266 Mr. C. C. Babingtou on British Plants. 



quite certain that some species are when young always furnished 

 with leaves quite down to the ground, whilst others have only 

 scales in their place. The former at the flowei'ing season 

 present a deceitful appearance, for then the lower leaves have 

 usually faded and often quite disappeared. A careful examina- 

 tion is therefore requisite before deciding upon their presence or 

 absence; also, those joinings that are covered with soil are 

 usually, even in the leaf-based species, devoid of leaves and fur- 

 nished with scales alone. Dried specimens of the leaf-based 

 species are therefore very liable to be mistaken for leafless-based 

 plants. 



My observations do not lead me to place much dependence 

 upon the hollowness or otherwise of the stem, as it often, I think, 

 seems to be hollow, owing to the vigour of its growth having 

 distended and broken the pith. I am not prepared to say that 

 none of the species ai-e normally hollow- stemmed. 



The auricles of the larger stipules, especially the lower ones, 

 are well deserving of attention, as they seem to furnish valuable 

 characters. 



The direction of the subdivisions of the petioles is deserving 

 of attention, but the form of the leaflets and their size appear to 

 be very inconstant. 



The direction of the branches of the panicle should be noticed. 



The form of the carpels is probably of little value, but before 

 this can be stated with confidence, they must be subjected to 

 careful study when fresh. The process of drying appears to 

 alter their form considerably. 



1 . T. minus (Linn.) ; stem zigzag striated branched solid leafless 

 at the base, stipules with inflexed auricles, leaves 2-3-pinnate, 

 leaflets ternate 3-cleft glaucous, petioles with angular ascending 

 branches, panicle leafless with divaricate branches, flowers droop- 

 ing, carpels fusiform 8-ribbed subcompressed ventricose below ex- 

 ternally. 



T. minus, Koch, Syn. ed. 2. 4 ; Fries, Summa, 135 ; Reich. Icon. Fl. 

 Germ. iii. t. 2/ ! 



T. majus, Reich. I. c. t. 30. 



This plant varies very much in size, but is usually about 

 18 inches in height. Its leaves are rather small, with short in- 

 tervals between the leaflets ; but this is not constantly the case, 

 as in specimens gathered in Cambridgeshire the leaflets are di- 

 stant, and thus cause the plant to present a diff'erent appearance. 

 There is usually a very marked interval between the root and the 

 lowest leaf, the lower joinings of the stem being furnished with 

 sheathing rather lax scales, but no leaves. The main branches 

 of the panicle usually spring from the axils of very small leaves, 



