1350 THE JOUI{>-AL Of EOTA>'Y 



character by Thellung ; 3'et a s:i:»ecimen from Portugal is clearly. 

 L. Smif/iii ^vith a single central stem, clothed at the base with the 

 remains of the rosette leaves. Townsend's remarks ( Jom-n. Bot. 1903, 

 97) on the cultivation of his var. alatostyliim explain what happens. 

 The young plant first throws up a single terminal stem (and specimens 

 are thus in the National Herbarium from Lancashire as well as 

 Portugal) and this is succeeded by numerous stems from the axils of 

 the root-leaves. Being a perennial, the simple stemmed plant is rarely 

 found. L. campestre on the other hand, being a biennial, rarely goes 

 beyond its single terminal stem. Until the cause of the rare cases 

 when more than one stem occurs is elucidated, such plants are scarcely 

 wortli varietal rank, and More's plant is therefore indistinguishable 

 from L. campesfre. Mr. Jackson's remarks concerning the yellow- 

 anthered L. Smitliii are of interest. The styles, however, are no 

 shorter than is common in the i)urple-anthered fonn. Examination of 

 specimens tends to show that L. Smith ii lias two lengths of style, the 

 longer (com])lete style, not only the "free part") 1"2 to 1"5 mm. long, 

 the shorter about "O-l'O mm. long as in the Northamptonshire plant. 

 But both forms may occur on the same raceme. The complete length 

 of the style appears as in L. campesfre to be, with the exception that 

 there are two lengths, practically constant. The apparent length 

 varies owing to the fact that the wings in maturing ma}' be adnate to 

 it for various distances, thus causing variations in the depth of the 

 notch, but not in the length of the stvle. The question of L. Smithii 

 with yellow anthers requires more study ; no other specimens than 

 those cited by Mr. Jackson are known to me.— A. J. Wilmott. 



Sedum Drucei (p. 256). As I took part in the International 

 Phytogeographical Excursion in 1911 and was present when Prof. 

 Graebner pointed out that the British Sedum acre was different from 

 the Continental, 1 took interest in the matter — the more so because 

 I could not see any essential difference. Since then 1 have had in 

 cultivation here in Copenhagen : — (1) S. Dnicei obtained from the 

 Botiinical Garden of Berlin, undoubtedly part of the offspring of the 

 original plant sent home by Prof. Graebner from England ; (2) S. acre 

 collected by myself in Scotland in 1912 ; (3) Danish plants of 

 *S'. acre: and 1 fail to see any differences between them — at least, 

 differences worthy of creating a species. I am therefore glad to learn 

 that Mr. Lloyd Praeger has arrived at the same conclusion, and I 

 agree with Mr. H. S. Thompson in regretting very much if the 

 unfortunate naming of the British ;S^. acre should be taken as a 

 precedent to an " insular isolation " of the British flora by giving new 

 specific names to tlie British races of plants common to the British 

 Isles and the Continent. — C. H. Ostenfelj). 



Caruamine pratensis L. Of this species Syme writes (Engl. 

 Bot. ed. 3, ii. 159), "In damp seasons the stem frequently bears 

 small bulbs at the base and buds on the leaves, which propagate 

 the plant. The flowers are sometimes double, or rather the petals 

 surround small flower buds instead of stamens and pistils, which 

 are reduced to a rudimentary state." I look at this plant from 

 another point of view. It is an early spring flowerer, which often 



