32 



SHORT NOTES. 



West Gloucester and Monmouth Plants. — Fumaria paUidijlora 

 Jord. Plentiful in an old hedgerow by the Severn-bank at Beachley, 

 W. Glos. Recorded for v.-c. 34 with a ? m the last ed. of Top. Bot. 

 — Geum rivals L., Saluv repens L., and Lastnea Thelypteris Presl. 

 All in a marsh thicket in Shirenewton parish, Mon., growing with 

 several other plants rare in the county. These three are not recorded 

 for v.-c. 35 in Top. Bot. Mr. Ley, in the Flora of Herefordshire, 

 records Lastrma Thelypteris as growing on the border of the counties 

 of Hereford and Monmouth. — W. A. Shoolbred. 



Euphorbia prostrata Ait. in Hants. — Mr. R. Charles, of High- 

 clift'e, sent me in August last a specimen of an undetermined plant 

 found occurring as a weed in the Purewell nursery-gardens (Mr. M. 

 Prichard), Christchurch, Hants. On my taking it to the British 

 Museum it was identified by Messrs. Britten and Rendle as Fu- 

 phorhia prostrata Ait. This species has not previously been noted 

 in Great Britain. It is known in Europe only as an introduced 

 plant : Toulon and Palermo (Ny man's Conspectus). Boissier (in 

 DeCandolle's Prod. Syst. Nat.)^ Mr. Rendle kindly informs me, 

 gives its distribution as "in subtropical and tropical America, from 

 Louisiana and Texas to Brazil ; Guinea ; Sierra Leone ; Canary 

 Islands ; Bourbon ; and Mauritius." In the Museum herbarium 

 is a specimen from Madagascar; also some from Angola and 

 Madeira. Mr. Prichard can only surmise that the seeds may have 

 been introduced into his grounds with tomatoes from Teneriffe, or 

 with waste from a Bournemouth fruiterer's shop. — William 

 Whitwell. 



Sisymbrium strictissimum L. — I have to announce the appear- 

 ance of this plant on the borders of both Lancashire and Cheshire, 

 having been noticed by Mr. Henry Hyde, of Manchester, the past two 

 seasons, between Stretford and Chorlton-cum-Hardy, on both banks 

 of the River Mersey. Though of course a casual, the species will 

 in all probability increase every succeeding year, and therefore it is 

 worth putting on record. It may be known by its yellow flowers 

 in racemes, cylindrical pods, spreading calyx, and lanceolate, un- 

 divided leaves. The plant grows 3-4 ft. high, and, Mr. Hyde 

 informs me, was quite conspicuous and well grown in the localities 

 above cited. It flowers from May to July. I have specimens in my 

 herbarium from several European localities ; indeed, it is widely 

 spread, according to Nyman (Consp. Fl. Eur. 43), occurring in 

 West and Central Germany, Switzerland, Dauphiny, North Italy, 

 Carniola, Hungary, Transylvania ; and also in the Supplement by 

 the same author (1889), Bavaria, Roumania, Bulgaria, Central 

 Russia, and Sarepta (Becker) are mentioned (Suppl. Consp. Fl. Eur. 

 26). — J. Cosmo Melvill. 



Taraxacum l.^lvigatum DC. — This variety grows upon walls in 

 the neighbourhood of Bath plentifully, and well marked by its ovate 

 outer phyllaries, horned or gibbous inner ones, and pale brown 

 achenes. Why is it not included in the London Catalogue? — S. T. 

 Dunn. 



