NOTES ON SOEBUS H 



Gattung Sorbus [/. c] , excl. syn. Pyrus fennica Syme, nam haec 

 species sec. specimina a Eev. Ley benevole commnnicata etiam 

 in Arran occurrit." Dr. Hecllund continues [I translate, through- 

 out] : — " It is a homozygotic plant, which, first discovered in 

 Arran, is widely distributed in Norway (Grimstad, Dalen in 

 Telemark, Strandebarm, Bindalen). The same form as that of 

 Arran Isle, with whitish anthers, hardly 0'75 mm. long when dry, 

 grows in Hardanger (Strandebarm). From this the form found- 

 in Helgeland (Bindalen) only differs by its anthers being pink 

 before dehiscence, and up to 1 mm. long, as in S. fennica and 

 S. lancifolia; this form maybe named neglecta. S. arranensis 

 differs from Sorbus lancifolia, Hedl., to which it comes nearest,, 

 chiefly by its broader and less deeply incised leaves ..." A 

 key (or conspectus) follows, giving the points of divergence 

 between S. Meinichii Lindeb., S. fennica (L.) Fr., S. lancifolia 

 Hedl., S. arranensis Hedl., S. suhsimilis, S. suhpinnata Hedl., 

 and S. intermedia (Biirh.) Pers. ; of these only fennica, arranensis, 

 and intermedia are known as British. 



Three observations conclude this first paper, all of them deal- 

 ing with plants of our own country. 



1. " S. minima (Ley) Hedl. stands far apart from S. lancifolia, 

 with which I at one time confounded it, and is better to be 

 compared with S. siibsimilis, from which it differs by its smaller 

 and narrower leaves, usually acute or subacute, smallish flowers, 

 small, whitish anthers, three styles [and] depressed-globose fruits,, 

 which are minute, and generally smaller than in S. Aiiciqjaria." 



2. ")S. suhsimilis reminds one in several points of S.Mougeotii 

 Soyer-Will. & Godr. ; but the latter, which is distributed through 

 Central Europe, differs by its usually subacute leaves, with many 

 lateral nerves, and its whitish anthers. Another homozygotic plant ■ 

 (S. ancjlica ad int., but not yet described), which grows in England, 

 agrees with S. suhsimilis in its pink anthers, and other points ; 

 but it diverges by the leaves being usually short-pointed, as a rule- 

 remarkably cuneate-based, sharply serrate towards the tip, with 

 elongate serratures and more numerous lateral nerves, as in 

 *S'. Mougeotii." 



3. " All the Sorbi mentioned above, excepting S. Aucitparia,. 

 have irregularly developed pollen ; thus answering to the hetero- 

 zygotic plant *S. Ana x S. Aucuijaria (S. quercifolia hort.) and all 

 its offspring. For other reasons, also, it is clear that these 

 homozygotic plants, like most of those which grow in Europe,, 

 sprang from heterozygotic ones, propagating themselves in poly- 

 hybrid manner, in accordance with laws now well known. Their 

 homozygotic nature appears from the very fact that in each 

 region there occur plants of the same form ; and, moreover, this 

 has been very plainly proved by seed -propagation of S. Meinichii, 

 fennica, lancifolia, arranensis, suhsimilis, and intermedia 

 { = S. scandica Fr.). All the species dealt with in the key 

 {S. Meinichii, fennica, lancifolia, arranensis, suhpinnata, suh- 

 similis, intermedia) undoubtedly arose in this fashion, in 

 Scandinavia, after the glacial period. Four of them, that is to- 



