and the Pyrenees , in 1825. 249 



Lepidium iberis— Lepidium latifolium was common here, but not yet in 

 flower. 

 PAPAVERACEiE,...Papaver rubiaci, DC. — This is merely a starved variety of 

 P. Rhceas, growing in a hot sandy soil •• 



These are some of the more interesting plants we found in 

 this excursion. Many more we observed, but as they occurred 

 abundantly nearer Montpellier, we did not gather them. One 

 plant grows here, which I was very eager to collect, the Hut- 

 chinsia procumbens, with which sometimes a diffuse variety of 

 H. petrcBa is confounded. I was however disappointed : it had 

 already flowered, shed its seeds, and nothing remained but the 

 scorched stems and leaves. 



Before our departure for the Pyrenees, we made one more 

 excursion to the Pic St Loup. The Pceonia peregrina was now 

 in fruit. Linum narbonense, with its splendid blue blossom, 

 was by no means rare ; while behind the Pic, one place was 

 quite covered with Linum glutinosum and salsahides, DC. 

 Geum atlanticum is here, but very scarce. Erodium petrceum, 

 and Alyssum spinosum, were plentiful on the rocky summits of 

 the hill. We observed by the road-sides Helianthemum num- 

 mularitjdfolium^ and Onobrychis cristagalli. 



The Botanical Garden of Montpellier, if not of very great ex- 

 tent, is in excellent condition, and contains many curious plants. 

 The red horse-chesnut, JEsculus rubicunda {^sc. carnea of some 

 authors), forms one of the greatest ornaments that can be con- 

 ceived. The curious Ginkgo biloba flowers here every spring 

 in the open air : in the hot-house, the Solandra grandiflora 

 covers a whole waU,. and flowers in the utmost luxuriance. 

 This garden was established by Henry the Fourth in 1597, 



* I had afterwards occasion to see this plant in De CandoUe's herbarium 

 at Geneva. An inspection of the original specimens confirms the above opi- 

 nion. I may also observe, that I can see no good character to separate from each 

 other the P. trilobum, P. turbinatum, and P. leBvigatum : when united, the first 

 may be styled var. latifoUa glabra ; the second, var. laiifolia subpilosa ; and the 

 last, var. glabra foliorum lobis angustioribiis. These characters are merely rela- 

 tive. When hairs occur on any of these, they are patent, which, with other 

 circumstances, induces me to believe that these three may prove to be only 

 varieties of P. Rhceas. 



