THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



[SECOND SERIES.] 

 No. 18. JUNE 1849. 



XLIV. — On the British sjjecies o/Plumbaginaccse, By Charles 

 C. Babington, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S.* 



The publication of the 12th volume of DcCandolle's invaluable 

 ' Prodromus/ in which the description of the Plumbaginacece by 

 M, E. Boissier is contained, has again drawn my attention to our 

 native species included in that order, upon which I formerly be- 

 stowed considerable study, but without arriving at any satisfac- 

 tory result. With the help of Boissier's descriptions I have now 

 re-examined all the British specimens which I have been able to 

 obtain, and although the result is far from being such as I could 

 have wished, still it seems desirable to place it before botanists 

 in order that their attention may be turned towards these plants, 

 and thus some definite conclusion may perhaps be obtained. 



1. Armeria, Willd. 



Boissier does not seem quite satisfied concerning the perma- 

 nency of some of the characters upon which the species of Ar- 

 meria are founded, and it must be confessed that the result of my 

 examination of our plants has not tended to increase any little 

 dependence that I placed upon them. The characters to which 

 I refer are those taken from the relative lengths of the pedicels 

 and calyx-tubes, and the presence of hairiness upon the angles 

 alone of the latter or over its whole surface. 



I have however thought it desirable to characterize the possible 

 species by employing distinctions derived from those parts as well 

 as from others, in order that they may correspond with the 

 species adopted in the ' Prodronnis.^ I shall then notice two 

 other specimens of which I am in possession ; and also make a 

 few remarks upon a possible mode by which tlie supposed species 

 might be combined if the doubtful characters were neglected. 



• Read before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Feb. 8th, 1819. 

 Ann.S^Maff.N.Hist.^ev.2. Vol. iii. ^ 28 



