98 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANT 



Khinanthls HiRSUTL's Lam. 



This is widely distributed in Europe, growing in Belgium, 

 almost everywhere in France (including Xormandy and Brittany), 

 Germany, etc. 



It is closely allied to our native B. major Ehrh. var. apterus 

 Fries, of which it has the large flowers, elongated appendages to 

 upper lip and general habit. On closer examination, however, the 

 plant will be seen to be more or less pubescent, particularly on the 

 calyx, with differently toothed bracts and other characters. 



RUPPIA BR ACHY PUS Gay. 



This is more closely allied to B. rosteUata than to B. spiralis as 

 it has the shorter non -spiral peduncles and the more gibbous carpels 

 of the former. It may be distinguished from this by the sub-clavi- 

 form filaments, naiTOwer ovoid anthers and tough woody carpels. In 

 B. rosteUata the filaments are linguiform, the anthers subglobular 

 and the carpels brittle. 



Another character of Gay's plant, and indeed the one to which 

 the trivial name applies, is that of the short pedicels ; but this 

 feature is shared by the variety nana of rosteUata which Syme 

 described in Kep. Bot. Exchange Club for 1880, p. 36. This 

 variety is a dwarf rooting plant (juite unlike the lax floatmg delicate 

 B. hrachypus ot Gay. 



The presence of tiiis in Scandinavia, Finland, France and Germany 

 makes its occurrence in Britain possible. 



Heleocharis mamillatus Lindb. fil. 



This seems to hold a middle position between H. palustris and 

 IT. uniglumis, and as it has been noted in many localities in Finland, 

 Norway and Sweden by its discoverer, Harald Lindberg (in 1902), 

 it may ])erhaps be seen upon the eastern shores of Scotland or in the 

 Orkneys or Shetlands. The habit of the plant appears to be more 

 that of palustris, but the colouring is of a light green and not dark 

 as in that species. 



The ajjproximate shapes of the ripe fi-uits of the three species may 

 be thus contrasted : 



In II. palustris the style-base is longer than broad and more or 

 less gradually tapering; the colour of the whole nut is yellowish 

 in tint. 



In //. mamillatus the colouring is much the same, but the shape 

 if the style-base is different ; it is broader than long with an abruptly 

 contracted apex. 



In H. unif/lumis the n\it is brown in colour, and slightly larger 

 than in both the preceding ; its style-base is broader than long and 

 nmch of the mamillatns type. 



As regards the lowest glume character, hoi\\ palustris and mamil- 

 latus come under the section where this organ encloses about half the 

 circumference of the spike and never completely encircles it ; in 

 H. uniglumis it normally entirely surrounds the spike or occasionally 

 three-parts encircles it. 



