A PUZZLE IN ' TOPOGRAPHICAL BOTANY.' 329 



to a form found by Dr. J. E. Polak in Persia, in 1882, and named 

 G. puJchra by Dr. Stapf, of Vienna, after being raised from seed in 

 the botanic garden of that city. 



G. mtricata (1883). Described by Prof. Franchet from M. G. 

 Capus' specimens collected in a scientific expedition in Tm:kestan, 

 and placed by him near G. ArrostU. 



G. Beckeri (Daghestan). G. herniarioides (Afghanistan). 



G. capitidijiora (Turkestan). G. Haussknechtl (Daghestan). 



G, pidchra (Persia). G. platijphijlla (Turkestan). 



A PUZZLE IN ♦ TOPOGKAPHICAL BOTANY.' 

 By F. Buch.\nan WmTE, M.D., F.L.S. 



Since the English botanists who almost every year visit the 

 western parts of Perthshire frequently record in the pages of this 

 Journal the results of their explorations, it is desirable that, for 

 the sake of accuracy, a definite understanding should be come 

 to regarding the '* county " or " vice-county " of a small district in 

 the extreme west. Watson divided Perthshire into three vice- 

 counties. " East Perth is cut off from Mid Perth by the rivers 

 Garry and Tay. Mid Perth is separated from West Perth by a 

 line traced over the high ground or watershed so as to divide the 

 tributaries of the Tay from the Forth ; the little county of Clack- 

 mannan and a small detached portion of Stirling being taken as 

 parts of West Perth." 



There is no ambiguity then in this, viz,, that Mid Perth is drained 

 by the Tay, and West Perth by the Forth. Now there happens to 

 be a part of Perthshire which is drained by neither of these rivers 

 nor by their tributaries, but which drains into Loch Lomond, and 

 thus belongs to the western side of Scotland. 



By Watson's definition this district belongs neither to Mid 

 Perth nor to West Perth ; by the map in Top. Bot. it falls into West 

 Perth ; by recording botanists it is placed sometimes in Mid Perth 

 and sometimes in West Perth. 



This then is the point which ought to be definitely settled, 

 namely, in what county or vice-comity is this portion (Glen 

 Falloch) of Perthshire to be placed ? 



It may seem to some a matter of little importance whether it is 

 placed in Mid Perth or West Perth, so long as there is uniformity 

 in recording its plants. It is, however, a matter of extreme 

 importance, since, if it be included in one or other of these vice- 

 counties, and records made accordingly, some very erroneous 

 impressions regarding the distribution of plants will be conveyed. 

 The ultimate object of a work like ' Topographical Botany,' is, I 

 presume, not merely to provide a record of the plants of each 

 county, but to afford material to the philosophical botanist for 

 generalizations on the causes and peculiarities of plant distribution. 

 Now if a plant, which throughout the rest of Britain is strictly 

 confined to the west of the north to-south watershed, is recorded 



