461 



Mr. Townsend remarl^s (Phytol. ii. 421) that " Loudon gives the 

 date of its introduction 1826, ' Bot. Reg.,' 1830." I fear, however, 

 there must be some mistake here, for in Loudon's ' Encyclopaedia of 

 Plants' the date of its introduction is stated " 1812." I have, how- 

 ever, at present in my hands no other authority to refer to. The date 

 of introduction of the plant seems to be of some importance, as on it 

 depends, in a degree, the probability of its being considered indige- 

 nous. The Rev. W. T. Bree states (Phytol. ii. 421) that he found the 

 plant naturalized and thriving robustly near Abergavenny " so long 

 ago as the summer of 1824," and Mr. Jackson mentions the circum- 

 stance of his father's having found it at the Invergowrie station " more 

 than twenty-tvro years ago," adding " I believe it was known to some 

 botanists a good many years previous to that date ;" and this former 

 statement of Mr. J. is corroborated by a very intelligent person who 

 has long resided near Invergowrie, with whom I was lately conversing 

 on the subject. Now all these dates are prior to 1826, and if the 

 plant was not introduced into the gardens until that year, as stated 

 by Mr. Townsend, it is clear that it could not be a garden fugitive. 

 But I am rather inclined to think that the date of introduction given 

 in the Encyclopaedia (1812) is correct, the more so, from being cre- 

 dibly informed that the plant was known in the gardens in this 

 quarter so early as the year 1814. If it has been really found natural- 

 ized previous to the date of its introduction, the circumstance would 

 form a strong proof in favour of its being indigenous ; but assuming 

 1812 to be the correct date of introduction, I am not aware of any 

 report to this effect having yet appeared. If it can be ascertained 

 that the plant has somewhere been found previous to 1812, then the 

 probability will be strong that it is a native. In the meantime, how- 

 ever, I think we can only consider it naturalized. 



Geo. Lawson. 



108, Hawkhill, Dundee, 



10th February, 1846. 



Notice of '■ Flora Azorica ; founded upon the Collections and Notes of 

 the two Hochsletters. By Mauritius Seubert, M.D., &c. 

 Bonn, 1844.' 



A peculiar interest has been given to the Botany of the Atlantic by 

 the ingenious hypothesis on ' Endemic Plants ' laid before the last 

 meeting of the British Association by Professor Edward Forbes, in 

 Vol. II. 3 l 



