SHORT XOTES 28o 



the first finder of the plant in Staffordshire was a surgeon, Mr. D. Ball. 

 In Science Gossip for 1872 (p. 248) Mr. G-arner figured and described 

 it as "a Curious British Plant " ; he there says "The Maer and Camp 

 Hills were planted by Mr. Wedge wood, the eminent potter." Ih 

 llobson's book of Botanical Labels (1874) the plant stands as V. Myr- 

 tillus var. liyhridiim Grarner. — Arthur Bexnett. 



[Mr. Vevers writes that the " large patch of an acre in extent " 

 mentioned on p. 259 would be more correctly stated as half an acre. 

 He adds : "I had the opportunity of going to Maer Wood where the 

 plant was originally discovered ; we found four patches of the hybrid, 

 including one rery extensive and old patch which might well be the 

 original one discovered in 1870. My friend Capt. (xourlay has since 

 found it in a new Staffordshire locality— Whitley Common.'" — 

 Ed. Journ. Bot.] 



SiMETHis PLAXiroLiA Grcn, & Grodr. A small quantity of the 

 ' Branksome Lily ' still exists in the old locality ; but I saw no more 

 than four or five plants, when at Bournemoatli in June of this year. 

 Mr. Rogers tells me that it crops up every now and then in grassy 

 waste by the side of roads ; so that, though building and dumping 

 operations have sadly restricted the area of its occurrence, there is a 

 good hope of its not entirely disappearing from the neighbourliood. 



H. J. ElDDELSDELL. 



Mtmflus moschatus L. Reference has been made from time to 

 time in the horticultural journals and in our ovv'n pages to the general 

 scentlessness of this plant. A note in The Garden for Sept. 6 states 

 that a fine plant was seen at Feltham, Middlesex, which was very 

 strongly scented ; it came from a small nurseryman in the neighbour- 

 hood, who at the time said it was not scented, but it certainly became 

 so. From this it would seem that the scent appears and disappears 

 in the same plant. — Ed. Journ. Bot. 



X Potamogetox dtjallts Hagstrom (P. panormitanus Biv. x 

 pusillus L.). Dr. Hagstrom in his Critical Researches in Potamo- 

 geion (p. 103) describes the above hybrid, and mentions specimens 

 from "Ponds near York (1881) Bennett, and Shropshire (1886) 

 Beekwith." These I have looked up; both specimens were sent by 

 me and are now in the Stockholm herbarium. I also find specimens 

 of P. panormitanus Biv., from Ireland as "P. pusillus L. var. 

 tenuissinms Koch. Off Harbour Island, Lough ISTeagh, Co. Antrim. 

 10 Aug. 1909, C. H. Waddell." It is probably fairly distributed in 

 this count}', but all specimens need examination as to whether they 

 are this or pusillus. — Arthur Benxett. 



Sex-terms eor Plants. I was much surprised to read 

 Mr. Church's criticism of the use by 'Mr. Chamberlain of the term 

 "female " in relation to a tree (p. 230), and still more at his sugges- 

 tion to substitute for it the word "fruiting." It seems to me that 

 "female" is quite a satisfactory term: it is a good plain strong 

 English word, and, pace Mr. Church, an unambiguous one having 

 but a single meaning, therefore surely an ideal scientific term. The 

 term " fruiting," on the other hand, is open to grave objection. It 



