THE PHYTOLOGIST. 



On the Equisetum fluviatile of the ' London Catalogue of British 

 Plants.'' By Hewett C. Watson, Esq. 



The position of "Equisetum fluviatile" among the "Excluded 

 Species " of the ' London Catalogue ' may prove a puzzle to other 

 botanists, equally as to the reviewer of that Catalogue, in the Decem- 

 ber number of the ' Phy tologist ' (Phytol. ii. 1051). And since this 

 position of the Equisetum in question has been selected by the re- 

 viewer as an instance of occasional inaccuracy in the said Catalogue, 

 it may not be amiss to offer the explanation which seems to be re- 

 quired, in connexion with the reviewer's remarks thereon. 



Readers of the ' Phytologist' are well aware that English botanists 

 long habitually applied the name "fluviatile" to that species of Equi- 

 setum which is now currently designated " Telmateia." This error 

 was pointed out by continental botanists, and subsequently corrected 

 by Newman in the former volume of the 'Phytologist' (Phytol. i. 534), 

 and the ' History of British Ferns ' (p. 52). In making the correction, 

 Mr. Newman did not discard the name of " fluviatile " wholly, but 

 transferred it to that other species which most English botanists still 

 know under the name of " limosum." The propriety of this transfer, 

 however, is yet not acquiesced in by some botanists, who are among 

 those most likely to have considered the subject. 



In the first edition of the ' London Catalogue ' the name " Telma- 

 teia" was adopted from Newman in place of " fluviatile." This lat- 

 ter name was in consequence wholly omitted ; that of " limosum " 

 being retained for the plant which most English authors had so de- 

 signated in their works. In editing the second edition of the same 

 Catalogue, the question again came before us, whether the name of 

 " limosum " should be retained, in accordance with the usage of Eng- 

 lish authors generally, or whether the name of " fluviatile " should be 

 adopted from Newman, instead of the former. In the second edition 

 of the ' British Ferns' (p. 51), the two names are treated as synonyms, 

 that is to say, as meaning one single species which is barely distin- 

 guishable into two very slight varieties, the branched and the un- 

 VOL. III. B 



