290 



Sussex, about a mile south of Tunbvidge Wells; and not being able to 

 reduce it to any described British species, I labelled it Carex mon- 

 tana, from the short description in Reichenbach's 'Excursoria,' reserv- 

 ing it for comparison with specimens of that plant. A short time 

 since, having occasion to show Mr. Borrer Sussex specimens of Carex 

 axillaris, I fortunately showed him my C. montana, and he most 

 obligingly sent me his specimens from Hoppe, which, with the figure 

 in Schkuhr, exactly corresponded with my plant. In company with 

 Mr. Borrer I visited the locality in July last, and found the plant in 

 considerable quantity, but so very far past maturity, that we had great 

 difficulty in obtaining specimens with entire spikelets. Mr. Babing- 

 ton has kindly favoured me with the description of this species, drawn 

 up for his Manual, and which is as follows : — " Carex montana, L. 

 Fertile spikes 1 — 3, ovate, near together, sessile ; bracts small, mem- 

 branous, the lowest with an awl-shaped point ; glumes obtuse or 

 retuse mucronate ; fr. narrowed below, oblong-obovate, trigonous, 

 with a short notched beak ; nut oblong, narrowed below, with a 

 pyramidal beak ; root fibrous. Schk., F. 29. H. i, 21. Stem about a 

 span long, slender. L. narrow, glumes very dark, midrib narrowly 

 yellowish, fr. hairy, its beak purple. — P. V. VI." 



To the above excellent description 1 can only remark, that the root 

 is remarkably stout and woody, and bears a large tuft of long and 

 narrow leaves, the sheathing bases of which are deeply stained with 

 purple, and connected in the same manner with netted filaments, as 

 those of Carex palulosa. 



Carex montana is cited in Sir .T. W. Hooker's ' British Flora,' un- 

 der C. pilulifera, which may be accounted for by the specimens in 

 the Linnean herbarium being by accident C. pilulifera. Reichen- 

 bach says, under C. pilulifera (Excurs. 438), " C. montana, Linn, 

 herharr The Linnean C. montana is found " in campis Upsalia?," and 

 we learn from Wahlenberg's ' Fl. Upsal.' that our plant is found near 

 that city. William Mitten. 



Hurstperpoint, August 19tb, 1845. 



Note on Cystopterls alpina, Desv., the Low Layton plant. By 

 Frederic Barham, Esq. 

 It being i*eported that this plant was still in existence (notwith- 

 standing Sir W. Hooker mentions the destruction of its habitat) I 

 resolved to go, and if possible search closely the spot, and also its 

 immediate neighbourhood. After examining the exterior walls and 

 buildings, I sent in my card, stating the purport of ray visit. The 



