CEITICAL XOTES OX SOME BRITAXMC SAXIFRAGES 165 



§ Qulnquejidce. I have been obliged to elaborate these points at 

 great, though I hope not at undue length, in order to give all the 

 evidence at my disposal. 



S. Sterxbeegii Willd. Enum. p. 462 (1809) ; Sternberg, Rev. 

 Sax. p. o^, tab. xxiv. >S'. decipiens, ^ Sternhergii Haworth, Sax. 

 Enum. pp. 31-2 ; but he adds : " non vidi," an admission ^vhich 

 renders his opinion worthless. S. palmata Panzer, in Sturm, Deutsch. 

 FL, 26 Heft t. 10, f. 2, non Smith. S. decipiens, e. Gmelini, 

 a. major, Sternberg, Eev. Sax. Suppl., Decas ii. p. 76. Here, 

 however, *S'. sjyonhtmica and ;S'. condensafa of C. C. Gmelin are 

 likewise given as synonyms, which is plainly a blunder. From 

 other signs in this book, I suspect that the author's brain was no 

 longer so clear as when he wrote liis excellent Bevisio. 



My wild specimens (No. 8649) from Brandon Mountain exactly 

 match one in Smith's herbarium, gathered in 1822 near Nuremberg 

 by Dr. Panzer, who first found this species; and more luxuriant, 

 garden-grown material agrees perfectly with Sternberg's figure xxiv, 

 also taken from a cultivated plant. S. Sternhergii is most nearly 

 allied to aS'. rosacea, and might be taken, superficially, for a variety 

 or subspecies of it. Having grown them side by side for nearly 

 six years, I am satisfied that this is not the case. >S'. Sternheryii 

 is much more densely tufted, bright green at all seasons, with rather 

 fleshy foliage, which is glabrous, but for some ciliation. The stem- 

 leaves are simple, or only the lowest 3-cleft, never palmate. The 

 petals are pure white ; in S. rosacea they are sometimes creamy white. 

 Small plants, from high exposed rocks, mimic S. cespitosa in habit. 

 There is considerable variation in'the breadth of the leaves ; and forms 

 with narrow, acute foliage and pointed sepals, which have been found 

 in Co. Clare, on Brandon Head, &c., may need a special name. 



Its occurrence in Ireland offers a geographical puzzle; for it is 

 only recorded on the Continent from Bavaria, the Harz Mountains, 

 and one place in Norway. Perhaps these widely-separated stations 

 may be the relics of a boreal type, formerly scattered over the whole 

 of western Europe. 



The Irish distribution is a little uncertain, owing to its having 

 been strangely confused with S. hirfa Sm., a hairy and very different 

 species. Kerry : — Upper parts of the Brandon range, where it ascends 

 to 3020 feet. Clare : — Black Head and Ballyvaughan ; " Burren and 

 Inishmoi-e abundant," Irish Top. Bot., p. 125. Galway : — Aranmoi-e, 

 B. LI. Praeger, in Herb. Dublin ! The Donegal plant I have not 

 seen. It descends to near sea-level in Clare and Galway. 



S. ROSACEA Moench, Methodus Marhurgensis, p. 106 (1794), 

 S. decipiens Ehrhart, Beitrage, v. 47 (1790 — nomen nudum), and 

 Exsiccafa, No. 5 ! S. petrwa Both, Tentamen, i. 184 (1888), non L. 

 aS*. ccespifosa Smith, E. B., Koch, &c., non L. S. palmata Smith ! 

 S. villosa Sternb. It is a pity that the familiar name >S'. decipiens 

 cannot be retained. 



A well-marked species, which Engler placed as Jorma vulgaris of 

 a " typus polymorphus " ; no doubt owing to his Monograph being 

 compiled before he had an accurate knowledge of all the plants 



