416 CHARLES CARDALE BABIXGTON. [1888 



overlap, and I only say "usually overlapping." He also says 

 "floribus infimis retro spectantibus," which is hardly the case with our 

 plant. His plant certainly has a i-acemose (not corymbose) panicle, 

 and its branches racemose. One of Neumann's specimens sent has 

 the corymbose panicle and branches, the other has not. Areschoug 

 specimen enclosed seems to have a mixed form, and the basal stem- 

 leaflets as much overlapping as mine often do. On the whole then 

 I should say a " northern form of Balfourianus." Our plant might 

 often be fairly given the name of divergens, and its lower panicle 

 branches diverge very much as those of these specimens do. It 

 would have been a much better name, but is now only a synonym. 

 I am very thankful for one of the specimens, as you so kindly offer 

 to me. When you next write to Neumann will you ask him if I 

 can purchase a set of the "Herbarium Ruborum Scandinaviae " ? 

 It would be a great and valuable addition to my fine collection of 

 these plants, now consisting of more than 500 named forms — 

 authentically named. Many thanks for the Shetland specimen of 

 Lepigonum mariman, var. fascimlare (?) The shortness of the capsule 

 makes me doubtful of that being its true species ; I should have 

 placed it under L. salinum (Kindb,). I wish the Buhus ardicus had 

 been from Shetland, and also the castm-eus ; not that I think the 

 latter is castoreus^ of which I have a good Lapland series before me. 

 Your specimen approaches ardicus ; all mine (mostly from Lestadens 

 himself) are more like saxatilis. Your specimen seems to be the 

 castor eus of Arrhenius, my specimen the var. hyhridus of the same 

 author (p. 54). But I see that all these northern botanists consider 

 them both as quite distinct from saxatilis ; and it certainly would 

 seem so. — Yours truly, Charles C. Babington. 



To W. H. Beeby, Esq. 



Cambridge, Feb. 1, 1888, 



Dear Mr, Beeby, — Have you got authentic Lepigonum fasdcidare 

 (Sonny)? It does not seem to me that the Shetland specimens agree 

 with the description of it in some respects. I see that Nyman places 

 it under medium (which is apparently very near salinum), and he is 

 probably correct. I do not agree with Lange in placing it under 

 marinum. L. medium is perennial according to Kindberg, p. 24, or as 

 the Swedes say, " perennant," but salinum is not. I should call your 

 plant medium (Fr.), which has a few (very few) "semina alata." I 

 I think the account of L. medium is better in Kindberg's "Symbolae" 

 than in his "Monographia." There is a full description in the 

 former, not in the latter. Callitriche polymorplia. I think that I 

 could find a book in which all our plants are combined under that 

 name. It is not good to use it for a segregate. The difference of 

 this from platycarpa seems small, chiefly in smaller fruit and persis- 

 tent bracts. It may be that we do not know the true platycarpa, 



