ON FESTUCA HETEROPHYLLA. 47 



Polypodium vulgare L. Grew on Ben Lawers at 2800 ft. 



Lycopodium alpinum L., var. decipiens Syrne. Ben Lawers, 88. 

 Ben Eay, 105. — L. Selago L., var. recurvum Desvaux. Another 

 instance where Syme's name is given in error. Kinlochewe, 105. 



Equisetum sylvaticum L., var. capillare Hoffm. Lawers, 88. 

 Kinlochewe, 105. 



ON FESTUCA HETEKOPHYLLA, &c. Lam. 

 By the Eev. E. S. Marshall, M.A., F.L.S. 



On page 217 of this Journal for 1889, Mr. Carruthers gave his 

 reasons for doubting the occurrence of this grass as indigenous in 

 Britain. I have already (pp. 249, 250), made some answer to 

 these, with reference to the question of climate and geographical 

 distribution; and an examination of the works and plates to 

 which he refers has led me to attempt a review of the evidence. 

 It appeared desirable to have Dr. Hackel's opinion on the 

 probabilities of the case, and the following is a translation of his 

 reply to my question : — 



" I have read Mr. Carruthers' article in ' Journal of Botany,' 

 but am not at all of his opinion. I most decidedly dispute [the 

 assertion] that this species has ever been cultivated on any large 

 scale for agricultural purposes ; nor do I believe that its seeds are 

 to be obtained anywhere in the trade. What is, and has been, 

 taken for it has probably always been merely F. rubra, var. fallax, 

 which has, indeed, continually been confused with heterophylla. 

 F. heterophylla is a regular wood-grass (ein achtes TFaM-gras), quite 

 unsuited for agricultural purposes ; for, if it is cultivated in a 

 suimy spot (as, for example, a meadow), at the flowering season it 

 has no living offshoots (Innovations-blatter) left, since they then 

 quickly die off and turn brown. Thus the yield would be very 

 small. This grass is also not pleasant to cattle, on account of the 

 roughness of its leaves." The concluding remark quite tallies 

 with my own observation of this harsh-textured plant. 



Mr. Carruthers states that " it was known to George Sinclair in 

 the beginning of this century." I submit that this assertion is not 

 tenable, on {Sinclair's own showing. The specimen inserted m the 

 folio edition (1816) as " Festuca ovina hordiformis," is very in- 

 complete, but is most certainly not F. heterophylla Lam. In my 

 opinion, the flower-head is that of a rubra-form, approaching var. 

 fallax, and perhaps identical with it. Of his plant he says : — " Its 

 nutritive qualities are nearly the same as those of the Festuca duri- 

 uscula [probably what we now call rubra, genuina] . It is superior 

 to that species, and to most others, in the produce of early herbage 

 in the spring ; the herbage is very fine, tender, and succulent. It 

 is highly superior to the Festuca ovina, of which it is considered a 

 variety .... It flowers the last week of May, and ripens the 

 seed in June." I had F. heterophylla constantly under observation 

 from February to July last, and can affirm that neither in the 



