174 ON THE DUMETORUM GUOUP OF KUBI IN BRITAIN. 



rather hairy, very setose and aciculate ; prickles strong, unequal, de- 

 clining, or a few deflexed ; leaves ternate ; terminal leaflet obovate- 

 acuminate, decidedly narrowed to its base ; basal leaflets sessile, 

 externally lobed, all as the stem-leaflets, but rather thicker in tex- 

 ture and rather softer-hairy beneath, still neither coriaceous as re- 

 gards the one, nor felted as regards the other, all rugose, dull 

 green above ; panicle short, close, leafy to the top ; axillary branches 

 short, thick, 5- or 7 -flowered each ; leaves usually exceeding the axil- 

 lary branches in length ; but the 2 or 3 lowest branches sometimes 

 elongate and become secondary panicles, repeating the characters of 

 the main axis of inflorescence ; sepals ovate or ovate-lanceolate, faintly 

 aciculate, generally patent or laxly adpressed to the immature or partly 

 ripened fruit, but when the fruit swells to its utmost, they are driven 

 back from want of room and seem reflexed, and when the flower first 

 falls, they are truly reflexed. The same immature fruit has at times 

 its separate sepals in different stages of patency, adpression or reflexion ; 

 fruit of a few, say 6-10 drupels, which are large, and, when fully ripe, 

 often the size of a large pea each, a good many smaller drupels abort ; 

 petals broad, oval, large, scarcely clawed, generally overlapping, crum- 

 pled, uneven, erose. white, jagged, convex if anything; anthers cream- 

 coloured ; filaments white ; styles nearly the same tint as the anthers ; 

 styles shorter than the anthers ; anthers ultimately fuscous ash-colour. 

 This is a clearly-marked variety, which has been well known in 

 Britain since Leighton first called attention to it some thirty years ago. 

 It is Prof. Babington's o\A.fasco-ater, and certainly in the main what he 

 now calls diver'sifolius, although he may bestow the name casually on 

 other forms. It is abundant in Shropshire, whence 1 have seen speci- 

 mens, e.g. from Wellington (Mr. Bidwell), all the same thing. It is 

 very common in Yorkshire, and a well-marked plant there, being the 

 form solely intended in "North Yorkshire," under the name diversifollus. 

 In Northumberland and Durham it is much less frequent, but the loca- 

 lities given in Baker and Tate's Flora for diverslfoUus all belong to this 

 form. It is the most prevalent hedge Bramble all round Knutsford, 

 Cheshire. I have described and illustrated the plant from specimens at 

 the Black Pit, Tabley. It is rare to find a perfectly quinate leaf on the 

 Cheshire plant, but in Salop and York such leaves seem more frequent. 

 Mr. Briggs also sends it, though rather weak, from Paslinch Lane, 

 Yealmpton, Devon. I have never seen it round London. R. du- 



