Mr. C. C. Babington on British species 0/ Plumbaginacese. 441 



much to be wished that some competent botanist would inform 

 us what is the Statice which grows " upon the chalkie cHfFe going 

 from the towne of Margate downe to the sea side^ upon the left 

 hand/^ for that is the only place where Gerard found his plant. 

 Dillenius (Ray^s Syn. ed. 3. 202) adds Ramsgate and Harwich 

 as stations for it. 



It seems clear that the S. spathulata (Desf.) obtained " in ru- 

 pibus maritimis Barbarise ad la Calle," of which Boissier has seen 

 an authentic specimen, is quite distinct from the S. spathulata of 

 British authors (see DeCand. Prod. xii. 649) -, and after a careful 

 examination of our plants I am satisfied that Boissier is correct 

 in supposing that two species are included under the /S. spathu- 

 lata of Hooker, and that they are the S. Dodartii (Gir.) and 

 S. occidentalis (Lloyd). I have not seen French specimens of 

 the former, but can have no doubt of its identity with our plant 

 after comparing it carefully with M. de Girard's elaborate de- 

 scription (Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 3. xvii. 31), although there are a 

 few slight discrepancies. I am possessed of a good specimen of 

 the S. occidentalis, through the kindness of M. Lenormand of 

 Vire, and find it to accord precisely with the other form called 

 S. spathulata by us. As also I am possessed of an authentic 

 specimen of the S. binervosa (G. E. Sm.), which is doubtfully 

 referred to S. occidentalis by Boissier, I am enabled to state that 

 they are undoubtedly the same plant, although no sterile branches 

 are represented on the plate in ' Eng. Bot. Suppl.^ As that name 

 was published in 1830 it has the priority of the one here adopted, 

 which dates only from 1844. The high authority deservedly 

 awarded to the ' Prodromus,^ which will doubtless cause the use 

 of Mr. Lloyd's name universally on the continent, seems a suffi- 

 cient reason for not attempting to replace it by one which we 

 could scarcely, under the circumstances of the case, expect to be 

 adopted out of Britain. I trust therefore that my friend Mr. 

 Smith will excuse my not following his nomenclature in this case. 



5. S. caspica (Willd.); foliis obovato- vel laiiceolato-spathulatis in 

 petiolum attenuatis, scapis a basi ramosissimis granulato-scabris, 

 ramis inferioribus capillaceo-multifidis sterilibus : axillis acutangulis, 

 spiculis 2-3-floris in spicas ad rarnorum extremitatem confertas 

 densissime congestis, calycis limbo 5-lobo denticulis intermediis 

 nullis : lobis ovatis cuspidatis denticulatis. 



S. caspica, Willd. En. Berol. i. 336 ; Bieb. Fl. Tauro-Cauc. iii. 253 ; 

 Bert. Fl. Ital. iii. 530; Reich. Iconog. ii. t. 194; DeCand. Prod. 

 xii. 660. 



S. reticulata, Bieb. Fl. Tauro-Cauc. i. 250; Sm. Eng. Bot. t. 328; 

 Eng. Fl. ii. 116. not Linn. 



S. bellidifolia, DeCand. Fl. Fr. iii. 421. 



S. dichotoma, Duby, Bot. Gall. i. 388. not Cavan. 



Scape often simple for about an inch from its base, but after- 



