THE FLORA OF BERKSHIRE, 107 



with greater enthusiasm than ever. The fact that in the last 

 edition of the London Catalogue the great bulk of his then published 

 varieties were ignored might have shown him that they were 

 regarded by some as of doubtful value, nor can it be anticipated that 

 those which now make their appearance will be more fortunate. In 

 some cases Mr. Druce identifies, on evidence which cannot be con- 

 sidered as sufficient, certain British plants with named continental 

 varieties ; in others he has himself named for the first time forms 

 which appear to him worthy of distinction. I propose to consider 

 one or two examples of each. 



Malva vwschata. " Var. Ramondiana, Gren. and Godr. I.e. has 

 all the leaves entire and dentate ; . . . specimens were sent to the 

 Bot. Exch. Club in that year." Mr. Druce in the Exchange Club 

 Eeport for 1895 (p. 471) certaiuly speaks of his plant confidently 

 as Ramondiana, but Mr. E. G. Baker, who has made a special study 

 of Malcacea, appends a cautious note: "This certainly must 

 closely approach var. Ramondiana, but I only know this from the 

 description, which is ' feuilles toutes entieies, dentees.' The upper 

 leaves here are certainly l)bed." In other words, the plant does 

 not agree with the description of the type, to which it is unhesi- 

 tatingly referred by Mr. Druce, without any reference to Mr. 

 Baker's qualified opinion. 



Helleborus viridis. "Our plant is the vSiV. occident((l is (Renter, 

 Cat. Grain. 1868 (see Schifiu. Mon. Helleb. 138), as a species) 

 Druce in Journ. Bot. (1890) 227.''' It appears to be the common 

 western form, chiefly differing from the type in being glabrous." 

 A reference to Schiffner, whose monograph would have been more 

 conveniently cited as in Engler's But. Jahrbiich, xi. 92-122, shows 

 a much more careful dealing with Renter's plant, which is retained 

 as a subspecies, with a long diagnosis stating the numerous points 

 in which it differs from typical viridis. Mr. Druce does noi; seem 

 to have seen Renter's plant, nor does he tell us how far the British 

 form agrees with it, save in being glabrous : are we, on his view of 

 what it " appears to be," to identify our plant with Renter's ? If 

 so, we will not in any case call it " var. occidentalis Druce"; for an 

 earlier varietal name is "var. Smithianns A. Br. in sched." which 

 was published by Dr. Schiffner (/. c. 118) in 1889. 



Iberis amara. " Var. raficaalis (Lej.) DC. Syst. ii. 399 (1821), 

 differing in its smaller size and purplish flowers, occurs occasionally 

 with the type. . . . Mr. Tufnail tells me it was quite a feature at 

 the back of Streatley woods this summer." It does not seem to 

 have occurred to Mr. Druce that a plant called " ruficaulis " would 

 present other characters of differentiation than " smaller size and 

 purplish flowers" ; but it is indeed surprising to find that one of 

 these two characters, if such they can be called, exists neither in 

 Lejeune's original description (Fl. Spa, ii. 58 (1811) nor in 

 DeCandolle, /. c. Lejeune (who, by the way, distinctly calls it 

 "var." and speaks of it as "la variete ") says specifically " fleurs 

 blanches," and DeCandolle says nothing as to the flowers differing 

 from the " flores albi " of typical amara. Everyone who knows the 

 candytuft where it whitens the fields, knows also the purple-flowered 



