703 



sown in different parts of the garden by winds or other agencies, both 

 in sunny and in shady situations, none have shown any greater ten- 

 dency to assume the characters of E. montanum, than that of the less 

 luxuriant plants producing shorter and broader leaves ; but these 

 leaves are even more petiolated than the wild examples from Bristol, 

 and always taper to their petioles. Notwithstanding this, however, I 

 find considerable difficulty or uncertainty in fairly assigning the spe- 

 cimens in my herbarium between E. montanum, lanceolatum, and 

 roseum ; for some examples of each of the former two approximate to 

 others presumed to belong to the latter very obscure species. Perhaps 

 some of the members who may receive specimens, will look out for 

 the E. lanceolatum in their own beats, as well as for connecting links 

 between this and E. montanum. The chief difference between them 

 is in their leaves, although the smaller flowers of E. lanceolatum, and 

 some minor characters, may be taken into account. But the analogy 

 of other species shows that the leaves of the Epilobia are very variable, 

 in comparative length and breadth, in the form of their base, and in 

 their insertion. 



3. Euphorbia stricta (" Reich.") — Specimens from the neighbour- 

 hood of Tintern, were supplied by Mr. Thwaites, and (unless I misre- 

 member, by some confusion with the preceding plant) also by Mr. 

 Stephens. This plant has been partially and insufficiently known to 

 English botanists for several years. It is alluded to, under E. platy- 

 phylla, in the fifth edition of the British Flora, as follows :■ — "A plant, 

 according with Reichenbach's figure of '^ E. stricta^ and differing by 

 its narrower leaves fi-om the common E. plaiyphylla {E. stricta Sm.), 

 occurs between Tintern and the Wind-cliff. It is at least a strongly 

 marked var. : Borrer^ Unfortunately, the specimens have lost most 

 of their stem leaves ; but some of them are in good state for showing 

 the better character of difference afforded by the fruit, which, in the 

 Tintern plant, is only half the size of that on the ordinary corn-field 

 E. stricta or platyphylla, and has the "warts" so prominent as rather 

 to be designated by the terra " muricated " than " verrucose." Mr. 

 Kippist has had the Tintern plant under consideration some time, 

 and I must agree with that gentleman in thinking it likely to prove a 

 distinct species from our corn-field plant. The latter, in its luxuriant 

 forms, is called " platyphylla ; " and in its more starved or unbranched 

 forms, takes the name of "stricta;" and when surviving a mild win- 

 ter, so as to flower a second season, it becomes the variety "biennis" 

 of the London Catalogue, which is so different that I could not feel 

 perfectly satisfied in considering it identical with the E. stricta of ' Eng- 



