184 



able elucidation of it. My friend, Mr, Babington, objects to the 

 name as tending to give a wrong impression of the plant, and wishes 

 the ideas of writers in ' The Phytologist' on the subject. " What's 

 in a name .^" we exclaim ! Not much now-a-days, when the name is 

 never looked to without the description. It is, nevertheless, desirable 

 that names should be as characteristic as possible, or that at least 

 they should not teach error. Such are the only names I would allow 

 should be changed if once imposed. Now, Mr. Babington considers 

 " recurva" as teaching quite the opposite of what is the fact, namely, 

 " incurva :" with regard to the frond of a fern, the two terms must be 

 considered synonymous, though such is not, in strict Natural-History 

 ^ei^m\ioxx,always the case. It is rather curious that Mr. Babington's own 

 "pet" name, c'owertv«, is just in the same predicament, "convexa" 

 being equally appropriate ; and to put the case arithmetically — as 

 concava is to recurva, so is convexa to incurva. Mr. Babington is 

 not here so happy as usual in his Orismology. 



I wish, in concluding this omnium gatherum communication, to no- 

 tice a Hieracium, apparently undescribed and distinct, which, during 

 a delightful two months' botanical exploration in Morayshire last 

 summer, I gathered on the banks of the river Findhorn, about six 

 miles-above Forres. The following is a brief description : — 

 Hieracium nudicaule, Edmond. 



Rhizoma long, black, creeping, and tortuous ; leaves all radical, 

 lanceolate, sagittate at the base, exceedingly thin and flaccid, slightly 

 pubescent, their petioles villous ; scape terminating in a few-flowered 

 corymb of more or less nodding flowers. 



Banks of the Findhorn, near Forres, Morays., July, 1844. 



I have since seen a specimen in Dr. Balfour's collection, from 

 Breadalbane, placed in the same sheet with H. Lawsoni, from which 

 species it is, howevei", quite distinct. 



Several other apparent novelties occurred in Morayshire, but nei- 

 ther time nor materials are at present forthcoming, to do justice to 

 them. 



And now, wishing every success to * The Phytologist' and phytolo- 

 gists, I hope, on my return from California, to find it and them well 



and flourishing. 



T. Edmondston. 

 London, 16tli May, 1845. 



