58 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



large, bright yellow patent (not campanulate) corolla, nearly erect 

 (not stellate divergent) fruit; and all the parts of the plant are 

 opaque, firm and stilf when dried, not lax and pellucid. It comes 

 near S. stellar icef oil umFTa,nch.et, which R. Hamet treats as a variety 

 of S. drymarioides, and which may be the northern race of that 

 species referred to by Maximowicz. These two plants agree with each 

 other, and differ from S. viscosuifi, in their very small flowers — 



drymarioides Sepal 1 '5 mm. long. Petal 3-5 mm. long. 



stellarisefolium ... ,, I'O ,, ,, „ S'O „ „ 



viscosum ,, 2o „ „ „ 5'0-5*5 „ 



S. stellaricsfolium also appears to have the w^hite or whitish flowers 

 of S. drymarioides, very different from the bright yellow, persistent 

 in dried specimens, of S. viscosum. 



S. viscosum is also clearly closely allied to ;S'. Esquirolii Leveille, 

 and S. Bodinieri Leveille & Vaniot from Kou^^-Tcheou, &c., two 

 species quite inadequatel}^ described. But >S'. Esquirolii is stated to 

 possess a simple (not much branched) stem, curved (not erect and 

 thickened with the scars of the rosette leaves at the base) ; lamina? 

 equalling (not twice as long as) the petioles, and petals four times 

 (not two to two and a half times) the sepals and the elongate styles. 

 S. Bodinieri is not described at all : only the differences between it 

 and S. drymarioides are given ; and it is impossible to compare it 

 with any other species. 



It is clear that in drymarioides, stellaricefolium, viscosum, 

 Esquirolii and Bodinieri, we have a group of closely-allied forms, 

 perhaps best treated as races of a single polymorphic species, perhaps 

 sufficiently distinct to be ranked as several species. Access to copious 

 material alone will decide their relationshijDS. 



A specimen in the National Herbarium, Dublin, labelled S. dry- 

 marioides and collected in Hupeh b}^ A. Henry (no. 3709) is clearly 

 referable to >S'. viscosum. 



BIBLIOGIIAPHICAL NOTES. 



LXXIV. Baxter's ' British Phaenogamous Botany.' 



William Baxter (1787-1871), as a capable and energetic young 

 Scotchman, was appointed head-gardener or curator at the Oxford 

 Botanic Garden in 1813, when twenty-five years of age. He received 

 a small emolument from the University and lived in a small cottage 

 (since enlarged) in the Gardens. He had the assistance of three 

 labourers, and only the barest apologies for greenhouses ; the establish- 

 ment of the Garden at this time is figured in Mr. Giinther's Oxford 

 Gardens, p. 152. Much can be done with enthusiasm and five acres 

 of land, and Baxter managed to grow from 40U0-5000 species of 

 plants, though the work was often heart-beaking, owing to the 

 inefticiency of the equipment, and the possibility of the garden being 

 largely submerged in flood-time. In such damp and mildewed 



