220 HERBARIUM MUSEI FENNICI. 



The treatment of Festuca rubra scarcely appears satisfactory, but 

 great confusion has hitherto reigned with regard to the British 

 forms in this section of a difficult genus. Rosa and Rubus are 

 treated exhaustively, a large part of the Appendix being devoted to 

 the latter. 



Only a few heal plant-names are given ; that of " Maithen" for 

 Antlieviis Cotula being the quaintest. In W. Surrey it is called 

 '•Poison Magweed" (Mayweed?) by the harvesters, whose hands 

 are often much inflamed by its acrid juice. Another such word is 

 thus explained : — '* The term * Leasow' is used in a peculiar sense 

 in the hop-growing districts, for an enclosure of grass-land over 

 which are scattered alders and ash which are not suffered to grow 

 into timber, but cut periodically for hop-poles, &c." The following 

 opinion would hardly be endorsed by one whose explorations had 

 been confined to the home counties : — ** Notwithstanding the close 

 proximity of its usual stations, it [Mgopodiam Podagraria] would 

 perhaps be better regarded as a native species which finds its most 

 congenial home in spots which man cultivates, than as an intro- 

 duction." 



With regard to the character of the flora itself, the most striking 

 feature is the abundance of limestone-loving species, and the rarity 

 or absence of many bog and moorland plants in all but one or two 

 districts. Avena pratensis is a strange absentee, and Polygala 

 calcarea might almost have been expected to occur. Teesdalia has 

 become extinct in its only station. Yet the list of Carices is by no 

 means a short one, and includes the usually maritime C. distanst 

 which is, however, also found in Wilts, and grows near Weimar, in 

 the very heart of Germany. 



Besides a useful map, plates are given of Juncus tenuis and Epi- 

 pogum aphyUutn, and there is a woodcut representing the labels of 

 " Epipactis oralis'' from Herefordshire, Yorkshire, and N. Wales. 



Edward S. Marshall. 



Herhanum Musei Fennici. Ed. secunda. 1. PlantsB Vasculares, 

 curantibus Th. Sjelan, A. Osw. Kihlman, Hj. Hjelt. Hel- 

 singforsise. 1889. Pp. i.-ix., 1-156, ex officine Typographica 

 heredum J. Simelii. 



In 1852 the Societe pro Fauna et Flora Fennica published a 

 list of their Finland vascular plants, followed in 1859 by a complete 

 catalogue of the Finnish plants they possessed, with a map. This 

 present Flora- Catalogue (for it partakes of the character of both) is 

 a second edition of that of 1859, so far as concerns the vascular 

 plants. The number of species given in the present one is 930 

 species, or 1047 species and subspecies, with 59 hybrids, and 58 

 varieties. 



The present work commences with a very interesting historical 

 account of the gradual growth of the collections of the Society, 

 printed in parallel columns, in Swedish and French. Going back 

 to the terrible fire that devastated Abo (the old capital) in Sept. 

 1827, the then condition is traced to the actual commencement of 

 the collections in 1840, the foundation being laid by the rich col- 



