74 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



December 9, 1852. — Professor Balfour, V.P., in the Chair. 



The following gentlemen were elected office-bearers for the ensuing 

 year : — 



President. — Professor Balfour. 



Secretary. — Dr. Greville. 



Treasurer. — Mr. Evans. 



Numerous donations were announced to the Society's Library and 

 Herbarium. 



Dr. Balfour exhibited a series of alpine specimens transmitted by 

 Mr. Backhouse, including a collection of Clova aud Braemar Hieracia, 

 which contained nearly every alpine form found among the mountains 

 of that district. Mr. Backhouse hopes ere long to be able to write 

 a paper minutely describing these, and in such a manner as to enable 

 persons to identify each form or species. In mentioning forms he 

 alludes of course to the apparently permanent forms which may prove 

 true species. Of the whole Hieracia (50 or 60) Mr. Backhouse has 

 growing specimens carefully named and numbered, aud he means to 

 record the results of cultivation. 



The following communications were made to the meeting : — 



1 . Dr. Balfour made some observations on the Pohjpodium rhceti- 

 cuni, Vill. Voyage Botan. p. 12, the Polypodium alpestre, Hoppe, and 

 Pseudathyrium alpestre, Newm. 



A good specimen of the plant is found in Mougeot and Nestler's 

 ' Stirpes Cryptogamse Vogeso-Rhenanoe,' no. 602. The plant is said 

 to grow "in summis Vogesorum prssruptis herbidis." It is stated by 

 Mr. H. C. Watson to have been gathered by him in the great corrie 

 of Ben Aulder on the west side of Loch Ericht, Inverness-shire ; also 

 in 1844 in Caenlochen Glen. The plant resembles Atliyrium Filix- 

 foemina so much as to have been passed over by many botanists, and 

 it had been put by Mr. Watson among his specimens of that species. 

 It has been found of late by several botanists in the Highlands of 

 Scotland, especially in the Clova and Braemar district. On looking 

 over the plants in his herbarium. Dr. Balfour found that it had been 

 gathered on several occasions by himself and others and put along 

 with specimens of Athyrium Filix-foemina. Dr. Balfour exhibited 

 from his herbarium the following specimens of the plant, which had 

 also been carefully examined by Dr. Greville : — 



1. From Ben Hope, Sutherlandshire, August 1827, Dr. Balfour; 

 and 2. August 1833, Dr. Graham. 3. Glen Callater, August 1836, 

 Dr. Gilbert M'Nab. 4. Caenlochen, Glen Isla, August 6, 1840, 

 Dr. Balfour. 



The follo^nng papers were read : — 



2. " Remarks on the Distribution of Plants in Madeira," by John 

 M'Laren, Esq. 



I\Ir. jNI'Laren made some observations on the distribution of plants 

 in jNIadeira, as compared with the flora of neighbouring countries. 

 He remarked that the vegetation of Madeira might be said to consist 

 of two distinct floras. One of these had a great analogy to the 

 flora of Algiers and the south of Spain, and contained many species 



