RUBUS ADSCITUS AND R. MUTABILIS. STi? 



to ^ or -i- of its length, oval, nnrrowod and nearly entire at the base, nar- 

 rowly acuminate ; lateral leaflets shortly stalked, of the same shape, 

 oblique, dilated or lobed on the outer side, much resembling those of the 

 stem in general appearance, but more hairy al)Ove, those at the top of the 

 branch sometimes white-felted beneath. Panicle pyramidal, flexnose, com- 

 pound, diffuse, leafy, very rough with shining hairs, sliglitly glandular, 

 prickles sliarp, declining or sickle-shapod ; generally with the three many- 

 flowered lower branches separated, springing from the base of 3-nate 

 leaves, which they do not equal ; the two, four, or more succeeding ones 

 from the base of bracts which are at first oval or 3-lobed, then narrower, 

 with long petioles ; the upper branches spreading, three or many-Howered, 

 naked, exceeding the bifid bracteoles. Calyx felted, very sliglilly glan- 

 dular, neither aciculate nor prickly, greyish-green or ashy, with a straight 

 white edging, sepals oval, gradually narrowed into straigiit or foliaceous 

 points, often equal to the petals, refiexed after the fiowering. Petals 

 very pale piuK, oblong, obtuse, jagged or notched at the top, gra(hially 

 narrowed into a claw, hairy, ciliated. Stamens white, exceeding the 

 greenish styles. Young carpels many, glabrous, forming a large lustrous 

 black fruit. The middle of June, July. Damp woods, wooded iiills. 



" Obs. This plant is but slightly glandular, and miglit be classed with 

 the Viresceides near R. piletusfdchys. It appears to come very near li. 

 micam, God. and Gr., which is distinguished from it by its prickly calyx, 

 petals contracted into a short claw, and some other characters. 



"■lL\\ii R. hicolor, Arrondeau, Bulletin de la Socicte poIymathi(|ue du 

 Morbihan, annee 1862; tirage a part, p. 20 (non Mull, et (Jhab.), seems 

 very close to R. afhcitns ; it is distinguished from it by its small panicle 

 without large bracts, by its Howers being deep pink within, and by the 

 different shape of the leaves of the stem. Its glabrous carpels separate 

 it from R. riicemosns, and its narrowly acuminate sepals from R. atrocanlis ; 

 its small flowers, of a bright pink within, distinguish it from these three 

 species." 



The above description does so well for the Plymouth plant, aiireeing 

 with it even as to the colour of the different parts of the flower, that [ 

 feel it to be quite unnecessary to draw up another from local examples. 

 Moreover, the fine French specimens of R. adscitns in Mr. Baker's Iku*- 

 barium, from M. Genevier iiimsclf, have enabled me to carefully compare 

 the two plants, and I without hesitation assert their identity. 



A. reference to " British Rubi" shows that Prol'essor Babinuton con- 

 siders R. adacUun, Genev., and R. c/c-ras/ts, Midi., the same, placing both, 

 under the latter of these names, as a variety of R. viUicaidis. He, iiowever, 

 expresses a (h)ubt as to the correctn(!ss of this arrangcnumt on the ground 

 of the possibility of R. dcrasus being a distinct species IVom ll.viUicnidis. 

 Judging from the s|)ecimen of R. derdaiiH, Mull., fide Genevier, in Mr, 

 Baker's herbarium, I do not consider it and R. ndscitiifs the same, and a 

 note by Mr. Warren, placed with the former, confirms me in this view, as 

 it says " near Bellitrdi." , 



The most nuu-ked features of R. adscU/is are its narrow, sharp, nearly 

 straight prickles, its broadly oval, irregularly and de(;ply cut leaves ; its 

 long, flexuose flowering shoots ; its broad, often cylindrical, panicle, with 

 very blunt end, and long brandies, each dividing near the toj), at a con- 

 siderable distance from the rachis, and having its terminal ilower-stalk 

 shorter than the lateral ones. The long, narrow points of the sepals, 



