27. R. SCABER. 187 



to judge if this is a sufticiout reason for retaining it as a dis- 

 tinct species : I suspect not. 



A careful study of the very full account of R. Kalten- 

 hachil given in the Linnoea convinces me that it is exactly 

 synonymous with R. Bahingtonii (Bell Salt.), and that the 

 true R. scaher (Weihe) differs more from it than I had sup- 

 posed. Without the advantage of examining authentic R. 

 scaher it is impossible to be certain concerning the specific 

 identity of it and R. Bahingtonii, although my opinion tends 

 strongly to the belief that they form the extreme states of 

 one species. Such is not the opinion of Pr Metsch, who 

 possessed better opportunities of becoming acquainted with 

 the R. scaher (Weihe). He thinks his R. Kaltenhachii (R. 

 Bahingtonii) quite distinct from R. scaher. The authentic 

 specimen in my copy of Wirtgen's Ilerh. Ruh. has an 

 imperfectly developed panicle. Should the opinion of Dr 

 Metsch be correct the plants will have to bear the name 

 given by Bell Salter in 1845, eleven years before the 

 publication of the R. Kaltenhachii. But when the charac- 

 ters of even these extreme states, as I think them, of 

 R. scaher are carefully contrasted, it will be found that there 

 is very little real ditference between them, and a well chosen 

 series of specimens leaves little doubt concerning the sj^iecific 

 identity of our R. scaher and the R. Bahingtonii, and judg- 

 ing from the description, the R. l\^altenhachii. It is possible 

 that our small plant is not really the R. scaher of Germany, 

 although it appears to agree very well with the description 

 and plate in the Ruhi Germanici. 



The intermediate forms agree well with tlie R. mutahilis 

 (Genev. !), although the authentic specimens of that plant 

 have more felt on the leaves than is usual in our forms of 

 R. scaher, especially on those of the flowering shoot. I 

 have seen traces of felt on some of the English specimens 

 referred to R. scaher, but never so much as is found on 



