IIEPOIIT OF THE BOTANICAL EXCHANGE CLUB. 259 



not in all. There can be little doubt that it was specimens of iV. syl- 

 vestre in this condition which at one time were believed to be N. auceps. 

 It is now universally admitted that the true N'. anceps has not occurred 

 in Britain. 



Mattli cola incana, 11. Brown. " Whether or not this plant is indi- 

 genous at Compton, Isle of Wight, is perhaps a matter of doubt. 

 Evidence of the non-existence of the plant there many years ago may 

 be drawn from the fact that no mention is made of it by any of the 

 older botanists who visited the locality, although ' Hocke Sampier ' is 

 constantly noted by them as a plant growing ' in the white cliffs on 

 the south side of the Isle of Wight.' It is not probable that so con- 

 spicuous a ])lant as Matthlola inccina, growing in the same localities as 

 CrUliinum viaritimum, Avould have been either overlooked or not con- 

 sidered worthy of being noted. The first notice of this plant as occur- 

 ring in the Isle of Wight appears to be that given by Dr. Bromfield in 

 his ' Flora Vectensis,' and there the principal station is represented to 

 be at Steephill, the Compton station being recorded as an additional 

 one. In 1868, I do not believe the plant existed at Steephill,* but on 

 the cliffs east of Ventnor the plant was very abundant in that year, 

 though, from the fact of the gardens of the houses extending to the 

 edge of the clitt", great doubt would attach to the character of the sta- 

 tion. At Compton this is not the case ; the nearest house or garden 

 is at Compton Farm, nearly half a mile from the shore. There are 

 some slight differences between the plants from these two stations, 

 which is possibly due to the fact that the cliffs at Comj)ton are very 

 pure hard white chalk ; those east of Yentnor, a soft crumbling chalk 

 marl. The leaves of the plants at Compton are much more densely 

 clothed with hairs than those of the Ventnor plants, and the flowers of 

 the latter are of a bright rose colour, whilst those of the former have 

 generally more of a purple tint." — Fred. Stratton. 



Brassica campestris, L. " The wild state of the common Turnip, 

 from hedgebaoks and ditchsides in fields adjacent to the Thames, on 

 the Surrey side of the river, opposite to Sunbury ; growing also in 

 plenty on the Middlesex side of the river. As collectors observe this 

 plant mostly in spring or sunnner, after the grass-green and hispid 

 radical-leaves have faded away, they have usually misnamed it as 

 Brassica Napiis. Hence, the desirability of distributing examples in 

 their late autumnal and winter stnte. Full explanations of my views 

 on this species may be seen in this Journal, Vol. VII. p. 346." — H. 

 C. "Watson. 



Viola lactca, Sm. " From a disused brick-field, on a heath-covered 

 waste, by the left side of the road from Bngshot to Ascot Station, just 

 within the county of Berks. New to the sub-province of "VVest- 

 Thames." — li. C. Watson. 



Fi/nts scaitdica, Bab. Mr. T. R. Archer Briggs contributes a large 

 * It grew at Steepliill in 186G.— H. Trimen. 



