252 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



dayliglit and the highly inflammable nature of petrol vapour borne 

 in mind. When the petrol has evaporated, which takes only a few 

 minutes, the sheets can be quite safely replaced in the herbarium. 

 The solution is also used for worm-eaten wood, being injected into the 

 worm-holes by means of a syringe with a fine nozzle. Where the 

 smellof naphthalin is objected to probably camphor could be usfed in 

 the same manner. — H. Downes. 



MoEHRTXGiA TRiNERVTA Clairv^ In Pryor's Flora of Hertford- 

 shire (p. 499) Dr. Jackson identifies ** ALsine montana minima Acini 

 effigie rotundifolia " of Kay's Synopsis (ed. 1, 240) with this plant 

 on the faith of "a specimen labelled by Plukenet in the Sloane 

 Herbarium, vol. 91, fol. 17." The identification, which had been 

 indicated by Newbould in the Departmental copy of the Almagesfum 

 (p. 20) is doubtless correct; but the label attached to the specimen 

 does not bear the Rayan name — the inscription runs: "Alsine minor 

 foliis rotundis C. B. pin. Alsines minoris alia species Thalii ocimi 

 facie Nobis." In the Ahnagestiim Plukenet adopts the Eayan name, 

 quoting Bauhin's as a doubtful synonym. Whether the specimen in 

 Herb. Sloane actually came from the Hei-tfordshire locality is I 

 think doubtful : it is not localized, and the " Herbarium Yivum " 

 in which it appears is a general collection. — James Bkittex. 



Helleborine latifolia Druce. A very splendid specimen of 

 this plant has been brought to me, which shows that under favourable 

 conditions it can grow to dimensions much in excess of those stated 

 in text-books. This Helleborine towered straight from the ground to 

 an height of 3 ft. 11 in., and bore perfect leaves, and no less than 

 o8 flowers, all of which were expanded at the same time on a spike 

 17 inches long. It grew at the edge of a small opening in a 

 Somerset wood close to Bristol, Avhere' the plant of oixlinary size has 

 become much more jDlentiful in recent years. — Ida M. Poper. 



HuTCHi>siA PETR.EA AXD ITS Seeds. On April 10th, 1920, I 

 gathered on a limestone scree near Bristol a large plant of Hufchinsia 

 pefrcea measuring 7 X (j| inches. It has 55 heads, with from 35 to 

 50 seed-capsules per head — average, say, 40. This gives about 2200 

 pods, and if each pod produced its full complement of four seeds no 

 less than 8S00 seeds would be formed ; but after examination of 

 many specimens gathered in 1888 and in ]-ecent years, three would 

 seem the average number of seeds that come to maturit3\ Often 

 there are onl}' two seeds in a pod, and sometimes one. During the 

 past few years H. petrcra has been very prolific in the restricted 

 l)laces where it grows near Clifton ; and it is also increasing on the 

 Somerset side of the Avon. Known there very sparingly many yeai-s 

 ago, it appeared again somewhat recently, and has now become well 

 established close to the river. This year on the Gloucestershire side 

 seedlings half an inch high opened their minute flowers as early as 

 Feb. 12th. Occasionally in mild weather the winter vegetative state 

 of strong seedlings is remarkable ; but I believe it can hardh^ be con- 

 sidered biennial. A dried specimen of average size (two to three 

 inches) weighs only about 8 grains, or about the weight of 12 unused 

 postage-stamps. The small seeds retain their uniform yellow colour 

 for at least three-quarters of a centmy, and when once dry they 



