1898-1902. No. 2.] VASCULAR PLANTS OF ELLESMERELAND. 65 



subspathulata; petala majora, intense lutea". Thus he gets the descrip- 

 tion to apply to the Greenland plant, and further he says, that the same 

 form occurs in Iceland, Spitsbergen, Arctic Siberia and Arctic North 

 America, and that, notwithstanding that Engler has mentioned his plant 

 only from Sikkim and Tibet, the northern one is also to be referred 

 to it. 



As I have not had any opportunity of seeing authentic specimens of 

 Engler's variety, I cannot form any decided opinion about its value. 

 At least it seems difficult to define, as both sepals and petals are very 

 variable in shape even in the same flower. However one of his dis- 

 tinguishing marks could perhaps be more usable, viz. the ciliation of the 

 leaves. But this is not mentioned by Lange, probably because it is 

 entirely wanting in the Greenland and Iceland specimens. Apart from 

 this, at least some of the specimens from Iceland, Spitsbergen, Northern 

 Siberia, etc., in the Copenhagen herbarium, accord rather well with the 

 description of Engler, but just one of them, which has most conspi- 

 cuously rosulate and broad basal leaves, broad sepals and large flowers 

 (from Alatau, Brotherus 1896) is by Engler himself determined as the 

 typical form. Even if some Sikkim specimens, that I have seen, are 

 rather more in accord with Engler's description, I still doubt whether 

 his variety can be upheld, and in each case, the Arctic American-Green- 

 land form must not be referred to it. 



It differs from the Iceland — Spitsbergen — Siberian plant as well as 

 from the common European form in its manner of growing in great, 

 loose tufts, formed of numerous upright rhizome-branches, that end either 

 in sterile or floriferous shoots. The leaves are very narrow, or even 

 linear, the flowers rather small. Even if the name of Engler must be 

 discarded for this variety, there still exists a name for it, viz., S. pro- 

 pinqua, R. Brown. This indeed from the first is a nomen nudum, 

 but Rob. Brown has afterwards himself given a short description of it 

 in Chlor. Melv., p. 15, where he has reduced it to a variety of S. Hir- 

 culus'^. Sternberg, 1. c, suppl. II, p. 18, indeed has called the plant 

 of Brown S. Hirculus § uniflora, which, however, he had no right what- 

 ever to do. If, therefore, the arctic-american form is to be kept sepa- 

 rate as a variety which seems rather well founded by the above-men- 

 tioned characters that distinguish it fj-om the european and asiatic 

 forms, it must be called S. Hirculus, L. var. propinqua, (R. Br.). 



' I have had the opportunity of seeing, in the Nat. Hisl. Mas., authentic speci- 

 mens from Melville Island. 



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