NOTES ON ENGLISH RUEI. 99 



The only way which can lead to a better knowledge of our 

 indigenous Rubi is the study of the constant species retaining the 

 same appearance under different circumstances and in different 

 countries. The first rule must be not to name every single bush 

 and every local form. What we want is a clear idea of the leading 

 species, and a positive nomenclature which will be generally 

 understood. 



Last summer (1889) I visited some parts of Southern England. 

 I spent several days at Plymouth, where I was favoured with the 

 kind guidance of Mr. Archer Briggs, who accompanied me to 

 Bournemouth. Here I enjoyed during a repeated sojourn the 

 hospitality and the valuable instructions of the Rev. W. Moyle 

 Rogers. I am very much indebted to my English friends who 

 have introduced me to the study of the living British Rubi. 



I do not intend to give complete descriptions of the Rubi I have 

 seen, because my English friends know them much better than I do. 

 Moreover, I put aside all discussions about local and doubtful 

 forms, although I suppose several brambles, which I so far know 

 from a limited locality only, will prove to be frequent in other 

 places or other countries. My only purpose is to compare the 

 British Rubi with the continental species. Having seen a good 

 deal of the English brambles at their natural stations, I can rely 

 upon an accurate knowledge of the discussed plants. I shall name 

 the localities where I observed them in a living state. Several 

 other English species, which I have seen in dried specimens only, 

 may be mentioned in case I am quite sure about the determination. 



A general remark will be of some interest. Many species of 

 Rubi develop much more compound and more conspicuous inflore- 

 scences near the eastern and northern limits than in the centre of 

 their area of distribution. The reason of this occurrence will be 

 easily understood. In a rough climate the barren stems of our 

 brambles freeze down until near the ground. The short remaining 

 part produces only a few, but very compound and showy, flowering 

 branches. Such forms have often been considered to be specifically 

 distinct. 



Enumeration of some Species. 



I. Stems glabrous, suberect, or growing in a high arch, rarely rooting at 

 the end. No glandular seta. 



1. R. suberectus G. Anders. — Seen near Buckland, Lymington, 

 S. Hants ; Bickleigh Vale, S. Devon. 



Continental distribution. W. Russia, S. Sweden (northward to 

 G0°), and Norway (northward to G2° 45') ; the whole of Central 

 Europe. 



2. R. fissus Lindl. — The true species is a bramble with many 

 "cleft" (= fissus) or septenate leaves. All parts of it, with the 

 exception of the prickles only, are smaller than in R. suberectus ; 

 the leaflets are often plicate, the stamens do not exceed the styles, 

 and the mature fruits are purplish. The stem is armed with 

 frequent straight slender prickles, not confined to the angles, very 

 different from the short ones seen in R, suberectus. it is a decidedly 



n 2 



