281 



ALCHEMILLA ACUTIDENS Buser, 

 and other forms op alchemilla vulgaris l. 



By C. E. Salmon, F.L.S. 



In order to give a connected account of the history of 

 Alchemilla aciitidcns in Britain it is necessary to recapitulate 

 the following details. 



In August, 1911, on the occasion of the first International 

 Phytogeographical Excursion, Dr. Ostenfeld noted the presence 

 of this species on Ben Lawers, Perthshire, and the discovery was 

 reported by Mr. Druce {Neio Phytologist, x. 312 ; Bot. Exch. 

 Club Eeport for 1911, p. 18; Journ. Bot. 1912, p. 201). 



In this Journal for 1913 (p. 141) I reported that Dr. Lindberg 

 had seen one of the specimens collected by Dr. Ostenfeld on Ben 

 Lawers, and pronounced it an autumnal state of A. alpestris, and 

 not acutidens. 



In 1913 I had the opportunity, when staying with the Eev. 

 E. S. Marshall at Fortingal, of gathering and examining a good 

 series of all the Ben Lawers forms. Eoots were brought back 

 for growing on in the garden, as it seemed evident that a plant 

 growing in several places on the Breadalbanes (not only on Ben 

 Lawers) could not be satisfactorily placed under A. alpestris. 



After careful examination and comparison with numerous 

 examples from the Continent, I felt sure that our plant from 

 Scotland should come under A. acutidens (possibly as a variety), 

 and that the original determination of Dr. Ostenfeld was there- 

 fore correct. 



I again troubled Dr. Lindberg with a set of specimens from 

 Scotland and elsewhere, and included the example collected by 

 Dr. Ostenfeld mentioned above, pointing out that my specimens, 

 identical with his in every way, could not (collected in early July) 

 be called " autumn states" of A. alpestris, and the points wherein 

 it differed from that species. 



Whilst it was satisfactory to receive all the examples back 

 labelled A. acutidens, it was puzzling to have this change of view 

 without any explanation from Dr. Lindberg as to its cause, and 

 this I have been unable to obtain. I can only conjecture that 

 the reason was the absence from the British examples of _ a 

 character emphasized by Dr. Lindberg (Nord. Alchemilla vulgaris- 

 formen, 1909, p. 42) as distinctive of A. acutidens—'' folia subtus 

 nervis per totam longitudinem + pilosis." Taking this into con- 

 sideration and bearing in mind other distinctions, I have come to 

 the conclusion that our plant from Scotland might well be dis- 

 tinguished as a variety of acutidens with the name alpestriformis, 

 as it certainly shows some affinities with A. alpestris. ^ Indeed, 

 in Dr. Lindberg's original decision he said " the hairiness and 

 teeth point to alpestris," o^ndi Dr. Ostenfeld wrote recently: "I 

 am glad to hear that the Ben Lawers plant was A. acutidens . . . 

 but I think you are right in pointing out that it is more glabrous 

 Journal op Botany. — Vol. 52. [November, 1914.] y 



