14. R. LEUCOSTACHYS. 115 



Primordial fruit-stalk shorter than the sepals. Fruit pur- 

 plish-black. Nut broadly half-ovate, truncate below; inner 

 edge nearly straight, slightly rounded at the top. 



This plant is generally tolenibly well marked, and con- 

 stant when growing in exposed places. But sometimes it 

 wants much of the hair, and has more but looser felt on the 

 stem ; also a more open panicle with longer axillary branches. 

 It is then the R. leucostachys v. argenteus of Bell Salter and 

 of my Synopsis. Occasionally a similar open panicle is 

 accompanied by a thickly clothed stem, which is neither 

 truly hairy nor felted; for the minute stellate hairs that 

 form felt have disappeared, and long clustered exceedingly 

 spreading hairs have taken their place, and almost form a 

 coat of loose felt. This state is found about Malvern by 

 Mr Lees, and seems to be his R. vestitus y argenteus. 



The R. leucostachys of Dr Johnston's Eastern Borders 

 seems to form a connecting link between the typical form 

 and the var. vestitus. Its panicle is more like that of the 

 latter, and its stem is more furrowed than is usual even in 

 the most angular forms of the time R. leucostachys. 



^ vestitus; caule arcuato, aculeis inaequalibus spar- 

 sis, foliolis cordato-subrotundis cuspidatis irregulariter 

 dentatis subtus pallide viridibus. 



R. leucostachys Lindl. ! (Hort. Soc. Gard. spec). 



R. leucostachys P vestitus Bell Salt.! in Phytol. ii. 105; 

 Bromf. Fl. Vect. 157. Bab.! Syn. 15; Man. ed. 2. 99; 

 A. N. H. Ser. 2. ii. 38. Leight. ! in Phytol. iii. 175. 

 Blox. ! Fasc. (sp.). 



R. vestitus Weihe in Eubi Germ. 8L t. 33 (1825?). 

 Lees! in Steele 57. Blox.! in Kirby 44. Sond. 278. Godr. ! 

 Mon. 17; Fl. de Fr. i. 541. Bor. Fl. Centr. ed. 3. 194. 

 Metsch in Linna3a, xxviii. 155. Lange! Danske Fl. 345. 



