186 27. K. SCABER. 



loosely reflexed from the fruit. Petals oblong, rather acute, 

 narrowed below, white. Filaments white. Anthers and styles 

 greenish. Primordial fruit-stalk shoi-ter than the sepals, 

 other peduncles often long. Fruit large, ovate, well-flavour- 

 ed. Nut ^-oval; inner edge nearly straight. 



In the smaller forms [R. scaler Bab.) the panicle is often 

 nearly or quite simple in its upper part, the peduncles which 

 spring directly from the rachis being 1 — l^ inches long 

 and divaricate. Rarely the branches gradually lengthen 

 downwards, and give a somewhat pyramidal form to the 

 panicle. Usually, in large as well as small states of the 

 plant, the panicle is narrow throughout. In the larger 

 states {P, Bahingtonii Bell Salt.) the ultra-axillary part is 

 much less in proportion to the whole of the very long pani- 

 cle, and the simple peduncles are much fewer and shorter. 

 These are often enormous plants with very long prostrate 

 exceedingly rough stems, a panicle not unfrequently more 

 than three feet long with the lower branches forming 

 secondary panicles, and large floral leaves. 



The P. L'dhrii (Wirtg.), which is shortly described and 

 illustrated by a specimen in the valuable Herh. Puhorum 

 rhena^mrum (No. 22), is very closely allied to P. scaler; 

 much approaching what was once called it. Bahingtonii, 

 The under side of its leaves is totally devoid of felt, as is 

 the case in our plant, although the very dense hairs seated 

 even upon the smaller veins not unfrequently give to it an 

 appearance of being felted. P. L'dhrii has the branches of 

 the panicle more decidedly corymbose, with the exception 

 of the very lowest, than is usual on British specimens, 

 although the panicle of some approaches very closely to that 

 structure. In all these respects I see no material difliculty 

 attending the combination of P. Lohrii with P. scaler; but 

 there remains the fact that "Wirtgen finds the sepals of his 

 it. Lohrii to be "fructus erectisj" and it is for other botanists 



