decumbent flowering stems. Linneus especially mentions the rocks of 
Sainte Victoire near Marseilles, as a habitat for P. subacaulis, and I have 
seen in the British Museum specimens from thence, bearing the date 
1783, and named in Dr. Solander’s hand, which closely resemble the 
Mont Cheiron plant. I also possess specimens from this neighbourhood, 
collected by M. Roux, and communicated by M. de Mercey, but one of 
these has a much Jaxer habit, the leaves being less densely felted and 
having longer petioles. Now specimens of the Marseilles plant from 
Sainte Victoire, Téte de Carpiagne, and Roquefavour were sent by M. 
Alphonse Derbés to M. F. Schultz of Wissembourg, who pronounced 
them to belong to his P. Tommasiniana, a species which he has created 
at the expense of P. cinerea, Chaix. 
I have, unfortunately, not been able to realize the supposed distinctive 
characters of P. Tommasiniana, though I have examined M. Schultz’ own 
specimens* from Monte Spaccato, near Trieste, as well as many others 
from the same district. Iam doubtful whether the reticulation of the 
carpels, which was very marked in the four ripe carpels of the 
Cheiron plant, is or is not a constant character. 
In the three cases in which I have been able to examine carpels of 
P. subacaulis from Ilyria, the carpels were quite smooth; but those of 
plants from the Rhéne valley showed every stage from deep reticulation 
to almost complete smoothness. The Siberian plant, judging from 
Lehmann’s figure and specimens from the Altai, gathered by Ledebour, in 
the Kew Herbarium, very nearly approaches our Mont Cheiron plant 
in foliage and habit, but the petals appear to be emarginate. 
P. subacaulis var. albicans is found in the Department des Alpes 
Maritimes on Mount Lachen above Seranon (Ardoino), on the Mont 
Cheiron, and over the north-eastern border of the department in the 
Pesio Valley, where it was gathered by Balbis, who communicated it to 
J. Gay. 
ExpLanation or Pirate LXXVII.—Fig. 1, a panicle entire, of the 
natural size. Fig. 2, calyx, slightly enlarged. Fig. 3, a mature carpel 
of the natural size, and fig. 4, the same magnified. Figs. 5 and 6, leaves 
of the natural size; fig. 7, the apex of a leaflet magnified; and fig. 8, two 
leaflets of one of the older leaves, magnified. Fig. 9, one of the simple, 
and fig. 10, one of the stellate hairs from a leaf, magnified. 
* No. 257 of his Herbar. Normale, Cent. 3, where he refers to his Archives de Flore, 
in which, at p. 273, I find the following rather vague allusion: “ Ayant observé des 
différences rémarquables entre la plante que je donne ici, et celle que j’ai donné dans la 
prémiére centurie, sous le nom de P. incana Meench, je l’ai décrite sous le nom de 
P. Tommasiniana dans un journal botanique allemand.”’ 
ES 
