SHORT NOTES. 219 



pusillum in grassy places, Trifolium medium, Torilis nodosa (spar- 

 ingly in the bordering fields), liumex conglomeratus, Allium ursinum 

 (in a copse by a stream), Galium Mollugo and Arum maculatum. 

 Sium latifolium I found in a wet place by the Panorama Walk, cut 

 off nearly to the root, and only to be recognised by foliage and 

 fistular stem ; close by Valerianella Olitoria also grew. Below 

 Croig Abermaw, in waste places, Lamium amplexicaule, Avena futua ; 

 and, in the railway-station ground, Peucedanum sativum. Crossing 

 by the ferry to the south of the estuary, I found Cynoglossum 

 officinale abundantly growing on banks by the sea, in addition to 

 Milium effusion, in a wood, and Stellaria umbrosa, under a wall along 

 the Towyn Eoad towards Barmouth Junction. Luzula pilosa grows 

 plentifully in the Torrent Walk near Dolgelley, and Orchis mascula 

 at the base of Cader Idris ; Ranunculus sceleratus in ditches and wet 

 places about Barmouth; and Blysmus rufus near Llanbedr, in 

 marshes opposite Mochras, complete the list. — H. W. Monington. 



Potamogeton fluitans Both. — It may be well, as a side-light to 

 the note on the above plant (p. 2(H), to give one of Roth's observa- 

 tions. It occurs in the ' Beitrage zur Botanik,' p. 126, 1783, repro- 

 duced in the Tent. Fl. Germ. ii. p. 203 : — " Obs. 2. Folia caulina 

 inferiora in planta florente raro observanda sunt perfecta, quia 

 a vermibus destruuntur et putrescunt." The description in the 

 'Tentamen' is very short, while that in the ' Beitrage ' is very 

 full. It cannot, however, be quoted for the name, as it is " sine 

 nomine" ; but Both himself quotes the ' Beitrage ' for his fluitans. 

 — Arthur Bennett. 



In a letter I have recently received from Dr. Tiselius, he urges 

 against the hybrid origin of this species the very forcible argument 

 that it is never difficult to distinguish from its supposed parents ; 

 whilst in other supposed hybrids of l J otamo<jeton forms occur which 

 closely approach their parent species. I have always felt this to be 

 a serious objection, and that, if it were as well-founded in actual fact 

 as it appears to be in our herbariums, it would be almost conclusive 

 against the hybridity of fluitans. But may not this apparent 

 uniformity of type be due to the neglect of collectors, who are apt 

 to look for " typical specimens," and to pass by any form that is 

 not " well-marked"? I plead guilty to this neglect myself, and, 

 judging by what I see in the collections of others, it seems a very 

 common fault. The accidental discovery of a form of P. fluitans 

 which might easily have been passed as P. nutans, induced me to 

 make a careful examination of a district which has not yielded 

 fluitans in previous years, with the result that I found several 

 untypical forms. If botanists will search for fluitans in waters 

 where nutans and lucens grow together, it is probable they will meet 

 with it. I would especially direct their attention to abnormal forms 

 of* /'. nutans, and if any be found without the characteristic joint 

 at the base of the leaf, or with membranous or submembranous lanceo- 

 late barer leaves, I should be very pleased to examine the specimens. 

 — Aleked Fryer. 



