564 



caused a great sensation amongst agriculturists. Assuredly very 

 nearly related to the last species ; but the characters have been well 

 pointed out by Mr. Babington, and with these my rather poor and 

 imperfect specimens, gathered when nearly out of flower and half de- 

 stroyed by the sheep, agree very exactly. The evil, like many others, 

 proved greater in anticipated than in real magnitude, and now the 

 clover dodder is seldom heard of or talked about, having either died 

 out of the country, or through the operation of natural causes been 

 restrained from becoming injuriously prevalent. Mr. Borrer, I be- 

 lieve, found this plant in Sussex more than forty years ago, by which 

 we may conclude it to be no newly-arrived stranger amongst us, and 

 that it would still have passed unnoticed but for the sudden inordinate 

 increase, which gave it an unwelcome notoriety. The acotyledonous 

 and spiral embryo, scale-like appendages to the corolla, leafless and 

 parasitic habit, are surely sufficient characters on which to found the 

 natural order of Cuscutaceae adopted by Lindley and other eminent 

 botanists. 



Wm. A. Bromfield. 

 Eastmount House, Ryde, Isle of Wight, 

 April, 1849. 



(To be continued). 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



Friday, May 4, 1849. — John Reynolds, Esq., Treasurer, in the 

 chair. 



The following donations were announced : — 



' Flora Hertfordiensis,' by the Rev. R. H. Webb and the Rev. W. 

 H. Coleman ; presented by the authors. ' Transactions of the Ber- 

 wickshire Naturalists' Club ;' presented by Mr. R. Embleton. 'Jour- 

 nal and Transactions of the Pharmaceutical Society ;' presented by 

 the Society. ' Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society ;' 

 presented by the Society. ' Agricultural Magazine ;' presented by 

 the editor. 



British plants from Mr. R. Embleton and Mr. T. Kirk. 



Mr. Thomas Moore communicated some remarks on a form of the 

 sweet violet {Viola ocloraia), with mottled pale lilac flowers, found in 

 the neighbourhood of Guildford, Surrey. This form was stated to be 



