935 



anywhere in Europe. ' Is it not odd, however,' Mr. Borrer further 

 remarks, ' that Malva crispa should ever have been thought a variety 

 of this? It is rather remarkable that Mr. Motley has seen the M. 

 crispa in the same field, but concluded that it was from its being- 

 kept in gardens for garnishing dishes at table. Is it possible that af- 

 ter all they are but varieties ? I do not recollect the fruit of M. 

 crispa.' In regard to M. crispa," (resumes Sir William) " though it 

 is said to be a native of Syria, I possess only a cultivated specimen 

 in my herbarium from our English gardens; and the fruit of that, 

 though nearly resembling that of M, verticillata, is yet different. 

 The margin of the carpels is not rounded off, but comes to an angle, 

 so as not to present a distinct furrow between the carpels ; and the 

 radiating lines from the sides do not become obsolete at the margins, 

 but extend across the back to the dorsal line : such is the case with 

 the excellent figure in Reichenbach's ' Icones Fl. Germ, et Helv. 

 MalvaccEe, Tab. 166, n. 4834.'" 



It would seem from our quotations, that Sir W. Hooker refers the 

 Welsh plant to the Linnean Malva verticillata chiefly, if not solely, 

 on account of the similarity of its fruit. Mr. Borrer recognizes this 

 point of resemblance, but gives his opinion for their identity more 

 guardedly on account of certain differences in the form and disposi- 

 tion of the leaves, between the Welsh and Linnean specimens. Both 

 these botanists apparently entertain some suspicion that the Welsh 

 plant may be a form of Malva crispa ; and the fact of Mr. Motley 

 finding both of them in the same field, must be allowed to weigh 

 something on the side of this view. The Malva crispa is probably a 

 garden variety, like the curled parsley or crisp mint ; and it seems 

 not beyond probability that the Welsh examples may be those of 

 the same species in its more natural condition. We have not seen 

 any of the Welsh specimens ; but the figure of the " single carpel," 

 given in the Journal, is truly very like the carpels of M. crispa ; and 

 if we make the necessary allowance for the want of curled leaves, the 

 figure of the plant itself might pass for one of M. crispa. In our 

 dried example of the latter (a road-side specimen, probably from 

 some garden) the carpels are not so much rounded on the back as 

 the figure of the undivided fruit expresses, and some of the radiating 

 lines from the sides of each carpel do extend across the back, as Sir 

 William Hooker intimates. It is to be hoped that some of our coun- 

 try botanists will raise the M. crispa from seed, and ascertain whe- 

 ther any of the progeny may sport (revert?) into something more like 

 M. verticillata. We transcribe the description, marking by italics 



