187 



has become very common in several localities — Ewyas Harold, Holm Lacy, and Holmer— 

 and has evidently taken up its permanent residence here. In one place, however, at 

 Holmer, it has disappeared again, so that it still remains an interesting subject for 

 observation. (Fresh specimens of the plant were handed round the room.) 



The next plant I present to you is the BlUum virgahim (Willdenow), or small 

 strawberry blite. Mr. Purchas found this plant at Ross in 1853, when the turf of a 

 portion of the Prospect was dug up and planted with potatoes, and it was thought to 

 have grown from buried seeds. The ground, however, was shortly afterwards laid 

 down for turf again, and it disappeared. The strawberry blite is a native of central or 

 southern France. It is an annual or biennial belonging to the family of Chenopodije, 

 and has the usual insigniflcant flower of its order. In fruit, however, it is extremely 

 graceful and pretty, and when fresh is so highly coloured as closely to resemble small 

 strawberries. Mr. Steele, who sent me this specimen, found it in the year 1861 in the 

 corner of a field on the outskirts of Abergavenny, and supposes it to have been 

 brought there by the manure cart from a garden mixen. He quite failed, however, 

 to trace its origin. He could neither find it in any of his neighbours' gardens, nor did 

 any of the gardeners themselves know it. Mr. Steele, with his usual energy, had the 

 plant taken up and removed to his own garden, where it has reappeared, abundantly 

 self-sown, every year, so that it may readily become naturalised. He has no doubt but 

 that it would make an excellent spinach, and it is possible that it may have been intro- 

 duced for this purpose. 



I have now lastly to call your attention to a wanderer from still more southern 

 regions, which appeared at Hereford last year. It is a remarkably rough specimen of a 

 delicate plant. In the beginning of September, 1865, the Xanthium Spinosum was 

 found growing in two localities at Hereford. It was first found flourishing on the site of 

 the Old Mill between the Castle Green and the garden of the Infirmary. There were 

 not less than 33 plants scattered widely over about a quarter of an acre of waste ground, 

 contending for space with mallows, docks, nettles, wormwood, and various members 

 of the Chenopodicr that abounded there, and holding well their own. Three plants 

 were afterwards found growing together in an uncultivated cottage garden on the 

 same side of the city, but about a quarter of a mile distant from the first locality. 

 The Xanthium Spinosnm (Willdenow) or Spiny Burweed, or Burdock, is a monoecious 

 plant of the natural order Compositoe, sub-order AmbrosiEe. It is an annual, and very 

 common in the South of Europe. Its congener, the Xanthium Strumarium, the 

 smaller Burweed, has long been admitted in the catalogue of British plants ; but the 

 occurrence of Xanthium Spinosum in England has not been previously recorded. 

 Specimens were forwarded to Mr. Oliver, at Kew Gardens ; Messrs. Babington, Watson, 

 Boswell Syme, and some others ; but none of them were aware of its having been 

 found here in a wUd state, and all unanimously, of course, regard it as quite accidental, 

 and as not in the least likely to become naturalised. However, on sending a specimen, 

 as in duty bound, to our then president, Elmes Y. Steele, Esq , of Abergavenny, he at 

 once recognised it, having found it in 1857 growing vigorously on a ballast heap at New- 

 port, Monmouthshire. 



" A very interesting plant," said one botanical friend, "but I am thankful it is not 

 British, and fervently hope it may never become so." Indeed, as you see from the 

 specimens presented, it is so very unattractive that it is the more difiicult, for this very- 

 reason, to account for its occurrence in such abundance at Hereford. It is impossible to 

 consider It as a garden wanderer, or as coming mixed with other seed, and it is ex- 

 tremely Improbable that it should have been brought designedly in any way. The most 



