849 



plants ; but as no mischief can arise from hesitation, it is surely bet- 

 ter not to be in such haste to swell our catalogues by the introduction 

 of temporary stragglers, which thus shortly disappear again. 



" I have reason to think," writes the author, " that an imperfect 

 specimen of Viola from the island of N. Uist, Scotland, is the V. 

 epipsia {Led.) Fries, which has short peduncles, longer free stipules, 

 and cordate adpressed dentate leaves." Our herbarium has a speci- 

 men from Dalwhinnie, which may be this species. 



In the genus Cerastium we find the atrovirens and pumilum still 

 retained for species distinct from semidecandrum and tetrandrum. 

 The two latter are very bad names, because at variance with fact ; 

 and while continued they will lead to frequent errors. Cosson and 

 Germain use the name "varians" to comprehend this group of "varie- 

 ties " and " sub-varieties." In the alpine species of the genus the 

 author of the Manual has retraced his steps, by again separating the 

 alpinum and latifolium, and placing Edmonston's nigrescens as a 

 variety of the latter, instead of being its typical and sole representa- 

 tive in Britain. Of the propriety of separating the Highland alpinum 

 and latifolium we are fully confirmed by cultivation for several years, 

 and repeatedly raising them from seed. But it is true, also, that 

 Edmondston's C. nigrescens has come up so exactly identical fi'om 

 seed, that branchlets of the offspring and branchlets of the parent 

 plant are undistinguishable after removal from the growing plants. 

 Still, there seems no clear character for a book-distinction between 

 the nigrescens and latifolium. 



In treating the species of Hypericum we are informed by our au- 

 thor, on the authority of Reichenbach, that H. grandifolium {Chois.) 

 grows in Arran, Scotland. We should deem the presumption very 

 strong indeed against the occurrence of this shrub as a native of 

 Arran, Scotland. The Irish isles, so named, may be rather less un- 

 likely, though still not to be deemed likely. Some uncertainty 

 attends the nomenclature of H. grandifolium, however, and Reichen- 

 bach may intend something different from the Androsaemum Webbi- 

 anum {Spach) or Hypericum foliosum [Ait.) under that name. The 

 last-named species is almost as tender as a Fuchsia; its stems being 

 killed to the ground by the ordinary winters of England, though we 

 have seen them survive through mild seasons, like the winter of 

 1845-6. Hypericum barbatum is retained among the undoubted 

 natives, as is the case with many other pretendedly British plants ; 

 for example, Rubus arcticus, Seduni sexangulare, Echinophora spi- 

 nosa, &c. 



