SHORT NOTES AND QUERIES. 113 



above the level of sea of Cannock Cliase and Sutton Cold field, and does 

 the vegetation generally partake of a subalpine character? — W. A. 

 Leighton. 



The True Tetraspores of Seirospora Grifftthsiana. — In 

 1862 I received from Miss Dyke Poore S. Grijifhsiana, from Jersey, with 

 what appeared to me tetrasporic fruit. I sent the plant to the late Pro- 

 fessor Walker Ariiott, of Glasgow, who confirmed my opinion. The te- 

 traspores occurred in pairs or singly on short pedicels, very diftereut to 

 the necklace-like hardened bodies termed ' seirospores,' produced usually on 

 this plant at the extremities of the raniuli. According to Agardh, these 

 bodies likewise occur in the genus CaUiihamnion. I believe the true 

 tetraspores of Seirospora have been observed by Agardh, but 1 have seen 

 no notice of their occurieuce on British specimens, nor have I ever seen 

 them on any but these Jersey plants. If seirospores are also produced in 

 the genus Callithamnion, there seems no reason why Seirospora should 

 not be replaced in that genus from which it was removed on account of 

 these bead-like seirospores, which were supposed to be restricted to this 

 species alone. I would recommend algologists during the approaching 

 season to carefully examine all specimens of Seirospora Griffithsiana m 

 search of the tetraspores. — I. Gifford. 



Plants of the Site of the Exhibition of 1862. — Since the 

 building in which the International Exhibition of 1862 was held was 

 pulled down, the site has remained weed-covered and unoccupied. From 

 time to time I have visited the ground, and have almost on every occasion 

 found some new and interesting plant which I had not seen there before. 

 The plants at first found were mostly annuals, which grow rapidly, and can- 

 not tolerate consolidated soil, and, moreover, only precariously ripen their 

 seed. Afterwards perennials, represented at first possibly by only a few 

 unnoticed individuals, increased and took the place of the departed 

 annuals. The year 1870 was the last opportunity of collecting these, 

 as they will soon be extinguished by the new Natural History Museum. 

 Of a 'list published in the fourth volume of the ' Journal of Botany,' 

 p. 151, only Artemisia scoparia, W. and K., Carduus arverisis, Curt. var. 

 setosus and' (E/toi/tera biennis, L., occurred in 1870, — all of them, however, 

 abundantly. Fhysalis Alkeken(ji, L., recorded in last list, was an error for 

 the not dissimihir Nicandra phjsaloides, Gaertn. (See PI. Middx. p. 195.) 

 The International Horticultural Exhibition in 1866 probably introduced 

 some additional species. Up to 1869 these are noted in the 'Middlesex 

 Flora.' In 1870 I met with the following plants, which are not given in 

 the Flora for this locality. Saponaria officinalis, L., Epilotnum angnsti- 

 foliim, vi\v.d7ac/ti/carpiim,Le\<j:\\i., Rumex a/pinns,h., were, like Oenothera 

 biennis, L., doubtless tlie remains of old garden cultivation reasserting 

 themselves. This may also have been the case with Kitaibelia vitifolia, W ., 

 a plant peculiar to Hungary, which may, nevertheless, have been intro- 

 duced along with Jrteminia scoparia, VV. and K. ; also a plant of south- 

 eastern Europe. If the Artemisia could establish any footing beyond the 

 Exhibition ground, which is likely enough to happen if earth has to be 

 removed for the foundations of the new Museum, it would certainly become 

 a permanent addition to our Loudon fiora. The remaining plants were 

 Lepidium Draba, L., Reseda siffiruticulosa, L., Echium vidgare, L., Car- 



VOL. IX. [APRIL 1, 1871.] 1 



