568 The Irish Naturalist, [Oct., 1897. 



is scarcely exceeded by that of any G. Mollugo that has come 

 before me, but, at the same time, the cyme-branches 

 are upright. I am informed that in the place where the 

 plant occurs "everything grows very luxuriantly, and the 

 Burdocks are magnificent," and some stems of G. veruvi sent 

 me as illustrative of this, are nearly four feet long. There 

 would seem to be scarcely a plant more variable, or one in 

 which the extremes are more closely connected by a gradation 

 of intermediate links than that under consideration. 



On some of the stems of the immature plant sent by Mrs. 

 I^eebody there were roots with soil attached. These were 

 planted under an espalier in my garden, and though the 

 stems died, a vigorous growth shortly afterwards sprang up, 

 four of the new stems being fertile, but none of them exceed- 

 ing some sixteen inches in length, the plant being quite 

 prostrate in habit, and showing no tendency to find support 

 amongst the branches under which it was placed. Save that 

 some of the leaves are more gradually narrowed and the 

 flowering branches very few, short and inconspicuous, the 

 characters are identical with those of the robust form growing 

 by Lough Foyle. If the plant is to be considered a variety 

 rather than a form, there would seem to be as much justifica- 

 tion for uniting it with G. erectum as with G. Mollugo, 

 Possibl)' the plant under cultivation may have altered 

 characters when more fully established in the soil where it is 

 planted. Mr. Stewart originally assigned it to G. Mollugo} 

 and pending further observations it would seem better that 

 this should not be disturbed. 



In the CuUybackey plant the leaves are very attenuate, 

 linear, and suddenly narrowed above, the forward-pointing 

 marginal prickles numerous and prominent, and the mucron- 

 ate points longer than in any other specimens of G. erectum 

 with which it has been compared. According to the descrip- 

 tions, this plant might indeed, with equal fitness, be referred 

 either to G. Molhigo var. Bakeri or to G, erectum var. aristatum^ 

 but no sufficient reason appears for regarding it as other than 

 a casual state of G. erectum.'^ 



^ [ourn. Bot.y vol. XXX., p. 281. 



' See au interesting paper " Ou a Yorkshire Ca///^;/-! allied to G. cnctnnir 

 hy Mr. J. C>. liakef, in foiirn. Bot. i., p. 290 (1862). 



