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Notes on some British Specimens distributed hy the Botanical So- 

 ciety of London, in 1846. By Hewett C. Watson, Esq. 



In the ' Phytologist ' for February of last year, the editor obliged 

 me by printing some explanations about certain new or otherwise in- 

 teresting British plants, then distributing by the Botanical Society. 

 Perhaps I may be allowed the same privilege again, as there appears 

 no other channel so suitable for recording the information which can- 

 not be conveyed by labels. Unfortunately, there are very few exam- 

 ples of the two first species in the following list, so that the plants 

 will still remain desiderata with almost all of the members. 



1. — Vaccinium macrocarpum (Ait.) — This elegant plant was dis- 

 covered in August last, by Dr. Bidwell, and should it prove to be 

 truly a native of Britain, the fact will be important and unexpected in 

 geographical Botany. The locality in which it was found, is that of 

 Soughton bog, two miles and a half from Mold, by the road to Flint. 

 The bog is stated to be of small size, and close to the road. Dr. 

 Bid well's inquiries failed to elicit any evidence towards showing that 

 the plant had been designedly planted in this station. Hitherto the 

 species has been known as a native only of North America, but it is 

 occasionally cultivated in English Gardens, either for its fruit, or as 

 an ornament around ponds of water. In general appearance it resem- 

 bles our Vaccinium Oxycoccus, but is a much larger and more showy 

 plant. 



2. — Cerastium strictum (Linn.). — Mr. Andrews discovered this 

 plant last autumn, on Great Arran Isle, Galway. The examples are 

 labelled by the discoverer " Cerastium arvense var. strictum^'' and 

 they certainly approach very near to some forms of C. arvense, with 

 which many other good botanists now unite the C. strictum. 



3. — Cirsium setosum (Bieb,). — Twenty specimens of this recent ad- 

 dition to the Scottish Flora, were obligingly sent for the Society by its 

 original discoverer in Britain, Dr. Dewar. This is one of the inter- 

 mediate species which connect the genera Carduus and Serratula. It 

 is nearly allied to Carduus (Cnicus or Cirsium) arvensis. 



4. — Galium Vaillantii (De C). — The Society is indebted to G. S. 

 Gibson, Esq., the discoverer of this Galium in England, for the speci- 

 mens distributed. Mr. Gibson's experiments in raising this plant 

 from seeds, equally as further observation of the wild examples, con- 

 firm him in the belief that it is quite distinct from G. Aparine, of 

 which it has been deemed a variety. It seems, however, that G. spu- 

 rium (said to have been fuuud in Shetland by George Don) must be 



