324 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 
Remarks on “ The London Catalogue of British 
Plants,” Ninth Edition, 1895. 
By Peter Ewine, F.L.S. 
[Read 26th November, 1895.] 
In recent years a good number of botanists have devoted much 
time to special orders of plants, and the result of this has been 
the splitting up of many species. Whether this will be for the 
general good of botanical study or not, time will tell. In my 
opinion it will be much against it. 
That great strides have been made in nomenclature, and in the 
definition of species, in this branch of science since the year 1886, 
when the last edition of this Catalogue was issued, cannot be 
denied. Those reading botanical magazines have been led gently 
on with the particulars of one new form after another, so that it 
is only when you get the whole of the admissions laid before you 
at once, and compare them with the formerly admitted species, 
that you feel that this is being overdone. 
In such a large matter as the British Flora, I think a description 
of the plants should have preceded the list. This would have 
kept many, like myself, right in the nomenclature, and prevented 
some irritation, although a little of this seems unavoidable in our 
search for finality. In nomenclature no sooner does one botanist 
change a name than another at once turns up with a proof that he 
is not right yet, and this goes on ad infinitum. Let us take one 
or two of the plants common in Clydesdale. . For instance, in the 
7th edition, published in 1874, we have Vuphar lutea, Sm. ; in 
the 8th edition, published in 1886, Nuphar lutewm, Sm. ; in this 
(the 9th) edition, Vymphea lutea, Linn. ; while the plant formerly 
known as Vympheea alba, Linn., is now known as Castalia speciosa, 
Salisb. ; that formerly known as Corydalis now becomes Neckeria ; 
Capsella Bursa-pastoris, Moench, now becomes Bursa Bursa- 
pastoris, Weber. In the 7th edition we have Spergularia rubra, 
Fenzl.; in the 8th, Lepigonwm rubrum, Fr.; in the 9th, Buda 
