3S6 Mr Philip SewcU's Observations 



only in the grounds of the monastery of San Dalmazzo, 

 although spoken of as asscz commun in Ardoino's flora. 

 Hooker describes it as native to Arctic Europe, but it 

 was not one of the plants of which we saw any trace in 

 Lapland or North Kussia. The genera of Cruciferpe, observed 

 at high elevations, were very different from those character- 

 istic of northern latitudes. The comparative absence of 

 species of Draha, the presence of several species of Iberis, 

 and the frequency of the gay yellow flowers of Biscutella 

 Burseri, were distinctive features in the flora. The e.\- 

 cessive predominance of Cerastium and Stcllaria which 

 characterised the northern alpine regions gives place to a 

 greater number of genera of that family, many of them 

 brilliantly red or crimson coloured, and widely distributed, 

 as, for instance, Bianthtcs and Saponaria ocymoides. There 

 was almost an entire absence of Malvaccce about Tenda. 

 Daphne Mezereum was one of the most ubiquitous of the 

 plants in the Alpine and sub- Alpine floras. D. Laureola was 

 seen once in the gorge below San Dalmazzo. Urtica, so 

 ubiquitous a plant throughout the world, reached a maximum 

 elevation of 6000 feet, about some cattle troughs. The 

 presence of Maianthemum bifolinm, seen later on Monte 

 Generoso, was exceedingly interesting to us. Aspara- 

 gus ojicinalis did not extend much above San Dalmazzo ; 

 other members of this alliance, as Paris quadrifolia, Poly- 

 gonatuni officinale, and P. vcrticillatum were restricted to the 

 Miuiera Valley at an elevation of 5000 feet, or thereabouts. 

 Gagea Lidelardi we have mentioned as one of the most 

 abimdant plants in damp places. Tulipa australis and 

 Scilla bifolia we only observed once at an altitude of 

 6500 feet. There were two or three species of Allium. 

 Muscari comosum was common in the meadows. 



The Ferns collected by us were the following : — Ccterach 

 officinarum, abundantly in the shadier places near the coast. 

 Poly2')odium vuUjare, actiially up to 6500 feet about the 

 snowy valley of the Laghi di Meraviglia : P. Phegopteris 

 and P. Dryoptcris, P. Robertianuni (?) ; Aspidium Lonchitis, 

 up to 7000 feet ; A. Filix-mas, A. fragile, Asjjlcnium Adian- 

 fMin-nigrum, A. Paita-muraria, near to Mortola ; A. septen- 

 trionale, abundant about Tenda ; A. Trichomanes, A. Petraixha:, 



