NOTES ON LEPIDIUM 163 



they conflict with Haussknecht's description of the supposed wild 

 viontanum x obscurum, which states that " the seeds are some- 

 times completely shrivelled, at other times only partly developed 

 and sterile." "■' It is just possible, though extremely improbable, 

 that Bell Salter's .plant was E. Lamyi Schultz, in which case 

 there is a very slight chance of escape from the dilemma, for 

 Haussknecht remarks that E. Lamyi x viontanum (as found wild 

 and as produced artificially) has " seeds for the most part un- 

 developed." If this means that some good seeds are produced, 

 this gives a loophole of escape for Bell Salter's results ; but the 

 odds against their correctness are enormous. They certainly 

 cannot be accepted at present without hesitation, and further 

 experimental work is necessary to reconcile the various conflicting 

 statements which have been made on this subject. 



In conclusion, I desire to express my thanks to Dr. C. E. Moss 

 and to Eev. E. S. Marshall for valuable assistance. 



NOTES ON LEPIDIUM. 

 By C. E. Salmon, F.L.S. 



In this Journal for 1910 (pp. 17, 162), mention is made of the 

 variety longistylum of Leindium camjjestre, and some doubt is 

 expressed as to what this really is. By the kindness of Miss 

 M. C. Knowles, of the Dublin Museum, the Director allowed me 

 to see Mr. A. G. More's Irish specimens upon which the variety 

 was based, and I was able to obtain the opinion of Dr. A. Thellung, 

 author of the Monograph of Lepidiwm, published in 1906. 



The sheet contains two specimens, both with rather young 

 fruit, and both consisting of a single stem branched solely near 

 the summit ; the label reads — "■ Leindium campestre var. longi- 

 styla. Cultivated field, Loughgall, Co. Armagh. Coll. A. G. More. 

 May, 1854." 



Contrary to his first opinion that Mr. More's plant might 

 come under L. heterophyllum, Dr. Thellung named the examples 

 L. campestre, with the following note: — "forma stylo quam in 

 forma vulgari vix longiore, varietatem non constituens. In L. 

 campestri ' styli pars libera cum maximum ^ mm. longa ' (Thell. 

 Lepid. Mon. 1906, 76), in L. heterophyllo ' plerumque 1 mm. 

 longa.' " I gathered a plant exactly matching Mr. More's speci- 

 men as regards length of style near Godstone Station, Surrey, in 

 1908, and it is probably not rare. Mr. More admitted years ago 

 tliat he did not consider the " foi'm of any importance as a variety," 

 but it remains in our handbooks and lists to the present day. 



* Focke's artificial montanum x obscurum had "some good seeds and also 

 barren crumpled seeds in considerable numbers " {loc. cit.). It seems probable 

 that his "good seeds" correspond to the "partly developed" seeds of Hauss- 

 knecht's wild hybrid ; such seeds strongly contrast with the aborted ovules, and 

 only dissection or sowing reveals their sterility. 



