374' Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



February 11, 1858.— Dr. Seller, President, in the Chair. 

 The following papers were read : — 



1. "Remarks on the Suborder Orthotrichece,'' by Benjamin Car- 

 rington, M.D. 



Dr. Carrington pointed out the futility of founding genera on cha- 

 racters depending upon the peristome alone, which he considered a 

 non-essential organ, and, like the number of petals in flowering plants, 

 only useful as affording specific characters. He also drew attention 

 to the importance of studying more carefully than had hitherto been 

 done, the limits of variation of individual species, for which purpose 

 the bryologist should acquaint himself with the plant in its different 

 stages of growth, and its appearance on certain soils, and in humid 

 or dry and exposed localities. 



2. "Notes of a Botanical Trip with Pupils to Coldstream and 

 Norham, in July 1857," by Prof. Balfour. 



3. " Remarks on the Distribution of Plants in the Northern States, 

 Canada, and the Hudson's Bay Company's Territories, &c.," by 

 Dr. George Lawson. Part 1. 



Dr. Lawson alluded to the favourable conditions afforded by the 

 physical characters of the North American continent for tracing the 

 horizontal range of vegetation. Having recently received extensive 

 collections of North American plants, he proposed to bring before 

 the Society some of the more interesting facts which they served to 

 illustrate. The Arctic forms were first noticed. A collection made 

 by Captain Rae during his last boat- voyage in search of Sir John 

 Franklin, contained only one Fern, the rare Lastrea fragrans {Po- 

 lypodium fragrans, Linn.), from Repulse Bay. Mr. Moore observes, 

 in a letter to Dr. Lawson, that the North American Allosorus gracilis 

 is the Pteris Stelleri of Amman, Allosorus Stelleri of Ruprecht, 

 which name takes precedence. So that it spreads from North America 

 through Siberia to India, whence Dr. Hooker has it. 



4. " Notice of the Produce of the Olive Crop in the Island of Corfu 

 during the past Season," by Mr. xMackenzie, of Corfu. 



5. " Remarks on a species of Loranthus, and Measurements of 

 Tree-Ferns in Australia," by Mr. Thomas Cannan. 



Mr. Cannan has sent seeds of a parasitic species oi Loranthus. 

 They are attached to branches, and some of them are beginning to 

 germinate. It is said to produce showy flowers, and to grow on 

 almost any tree with a smooth bark. It grows well on some of the 

 trees introduced into Melbourne gardens, such as the English Oak 

 and Elm, and the common Laburnum. It attaches itself to the 

 native Eucalypti, and is propagated by means of birds, which scatter 

 the seeds. Mr. Cannan also sends the following measurements of 

 Tree-ferns met with during his Australian rambles: — No. 1. From 



