397 



indeed from the whole truth, that it will certainly perplex and mislead 

 those who rely implicitly upon his text and figures. That gentle- 

 man's two first figures give excellent representations of the roots of 

 pimpinelloides and'peucedanifolia (Smithii) in 'what may be deemed 

 their typical or usual forms. The third figure, intended to represent 

 the root of Lachenalii, is much less successful. 1 have occasionally 

 seen roots almost as slender and tapering, on plants which had pro- 

 bably grown in very damp ground or ditches. But the examples 

 which I dug up on the coast of Devon (among Juncus acutus) in 1844, 

 and many of those which 1 have examined from other localities, had 

 tuber-like roots, far thicker and shorter than those represented in the 

 figiue of Lachenalii ; being, in fact, much nearer, both in size and 

 shape, to the tubers of Smithii, as represented and described by 

 Mr. Lees. 



In my former paper, of January, 1844, I remarked about the tubers 

 of the three species — " Still they vary greatly, even in the same spe- 

 cies ; and single tubers might be taken from one species which would 

 then readily pass for those of another" (Phytol. ii. 12). Notwithstand- 

 ing this statement, the simple expression of facts actually in existence, 

 and ready for the eyes of any botanist who might choose to look at 

 them — Mr. Lees confidently as- 

 serts that the species may always 

 be distinguished by the roots 

 alone, as figured and described 

 by himself; that is to say, by 

 terms and figures which abso- 

 lutely deny the smallest approxi- 

 mation or resemblance between 

 the roots of the three species. 

 Whence springs this utter disre- 

 gard and virtual contradiction of 

 the published statements of a- 

 nother botanist, whose practical 

 acquaintance with plants may at 

 least be pronounced equally ex- 

 tensive as that of Mr. Lees 

 himself ? 



The annexed cuts show vari- 

 ous forms of the tubers in each 

 of the three species. With one 



exception, the specimens from ce. pimpiueiioides, unn. 



Vol. II. 3 c 



