44 Proceediiigs. 



will probably be found in Scotland, as C. norvegica, Gun., 

 C. helonastes, Willd., &c. 



Mr. W. H. Beeby read the following ' Notes on Sparganium 

 neglectum, sp.nov., and other new Surrey Plants': — 



I propose first to speak of the Sparganium which I have the 

 pleasure of exhibiting this evening, and to conclude with some 

 brief remarks on the recent additions to our Surrey Flora. 



This Bur-reed was first noticed at Albury Ponds, near 

 Guildford, in October, 1883. The plants then observed had 

 the general habit of S. ramosiim, but attracted my attention 

 by their much smaller heads of fruit. On examination most 

 of the fruits proved to be abortive, but the few partially ripe 

 ones seemed to me to differ considerably from those of 

 ramosum. Although the Albury plants were considered by 

 others to be merely an abnormal condition of ramosum, I did 

 not feel satisfied on this point, and was thus led to investigate 

 the matter during the past year. In August I noticed, near 

 Ockley and at Eeigate, plants that seemed the same as the 

 Albury one ; and eventually, on obtaining specimens at Eeigate, 

 Blackwater, Byfleet, and various other places, in good ripe 

 fruit, but smaU doubt was left that they represented a species 

 hitherto undescribed and unnoticed as distinct from ramosum. 

 This opinion has now been very generally endorsed by nearly 

 all the British and continental authorities who have seen the 

 plant ; and I may notice that when I showed specimens at a 

 meeting of the Linnean Society in December last, Mr. J. G. 

 Baker, of Kew, stated that after careful examination of the 

 plant he considered it undoubtedly distinct from aU described 

 species. 



S. neglectum has various characters in common with S. 

 ramosum, and these two species form a section very distinct 

 from our other British species, simplex, ajine, and minimum, 

 which also group naturally together. S. neglectum and 

 ramosum are both invariably characterised by a strikingly 

 erect and rigid habit, and neither in small forms nor when 

 growing in running water do the leaves show the slightest 

 approach to a floating or even flaccid state. In both the 

 branching of the inflorescenee is identical, there being in both 



