392 



Should it hereafter appear that Bieberstein's plant is only a variety of 

 Pollich's, in such case the earlier name " peucedanifolia " must be 

 resumed ; but so long as they are esteemed two species, our British 

 plant must take the name of that reputed species to which it truly be- 

 longs, and this is almost certainly the silaifolia of Bieberstein. The 

 name of " Smithii " was suggested only as a temporary designation, 

 to fall into oblivion, provided the British species could be refen'ed 

 satisfactorily to any other described species. After that name was 

 suggested, I met with a very strong additional reason for believing 

 the British plant to be really the silaifolia, as was explained in a sup- 

 plementary paper on the ffinanthe peucedanifolia of Smith (Phytol. ii. 

 94). Taking that reason in connexion with the specific character and 

 references given in Bieberstein's own work, and the papers of Ball and 

 Babington, it seems to my judgment that every botanist, competent 

 to give an opinion upon the matter, will hold it "preferable to retain " 

 the name assigned to the British plant by Ball. But in this paper, to 

 prevent confusion in contrasting the British against the continental 

 silaifolia, I will use the name of " Smithii " to distinguish the former. 



In reference to the second queries, Mr. Lees is more successful, for 

 here he affords one small item of information, which was much wanted. 

 He writes that the radical leaves of Smithii " agree entirely with the 

 stem-leaves, namely, bipinnate, with acute, entire, lanceolate or linear 

 pinnie " (p. 362). If correct, this is useful infonnation ; because no 

 opportunity for ascertaining the character of the true radical leaves had 

 occurred to Ball, Babington, or myself. It adds another fact towards 

 showing the identity of our Smithii with the silaifolia of Koch's Sy- 

 nopsis. I had described the leaflets of the lower stem-leaves, as being 

 " linear-lanceolate acute, scarcely broader than those of the upper 

 leaves ;" and had commented upon this character as a difficulty, when 

 compared with Bieberstein's statement that the lower leaves of his 

 silaifolia are much abbreviated and dilated — " valde abbreviatis atque 

 dilatatis." It may be, however, that the "valde" is not meant to ex- 

 tend to "dilatatis;" and that this strong expression must be construed 

 only with reference to long and narrow lower leaves in Pollich's peu- 

 cedanifolia. Adopting this construction, and my own term "subcylin- 

 drical" to express the character of the fruit (as presently to be 

 explained), there will remain no serious objection against a belief of 

 the British Smithii being truly identical with the silaifolia of Bieber- 

 stein and of Koch. 



Mr. Lees describes and figures the fruit of Smithii ; and here it is 

 necessary to correct and limit his description. He describes the fruit 



