9. R. IXCURVATUS. 89 



equal, obovate or oblong; lateral lobed externally; jjetioles 

 and under side of midribs with small hooked prickles. 

 Panicle narro^y, felted, pilose, with short yellow sunken 

 setse ; prickles long, declining, or a little deflexed, rather 

 slender; branches short, patent, corymbose, 2 or 3 lowest 

 axillary and distant, upper close together; upper two thirds 

 of the panicle leafless; sometimes the lowest branch forms 

 a secondary panicle. Sejxds ovate, acuminate, leaf-pointed, 

 hairy and felted externally, reflexed from the fruit but their 

 points turning upwards. Petals roundly obovate narrow to 

 their base, pink, finely sen*ate. Filaments pink at the base. 

 Anthers yellowish. Styles pinkish at the base. Primordial 

 fruit-stalk shorter than the sepals. Primordial fruit hardly 

 more than hemispherical. Seed ovate, very broad at the 

 base ; inner edge nearly straight. 



The wavy edges of the leaflets turning upwards dis- 

 tinguish this plant from all its allies. Each leaflet is 

 concave: in R. iinhricatus it is "convex from the tendency 

 of the edges to turn downwards." The panicle of R. incur- 

 vatu^ has shorter and more closely-placed branches, and is 

 therefore closer than that of R. imhricatus. The points of 

 the sepals are not directed downwards as in R. rhamnifolius ; 

 but, although strongly reflexed at their base, form a con- 

 tinuous curve, so as to direct their points upwards. The 

 petals are not clawed, but narrow gradually. 



The specimen gathered in the Isle of Man has a much 

 more leafy panicle than is usual but agrees with this species 

 in other respects. It is an abundant plant there. 



The plant from Lyth Hill near Shrewsbury, mentioned 

 in the Annals of Xatural History (1. c. 38), is possibly an 

 anomalous state of this species. Its leaves are in an un- 

 natural condition and appear to be without felt; also the 

 basal and intei-mediate leaflets have longer stalks than is 

 usual. It may belong to R. rhamnfolius. 



8-3 



