OX UIERA.CIUM AUKAXTIACUM L. 01 



which formed in part the basis of the introduction of H. aurantia- 

 cum to the British Flora in English Botany, no. 11<09 (1805), and 

 from which the accompanying plate was probably drawn. The speci- 

 men is a dwarf one, perhaps grown on poor soil, and the flowers are 

 badly coloured in the plate, but it is reasonably certain that the plant 

 belongs to the broad-leaved Aviemore form, with which the descrip- 

 tion agrees. Backhouse, at p. 15 of his Monograph (1850), also 

 refers to this form, and describes its rootstock as creeping, sub- 

 stoloniferous, occasionally producing rooting stolons. Other British 

 Floras describe the same plant ; Syme's English Botany and Hooker's 

 Student's Flora remark " stolons short or none " ; and Babington's 

 Manual "stoles often wanting." In Mr. Hanbury's Monograph, 

 ]>. 7 (1SS9), which likewise mentions but one form, the stolons are 

 said to be short or entirely absent, but the accompanying figure 

 (no. 3) shows a distinct leafy stolon and narrow leaves, and I believe 

 was not drawn from the broad-leaved form, although its flowers are 

 sufficiently red. 



It thus appears that the H. aurantiacum of British botanists 

 generally is the broad-leaved form cultivated and naturalized in Scot- 

 land and elsewhere, and that the narrower-leaved stoloniferous and 

 more weedy plant commonly grown in present-day English gardens 

 was not formerly known in this country and has not been botanically 

 distinguished here — albeit it is now not only cultivated, but also 

 naturalized in various English localities. 



In most modern Continental works few variations of H. auran- 

 tiacum have been noted other than those of the flower-colouring. 

 According to Koch (Syn. Fl. Germ. ed. 1, p. 450 (1837)) the leaves 

 may be oblong or obovate, and stolons present or absent — a description 

 that would cover both of the British forms. Fries (Epicrisis, p. 24 

 (1802)) gives no varieties, but states that the plant, which is variable, 

 is stoloniferous, with the leaves obovate or lanceolate. Rouy (Fl. de 

 France, ix. p. 242 (1905)) describes a narrow-leaved form, which may 

 be with or without leafy stolons, and adds one variety only. In 

 DeCandolle's JProdromus (vii. p. 204 (1838)), however, Froelich 

 diagnoses eight varieties. Unfortunately he does not well define the 

 specific type, and the exsiccata cited (Herb. Willd. no. 14059, kindly 

 lent for inspection by Prof. Engler) are rather fragmentary ; but his 

 first variety (majus) is clearly akin to our broad-leaved form, while 

 the eighth (repens) recalls our narrow-leaved plant. This last will 

 be further dealt with. 



An elaborate treatment of the species is found in Naegeli and 

 Peter' 's Hieracien Mittel -E u ropas-I' iloselloiden (\$S5) , where (p. 280) 

 M. aurantiacum L. is divided into six groups, embracing nineteen 

 subspecies. The group-characters are taken chiefly from the form of 

 the phyllaries, the quantity of stellate hair on the involucres, and the 

 colour of the leaves and flowers. The habit of growth and the other 

 foliage-characters are considered under the separate subspecies, and 

 rampant forms with narrow leaves may appear in the same group as 

 others that are compact and broad-leaved. Geographical distribution 

 is carefully shown throughout, though some of the subspecies are 

 described from cultivated plants, and exsiccata are cited for some 



