16 TRA2fSACTI0NS AND PKOCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lvui. 



III. Ox PiiBES SUBTESTITUM, Hooker and Arnott By 



A- J). ElCHARDSOX. 



In 1882 a Eibcs, of which a dried specimen is exhibited, 

 was received by the Edinburgh Arboretum from the Eoyal 

 Gardens, Kew, under the name of Rihes Cyrwbasti. 



In the end of April of the present year, when the plant 

 was in flower, I endeavoured to ascertain whether it was 

 correctly named, the result being that it turned out to be, 

 not Eihes Cynobasti, but E. subvestitum of Hooker and 

 Arnott. 



On a first comparison I was led to believe that it was 

 E. Lobhi of Gray, a Californian species, from the fact that 

 a woodcut and description in the " Gardeners' Chronicle " 

 (Vol. XIX., X. S., p. 11), of what I then understood to be 

 that species, seemed to agree very closely in every respect 

 with our plant, and which was stated in the accompanying 

 letterpress to be synonymous with E. suhrcstitum of Hooker 

 in the "Botanical Magazine" (Vol. 82, t. 4931), but not 

 with E. subvestitum of Hooker and Arnott in the "Botany 

 of Beechey's Voyage." On turning to the " Botanical 

 Magazine," however, I was surprised to find that the plant 

 there figured as E. suhvestifum was said to be synonymous 

 with E. suhvcstitum of Hooker and Arnott, but it did not 

 quite agree with our plant, or with that figured in the 

 " Gardeners' Chronicle." 



In the belief that two species were involved in the 

 '•' Botanical Magazine " and " Gardeners' Chronicle " figures, 

 and seeing that these two works contradicted each other 

 regarding the synonymy, I sent to the editor of the 

 " Grardeners' Chronicle " (Dr. Masters) a specimen of our 

 plant, and, at the same time, drew his attention to the 

 contradictory statements before mentioned. In his reply, 

 Dr. Masters stated that the plant from which the 

 " Gardeners' Chronicle " figure was made was received 

 from Kew as E. subvestitum of Hooker in the " Botanical 

 Magazine " ; and that that plant being the same as E. 

 Lobbi of Gray, a mistake had somehow arisen in attaching 

 the name Lolibi to the figure. He also stated that the 

 " Gardeners' Chronicle " plant and our plant w'ere one and 

 the same species, viz., E. Svibvcstitum of Hooker and Arnott, 



