CRITICAL NOTES ON SOME SPECIES OF CERASTIUM. 343 



whether the plant is annual or perennial. The species is thus 

 readily referred to the subgenus StrepJiodon, and is placed in the 

 group which includes C. perfoliatwn L. Another African species 

 closely allied to it is C. Madagascariense Pax, from which it is dis- 

 tinguished by its glandular surface, quite sessile leaves, and generally 

 retuse petals. In Hildebrandt's specimens of the Madagascar species, 

 as well as in those of Forsyth Major, collected in 1895, the similar 

 character of the capsular teeth is well marked. The Natal specimens 

 satisfactorily match those found further north. 



7. C. AGGREGATUM Dur. herb, et in litt. 1839, ap. F. W. Schultz 

 in Flora, 1840, 123, efciam in PI. Gall. Germ. exs. cent. iii. no. 40 

 = C. densijiorum Guss. While C. aggregatwn is the name taken up 

 by Willkomm & Lange (Prodr. il. Hisp. iii. 634), C. siculum Guss. is 

 that taken up by Tanfani (Fl. Italiana, ix. 484). I prefer to these 

 C. dendjiorum (1832), a plant described on the preceding page of 

 Gussone's work, certainly conspecific with G. siculum, and a much 

 more expressive name, according with that selected by Durieu for 

 his plant. Moreover, the form in which the flowers are disposed in 

 a contracted cyme (or rather dichasium) has a far wider range. 



8. C. ALBUM Presl, Fl. Sicula, 167 (1826). Syn. C. CohumKB 

 Tenore, Prodr. fl. Napol. i. 27 (1811), et Fl. Napol. iv. 235 (1830). 

 C. tomentosum var. Columnce. Tenore, Syll. PI. Neap. 221 (1831). In 

 his description Presl says it is near C. tomentosum, "sedtomento 

 albo denso, sepalis capsulaque differt capsula calyce dimidio longior, 

 sepala ovata." This form seems to match (7. tomentosum var. niveum 

 Ledeb. Fl. Eossica, i. 414: "herba tomento crasso adpresso niveo." 



9. C. ALPESTRE Schur, in Verb. Naturf. Ver. Briinn, xv. ii. 151 

 (1877) = G. triviale Link. Subalpine specimens not distinguishable 

 from the type. 



10. 0. ALPiGENUM Schur, in Verb. Naturf. Ver. Briinn, xv. ii. 149 

 (1877) = G. alpinum var. lanatum Lamk. (sp.) Encycl. Meth. i. 680. 

 The specimens so named by Schur in Csato's herbarium were from 

 Pareng, in Transylvania. Similar specimens were subsequently re- 

 ferred by Schur (Phytogr. 149) to G. triviale var. saxigenum. They 

 certainly do not belong to this species, but to G. alpinum. The speci- 

 mens collected in 1876 were referred by Adolf Oborny to C. triviale; 

 and to this species the plant is reduced in the Index Kewensis. 



11. C. ALPINUM L. Sp. Plant. 438 (1753) ; Fl. Suecica, ed. 2, 

 n. 418 (1755) ; Eeichb. Ic. Fl. Germ. Helv. 4977. A species of 

 wide distribution in the arctic and north temperate zones. In 

 Europe, under polymorphous forms, it occurs at considerable 

 elevations on alpine pastures, where the soil is of a granitic or 

 gravelly character ; and is generally distributed in such localities 

 on the continent, except perhaps in Greece, Crete, and Sicily. 

 There is no doubt that forms are frequently referred without much 

 discrimination indifferently to G. arvejise, G. latifolium, and G. 

 Garinthiacum; and hence much confusion has arisen in regard to the 

 correct distribution of these species. In Scotland it ascends to 

 1190 metres in Perthshire, in Spain it reaches 3150 metres on the 

 Sierra Nevada. In N. Asia the species is found in north and east 



