58 



Cy perns fuscus erroneously supposed to be an Annual. 

 By Thomas Moore, Esq. 



I find it stated in Mr. Babington's Manual and Mr. Steele's Hand- 

 book, that Cyperus fuscus is an annual. This I believe to be an 

 error ; and I have come to this conclusion from the following direct 

 and recent evidence. 



In the autumn of 1847, I visited the Shalford locality of the Cype- 

 rus, and found it abundant enough, just coming into flower. The 

 plant had what we gardeners are in the habit of considering as en- 

 tirely the appearance of an annual. Some specimens were trans- 

 planted, and grew, and flowered finely, perfecting plenty of seed, and 

 ultimately dying on the approach of winter. The experiment of 

 raising plants from seed, and noting their duration, would, of course, 

 be conclusive, but this I have not yet made; nevertheless, there 

 seems no ground to believe that the Cyperus fuscus is only of annual 

 duration. 



Thomas Moore. 



Camden Town, February 7, 1848. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



Thursday, November 11, 1847. — Dr. R. K. Greville, President, in 

 the chair. 



Numerous donations to the herbarium were announced since last 

 meeting ; particularly, large collections of North American and West 

 India plants from Dr. Gavin Watson, Philadelphia, and Dr. Gilbert 

 M'Nab, Jamaica; Iceland plants from Chas. C. Babington, Esq.; 

 Gibraltar plants from Dr. Kelaart; English and Scottish from 

 Dr. Dickson, Jersey, Professor Balfour, Dr. Robertson, and James 

 Mitchell, Esq. ; also a named collection of North American Grasses 

 and Cyperacese, from Wm. Gourlie, jun., Esq. The thanks of the 

 society were voted to the respective donors. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. Remarks on the Physical Geography of Styria, with particular 

 reference to its Flora, by J. E. Oblach, Gratz. In this paper, the au- 

 thor gives an account of the meetings of the German naturalists, and 

 shows their important bearing on the advancement of science. He 

 then proceeds to describe the physical features of Styria. After 



