i64 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



THE HIGH ALPINE FLORA OF BRITAIN. 



BEING A LIST OF THE FLOWERING PLANTS AND 

 FERNS FOUND AT A THOUSAND METRES AND 

 UPWARDS ON THE MOUNTAINS OF THE BRITISH 

 ISLES, WITH AUTHENTIC REFERENCES AND CRITI- 

 CAL NOTES. 



By Frederic N. Williams, F.L.S. 

 {Conti7iiied from p. 1 14.) 



Fam. 25. Caryophyllace^ — Co?iti?tued. 



90. Sagina intei-jjiedia^ Fenzl in Ledeb., " Fl. Rossica," i. 339 

 (1842). — Syn. Spergula sagifioides, var. nivalis, Lindbl., in " Physiogr. 

 Sallsk. Tidskr." 328 (1837-38), et in Flora, xxiv. 587 (1841), ex 

 parte ; Sagi?ia nivalis, Fries, " Novit. Fl. Suecic. Mant." iii. 31 (1842), 

 ex parte; Sagina nivalis, var. /3 laxa, Lindb., in " Bot. Nat." 1845, 

 66 ; vS. ?tivalis, auctt. angl. ; Spergula sagi?ioides, Hook., " Fl. Bor. 

 Amer." ex parte, sed non L. (1753). An examination of what is 

 understood by the names quoted of Lindblom and of Fries leads to 

 the conclusion that these authors include under this name both S. 

 nivalis and S. ccespitosa, Vahl ( = Sagina ccespitosa, Lange, " Consp. 

 fl, Groenl." i. 22). As Sagina nivalis, Fries, and Sagina intermedia, 

 Fenzl, are both of the same date, and as there is some doubt about 

 the status of the former, and none whatever about what is meant by 

 the latter, it is better to use the name of a plant of which the applica- 

 tion is certain, and that is what I have done here in the case of the 

 Scottish plant. The following is Fenzl's original description : — 

 " Csespitans, glaberrima, cauliculis subsimplicibus baud radicantibus, 

 i-2-floris; foliis carnosis lineari-subulatis, acutis, muticis vel mucro- 

 nulatis ; floribus omnibus vel plurimis tetrameris (paucissimis pen- 

 tameris immixtis) ; calycis laciniis ovalibus vel subrotundis ; petalis 

 ovalibus ellipticisve calyce subbrevioribus ; staminibus 8 vel 4 saltern 

 pluribus." Fenzl's name is from the fact that it seemed to be a 

 plant intermediate between S. prociimbens and S. Liniicei. On the 

 other hand, Sagina C(2spitosa, Lange, is not found south of the 

 Arctic Circle. The figure of 6". nivalis in Syme, " Engl. Botany," 

 t. 250, is very bad, and gives no idea of the Scottish plant. First 

 recorded by Watson, in " Journ. Bot." 1863, 355. "Mr. Boswell 

 Syme has shown to me a specimen of this Arctic plant picked on 

 Ben Lawers several years ago by Prof. Balfour." It is still another 

 instance of the extreme botanical interest of this famous Scottish 

 mountain. There is good reason for believing, however, that it was 

 first gathered in Scotland by R. K. Greville before 1840 (see 



