TOPOGRAPHICAL BOTANY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 161 



XVI 



THIRD CONTRIBUTION TO THE 



TOPOGRAPHICAL BOTANY OF THE WEST 



OF SCOTLAND. 



BY P. EWING. 



[Read 29th AprU, 1890.] 



I DO not feel called upon to occupy your time by 

 making any detailed statement regarding this list 

 of New Records. Anyone interested in the subject 

 can, by comparing the three lists, readily find out 

 for himself the orders of plants most neglected by 

 collectors. For this neglect of the more critical 

 genera there is some excuse, as a collector would 

 require to devote himself for a season or two to 

 their special study, and give up general botanical 

 work with the view of overcoming the difficulties 

 which beset their investigation. Who, for example, 

 can be said to know anything of the Batrachian 

 Ranunculi of the West of Scotland? This is simply 

 because one would require to carry with him a 

 drying portfolio, in order that the specimens might 

 be washed and floated on to sheets of paper on the 

 spot. 



In regard to the Hieracia, particular attention 

 should be paid to the flowers when in a fresh 

 condition ; and the chief points to be carefully 

 noted are the state of the ligules (whether hairy, 

 pubescent, or glabrous), and the colour of the styles. 



The Ruhi grow so much intermixed that there is a 

 great chance of more than one variety being found 



