314 Dr Buchanan White on Juncus alpinus. [sess. lii. 



Shortly after finding these first specimens of J. aljjinus, I 

 got some rushes from my friend ^Ir J. Brebner, who was 

 living in Glen Lochay, and with his usual kindness investi- 

 satinu' the flora for me. Amongst these rushes were three 

 stems of undoubted J. alpinus. Finally, on August 20, I 

 found near Blair Athole a small bed of J. alpinus growing 

 intermixed with J. lamprocarjms. Besides these three Perth- 

 shire stations, the plant was found — in September last — in 

 a fourth locality, also near Blair Athole, by my friend the 

 Eev. E. S. Marshall, whom I had told of the discovery. 

 Mr Marshall, moreover, found the same species in Suther- 

 landshire, and it not improbably occurs, though perhaps 

 locally, throughout the Scottish Highlands. 



If thus, in one season, it has been found in comparatively 

 so many places, how does it happen that Juncus alpinus has 

 not been detected sooner ? Probably because it requires a 

 close examination to distinguish it from the nearly allied 

 and very variable J. lamprocarpus. 



This is pretty evident if, in the following record (from the 

 Report of the Botanical Record Club, dated 1887, but just 

 issued), the species is correctly determined : " 87 Perth 

 A¥est. Croall. F. M. Wel)b. ' Moors near Gartur.' 'Near 

 Ben Oss' (off Glen Falloch). — Hcrh. Lees; both sent as 

 lampivcarpus, collected in 1875 and '79 respectively." 



In the case of "critical" or oljscure plants likely to occur 

 in Britain, botanists would do well to familiarise themselves 

 with the fades of the species to be looked for by the study 

 of authentic foreign examples. 



It is to be noted that this rush is not exclusively alpine, 

 as the specific name would imply, but occurs also at low 

 levels. 



The specimens exhibited 1 ha\e mucli pleasure in present- 

 ing to the Herbarium. 



