

 duced plants. The Ranunculus arvensis is seldom, if ever, 

 to be met with, except in cultivated districts ; but its greater 

 abundance would incline me to place it at present with the 

 poppies, as an indigenous species under " suspicion," rather 

 than as a truly naturalised plant. Some of your correspondents 

 may possibly be inclined to point out other reasons for accept- 

 ing or rejecting certain species ; and, at all events, they may 

 furnish us with an exact account of the circumstances under 

 which some of the " suspected " species may be found in their 

 respective neighbourhoods. For my own part, I consider it 

 a far more laudable result, to succeed in establishing the 

 exotic origin of a common weed, than to add a new species to 

 our flora, interesting as such an event must be considered by 

 every British botanist. 



4. Plants which may possibly be Varieties, and not distinct 

 Species. — It is hopeless to expect that botanists will arrive at 

 any safe conclusions on this subject, until they shall consent 

 to adopt the only sure and legitimate mode of satisfying their 

 doubts ; I mean, by the test of direct experiment. I have, 

 on former occasions, alluded, in this Magazine [III. 406. 

 537. ; IV. 466. ; V. 493.], to the necessity of our adopting 

 this philosophical course, if ever we would hope to arrive at 

 the laws upon which specific distinctions are founded ; and a 

 plan of cooperation was proposed in the botanical section of 

 the British Association, when it met at Cambridge, by which 

 botanists from different parts of the kingdom might be 

 enabled to compare their observations, and obtain more satis- 

 factory conclusions than those at which we have hitherto 

 arrived. It is not too much to say, that there are some 

 genera whose species have possibly been multiplied fourfold 

 beyond the number which they really contain. In con- 

 sequence of this, our flora appears to occupy a much higher 

 rank among the floras of different countries than it ought to 

 do ; and this must lead to very erroneous conclusions respect- 

 ing the laws which regulate the numerical distribution of 

 species in different latitudes. 



