27(3 SHORT NOTES. 



Several liuiidred species of Mociiio and Sesse's Mexican plants 

 were published in the early volumes of DeCandolle's ' Prodromus,' 

 but the descriptions were made from drawings, and, although the 

 original drawings were excellent, the descriptions are usually 

 insufficient for the determination of the intended species. M. 

 Alphonse DeCandolle, recognising this difficulty, generously offered 

 a few years ago to supplj-^ the principal botanical institutions with 

 sets of tracings of the drawings upon which these species had been 

 founded, at the cost of production ; these tracings have proved 

 exceedingly useful in naming a collection of Mexican plants made 

 by Drs. Parry and Palmer, chiefly in the State of San Luis Potosi, 

 at an elevation of GOOO to 8000 feet, and presented to Kew 

 herbarium on the condition that they should be included in the 

 Botany of Messrs. Godman and Salvin's ' Biologia Centrali 

 Americana.' Drs. Parry and Palmer appear to have traversed 

 the same country as Mocino and Sesse, for they have collected 

 many of the same species of which, at Kew, there were previously 

 only the tracings mentioned. Mr. N. E. Brown is assisting me, 

 and we have been able to identify a number of our species by 

 means of the tracings. Other species represented in the set of 

 tracings we have been able to refer to their proper genera. Thus, 

 for example, Margaris harbifjera, DC, is Sijiiqihoricarpus microphyUus , 

 H.B. K., and Geiun? cercucarpoides, DC, isFaJluyia paradoxa, Endl., 

 Syn. Sievcrsia parado.va, Don. Now the fact that Don described 

 and figured two x^lants, Coirania inexicana and the one just 

 mentioned, from dried specimens "collected by Mo(;ino and Sesse," 

 which are identical with two drawn by them, seems to point to the 

 probabilit}' of the collection in question containing specimens of 

 others which they figured. I think M. DeCandolle informed me, 

 when I was ins^Decting his collection of drawings, that he was not 

 aware of the existence of any dried plants collected by Mo9ino and 

 Sesse, therefore the discovery of evidence of a collection having 

 existed is worth i)utting on record, and may perhaps, if the 

 collection still exists, give the owner an idea of its real value in 

 connection with the drawings. With regard to genera, Cardionema, 

 DC, is the same as Fentacana : another interesting determination 

 (suggested by Dr. Parry) is the genus Cerdia. On examining our 

 material we detected two very distinct species of this curious, 

 usually monandrous, genus, neither of which we could identify 

 with the two previously published, though there is not the slightest 

 doubt respecting the genus. Possibly, however, one of them may 

 be the same as one of the pubhshed species, but from the tracings 

 it appears quite different. — W. B. Hemsley. 



ORcms niRciNA NOT EXTINCT IN Kent. — It may be interesting 

 to scmie of the readers of your Journal to know that the Lizard 

 Orchis, (hcliis Idrcina, was found b}^ me near Greenhithe last year. 

 The plant, which was growing in a chalk quarry, was about two 

 feet in height. Beiug extremely rare, and in such a situation 



