SHORT NOTES AND QUERIES. ' 305 



daring liis visit tliis summer to Enoland. Tlioiigli not exactly the R. 

 pUcafiis of iiortlieni England, theie can be no doubt of the correctness of 

 considering this form (\\ liicli occurs also in Surrey) as one of those whicii 

 the name R. plicatus, VV. and N., comprehends. Professor Aresehoug, 

 with much acumen, at once separated this plant in its growing state from 

 the neighbouring bushes of R. cordifulliis, by contrasting its sepals, 

 which are a light and almost vivid green externally, with those of the 

 latter, which are a dull drab heavy green on their outer surface. — J.L. 

 Warren. 



Phytolacca icosanura, L. — In Nicaragua this plant springs up on 

 newly-cleared ground ; and on the banks of the river San Juan it is called 

 " Culalii,^' and eaten instead of Spinach. I saw the men bring quantities 

 of it, especially the top parts of the plant, on board the steamers, whenever 

 they went on shore ; and can endorse the opinion that Calalu is an ex- 

 cellent potlierb. If I remember rightly, F. icomtidra is cultivated in the 

 vine-growing districts of Southern Germany on account of its black fruit, 

 largely used for conveiting white wines into red. — Berthold Seemann. 



Monstrosity of Viola sylvatica (p. 24.4). — Since I took a speci- 

 men of the crested Viola to Kew, 1 have been able to collect some curious 

 facts on the same subject, which I think worth recording. From Mr. 

 Wollaston I have received accounts of two other instances of crested Viola 

 that have come under his notice. One grew in the garden of the late 

 Mr. Swynfen Jervis, of Darlaston, Staflbrdshire, on the corm of Filix-mas 

 cridata ; the other in Mr. Wollastou's own garden, very close to PolypoJiiim. 

 viilgare v. crislatum, but not actually on the plant. Here there are three 

 instances, from Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, and Kent, of the Viola be- 

 coming crested wlien growing near crested Ferns. Scolopendrinm endivee 

 folium was first raised at Mr. Young's, at Taunton. He asserted that it 

 was a hybrid bi tween a common Scolopendrinm and an Endive growing 

 together. I suppose no one would believe this, and he was far too good 

 a botanist to believe it himself; but it may be another instance of a 

 plant copying its neighbour. I was this week in the garden of Captain 

 Jones, of Clifton. He rears a large number of Fern monstrosities, with 

 whicli he is very successful. But 1 was surprised to find in his houses 

 that the air is apparently so charged witli monstrosities that even his 

 normal plants acquire abnormal habits. Thus, his Jsploduni Nidus has a 

 bifid frond ; the pinnules of his Woodwnrdia radicans are crested ; and his 

 Blechinim anslrale is sagittate. From all these facts, it seems very pro- 

 bable that contiguity has some influence on the forms of plants. The 

 subject is a very interesting one, but 1 am too ignorant in the science of 

 vegetable teratology to do more than record the facts. — Henry N. 

 Ellacombe. 



Cystopteris fragilis in O.xfordshire. — In July, this year, I 

 found Cystopteris fragilis growing on the north wall of South Newington 

 Church, near Banbury, in Oxfordshire. Tiiere miglit have been sofne 

 twentv ]ihuits, for the most part small in sizt;. The Vicar has since seut 



vol.. !.\. [oCTdliliK, 1S71 ] X 



