96 



THE JOURNAL OF HOT AX V 



G. purpnrei typo caulibus brevioribus inter calculus maritimo 

 decumbeutibus plurimis rubentibus differt. 



Babington's account shows quite clearly that he knew Forster's 

 plant. The confusion among British botanists appears to have been 

 due to an assumption that only one maritime Herb Robert could occur 

 on the south-eastern coast, whereas there are at least four tonus ! 



The other localities mentioned by Forster (Swanning in Dorset 

 and Selsey Island) are based on plants gathered by Sherard (G. saxa- 

 tile robertiano simile anglicum Sherard Schol. bot. 228 ; G. lucidum 

 saxatile foliis Geranii Robertiani Ray Syn. ed. 2. 218 : L696) and 

 by Dillenius (see Bay Syn. ed, 3j 358 : 172-4). These names, it is 

 interesting to note, were cited by Villars himself as synonyms of his 

 G. purpureuni. The results of an attempt to elucidate them are 

 given here. 



Sherard's locality is " Swanning" in Dorset. The secretary of the 

 Society of Antiquaries, who kindly tried to discover this name, could 

 not find that it had ever been used for Swanage, hut Mr. N. D. 

 Simpson of Bournemouth kindly made investigations for me, and 

 found that the old name for Swanage was Suanin, so we may assume 

 that Sherard meant Swanage. I have already stated that typical 

 G.purpureum grows in that neighbourhood, but it is not impossible 

 that the var. Forsteri also may occur on the neighbouring shingle. 

 As Sherard makes no mention of a coastal habitat it appears probable 

 that it was the typical form which he had in view. By the kindness 

 of Prof. Vines I was lent a sheet from Herb. Sherard bearing a ticket 

 with Sherard's name: on the sheet are three plants, all of the o-l aD rous 

 Shoreham form with fruits of G. Robert ianum, the only flower 

 having the relatively small petals of that same form. There are 

 three labels : — 



A. "Geranium saxatile Bobertiano simile Anglicum Sch. Bot; 

 228. Geranium lucidum saxatile foliis Geranii Robertiani Rai 



Syn. 284 . (?) 268. Geranium Bobertianum laciniis ex visore 



lucidum brevibus rostris Pluk. Aim. 168": in Sherard's writing. 



B. "On ye coast of Sussex " : in Dillenius's writing. 



C. " Geranium Bobertanium n r E. Sib." 



But none of these plants can be regarded as authentic for Sherard's 

 name, for it is not clear to which specimen the Sherard label applies. 

 Labels B. and C. are one at each bottom corner, with a specimen above 

 each, but the third specimen might belong not to A. but to B., and it 

 is clear that A. has been added after C. for it covers a considerable 

 part of the specimen. As there is no evidence that any of the three 

 plants came from " Swanning," I cannot regard them as showing that 

 Sherard did not intend G. purpureum. 



In the third edition of Bay's Synopsis the following is added; 

 ** On the shore of Selsey-Island plentifully ; D. Dillenius, in company 

 with Mr. Manningham." Prof. Vines also lent me the sheets in 

 Dillenius's herbarium, but I found no specimens from Selsey. There 

 is, however, no reason why Forster's plant, which occurs at Stokes 

 Bay (not refound since Borrer) and Muldleton, should not also occur 

 round Selsey Bill (the " Island " refers doubtless to the area surrounded 

 by the water of the sea and maritime ditches). Further, Forster 



