PLANTS THAT JIAY OCCrR IN BRITAIN 97 



Speegula Moeisonii Boreau. 



This Spurrey is particularly interesting to British botanists as it 

 is closely allied to S. pentandra L., which is recorded in Bay's 

 Synopsis, ed 3, 351 (1724), as having been observed in sandy places 

 in Ireland by Sherard. 



Mr. Druce has satisfied himself that the original example from 

 Sherard in the Dillenian herbarium is certainly pentandra and not 

 Morisonii and, in an interesting account in the Annals of Hoi any, iv. 

 378 (1890), is disposed to consider the former a true native of Ire- 

 land ; the subject is further discussed bv Mr. Britten in this Journal 

 for 1890, p. 302. 



However. >S'. Morisonii, with its known distribution in Scandi- 

 navia, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Normandy, etc., would 

 seem more likely to occur in these Islands than S. pentandra, which 

 is much more easterly in its range. 



S. Morisonii is recorded as British by Nyman, Richter, Rouy, etc., 

 but probably all the records are based u]3on the old Irish entry of Ray 

 mentioned above. On enquiry in 1910, M. Rouy was unable to recol- 

 lect on what source he based his statement in Fl. de France and could 

 only refer me to the authors quoted above. 



Bearing a somewhat similar superficial resemblance to our common 

 S. arvensis, both *S'. pentandra and S. Ilorisonii differ in possessing 

 seeds broadly winged and leaves not channelled beneath ; the par- 

 ticular specific characters of S. Morisonii lie in its dense fascicles of 

 leaves, obtuse petals and seeds with wings narrower than their own 

 diameters. 



Veronica opaca Fries. 



This, in Fries's Novitioe Florce BueciccB, p. 64 (1819), imme- 

 diately follows V. agrestis, to which and to V. polita it is closely 

 allied. 



It may, however, be .separated from both by its calyx-lobes, which 

 are elliptic -oblong or spathulate, obtuse and densely hairy ; by its 

 capsule with simple non-glandular hairs and style equalling or just 

 exceeding notch and by its larger seeds (l|-2 mm. long), 2-4 in 

 each cell. 



In V. agrestis the calyx-lobes are oblong, obtuse, and but sparingly 

 hairy ; the capsule has many glandular hairs and its style is shorter 

 than the notch, and the seeds (1| mm. long) are 4-5 in each cell. 

 In V. polita the calyx-lobes are ovate, acute and practically glabrous, 

 the capsule is glandular-hairy with the style considerably longer than 

 the notch, and the cells contain 4-10 seeds (about 1 mm. long). 



The corolla of V. opaca is pale blue in colour, which would at 

 once distinguish it from V. polita with its rich dark blue flowers, 

 whilst its capsule, bearing no glandular hairs, clearly sej)arates it 

 from V. agrestis. 



The distribution of V. opaca on the Continent includes Norway 

 Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland and Belgium, so it is likely, a& 

 Babington pointed out as long ago as 1843, to be discovered in these 

 Islands. 



