102 12. R. DISCOLOR. 



mately deflexed edges. The felt of the panicle is white or 

 more commonly ashcoloured. Sometimes the filaments and 

 styles are dark red, and the petals deeply coloured. 



The B. fruticosus of the Linn. Herb, consists of bits of 

 this and of several other species. The present plant is not 

 the R. fruticosus of the Swedish botanists, nor of Linncei 

 Flora Suecica (ed. 2. 172), where the leaves are described as 

 being green on their jinderside. For further remarks upon 

 the Linnean plant see Ii. 2)licatus. 



French sj^ecimens named M. discolor are the same as our 

 plant. Boreau states that the stem is "elevee," but in other 

 respects his plant and ours agree. 



Swedish specimens of B. discolor from Fries and AiThe- 

 nius have their leaves greyer and more hairy on the under 

 side, but in other respects closely resemble our plant. Speci- 

 mens from Denmark, sent by Mr J. Lange, are different : 

 one from ''sepes prope Soro, Sj^ellandioe" is probably the B. 

 vestitus ^ viridus of his Danske Flora (ed. 2. 346), but it 

 does not agree well with our R. hvcostachys: another from 

 Jutland is doubtful, but certainly not R. discolor. 



The R. discolor of Wirtgen [Ruh. Rhen. No. 15) does 

 not agree with our plant nor with that of the Rubi Ger- 

 Jiianici; but is probably a state of R. discolor. 



Much confusion exists between R. discolor and R. thyr- 

 soideus, and preserved specimens are often so similar as to be 

 nearly undistinguishable, although the plants are truly dis- 

 tinct species. The direction of their stems is totally differ- 

 ent : if both plants grow in an open place, the stems of R. 

 discolor vdW mostl}' lie quite prostrate after they have formed 

 a short low arch next to their root; those of R. thyrsoideus 

 ascend highly so as to be suberect during the summer, but 

 in the autumn grow at the end and descend until they 

 reach the ground. When the plants grow in hedges or 

 thickets, or are so stron^ as to form thickets of themselves. 



