BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 71 



the Niger ; (1) in Senegarabia, and possibly extending to the 

 region of Lake Tchad ; (5) in South America. The " wild rices " 

 of areas 1-3, and possibly some of area 5, are annual, the 

 remainder perennial. He concluded with the suggestion that 

 the domesticated rices are probably polyphyletic, most having 

 originated from the " wild rices " of area 2, and some from 

 those of areas 3 and possibly 5. 



The results of the International Phytogeographical Excursion 

 in the British Isles which took place in 1911 continue to occupy 

 considerable space in the New Phytologist. In the October 

 issue Dr. C. Schroter contributes " Einige vergleiche Zwischen 

 Britischer und Schweizerrischer vegetation " ; Mr. Druce iu 

 November prints " Additional Floristic Notes " ; and in Decem- 

 ber Dr. Moss has " Eemarks on the Character and Nomenclature 

 of some critical plants noticed in the Excursion." The last paper 

 contains a great deal of interesting and important matter which 

 might have been made more easy of consultation had greater 

 variety of type and spacing been employed ; black type is indeed 

 occasionally introduced, but it is not easy to understand with 

 what significance. We note that Dr. Moss is acting upon his 

 own suggestion (see p. 21) as to the use of ignoring capitals for 

 proper specific names — e.g., Orchis " o'kelleyi " (sic) — in which 

 we hope he will not be followed. His paper includes many notes 

 on Salicornia ; in the course of which he reduces to a variety of 

 S. perennis the plant published by him in this Journal for 1911 

 (p. 179) as S. lignosa, and creates a new species — S. dolicho- 

 stachya — of which we reprint the diagnosis on p. 61. 



In the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History Field Club 

 (vol. xxxiii. 1912) Mr. W. Bowley Barrett publishes " Contributions 

 to a Flora of Portland, with special reference to Limonium 

 recurvum," the plate of which is reproduced from this Journal 

 for 1903. The list of Portland plants has evidently been drawn 

 up with much care, and shows much observation. Glaucium 

 flavum is " much destroyed by ' trippers,' " and Eryngium mariti- 

 mum suffers in like manner ; the great increase of Diplotaxis 

 muralis var. Babingtonii, first observed in 1876, is noted ; other 

 rapidly increasing introductions are Coronopus didymus, Lepidium 

 Draba, and Senecio squalidus, which first appeared in 1902. A 

 few local names, new to us, are given : " Bruise-herb," Glaucium 

 flavum ; " Kiss-me-quick," " Convict-grass " and " Prince of 

 Wales's Feathers," ~Kentranthus ruber; "Sour-dogs," Rumex 

 Acetosa. 



A new Flora of Shropshire is being prepared under the 

 direction of the Caradoc and Severn Valley Field Club. It will 

 be published by subscription, the price to subscribers being 

 10s. 6d. The preparation of the work was inaugurated in 1894, 

 but nothing has so far been published. The volume will include 

 ferns, mosses and hepatics, and the introduction will contain 

 notices of former Shropshire botanists, of the physical features 

 of the botanical divisions, of the geology and of the meteorology 



