457 



In Braunii some are large, pale, and lanceolate, intermixed with 

 others smaller, hair-like, and of the same colour. 



We have purposely made the differences described by the author 

 as salient as possible, omitting the detail which offers little or nothing 

 of a decided character. Before quitting the subject we would, how- 

 ever, remark, that both lobatum and Braunii have subsessile and de- 

 current pinnules, while aculeatum, intervening between them, has the 

 pinnules petiolate ; thus the character on which we had most relied 

 in this country for separating the extremes, appears to be held by 

 our author as of no importance. 



K. 



Abstract of a Paper by Professor Edward Forbes on some Peloria 

 Varieties of Viola canina. Extracted from the ' Proceedings 

 of the Linnean Society,' xxxvi. 382. 



These monstrosities were collected by Prof. Forbes in the Isle of 

 Portland in the month of April. The plants in which they occurred 

 were infested by the parasitic fungus figured in Sowerby's ' English 

 Fungi ' under the name of Granularia Violae, and afforded not only 

 many distortions of the foliaceous organs evidently due to the pre- 

 sence of the fungus, but also various monstrosities of the flower, of 

 which the author gives a particular description illustrated by drawings. 



These were found chiefly in the small variety of Viola canina, 

 figured in the ' Supplement to English Botany ' as Viola flavicornis. 

 One of these plants had two two-spurred flowers exactly similar and 

 deviating from the ordinary structure in the following particulars : — 

 There were four sepals, all enlarged and diseased, the superior being- 

 smaller than the others, the two lateral equal but abnormally large, 

 and the anterior largest and not quite regular. The petals were also 

 four in number, the two uppermost being regular and the two lower- 

 most spurred. Each of the former had the little tufts of hairs seen 

 on the lateral petals in the normal flower, and were similarly pale at 

 the base and lineated with purple, while the two spurred petals were 

 smooth and lineated. Of the four stamens the three uppermost were 

 normal, the fourth much enlarged ; there were no antherine appen- 

 dages, but at the bottom of each petal-spur there was a strong ridge 

 not usually present and as if representing these appendages. From 

 these appearances the author infers that in these instances the two 

 superior petals were abortive, the tufts of hairs on the two remaining 

 Vol. hi. 3 o 



