799 



phyllum of British authors ; that so called by Linneus being probably 

 made up of several species now regarded as distinct : but I confess 

 the European plants of this genus appear some of them to be separated 

 by characters savouring of too much discriminative refinement. The 

 Rev. G. E. Smith, who remarks our Thesium to be " astonishingly 

 abundant and very fine" at Ventnor, observes that it occurs there 

 very frequently with proliferous extremities. At Norton, in Freshwa- 

 ter, it grows on the loose sand of the flat sea-shore at the western end 

 of the Spit. Here the central stems are erect or ascending at base, 

 and much stouter than the lateral and exterior, that are prostrate or 

 procumbent. The thick, yellowish, woody root is said by Mr. Mitten 

 to be parasitic. The little white flowers have a remarkably neat look, 

 and the tuft of white hairs on the perianth — reaching up to, but not 

 united with, the anthers — is a curious part of their structure, the use 

 of which is by no means apparent. 



%Aristolochia Clemaiitis. Naturalized about habitations and old 

 ruins, especially of religious hooses ; very rare. Under the old gar- 

 den wall of the monastey of St. Cross, near Winchester ; Dr. A. D. 

 White !!! At Borden Lodge, Wolmer Forest, near Linford Headley ; 

 Mr. Prettyj ohn !!! Abundant in both places, and in each introduced 

 before the memory of the present occupiers. Borden Lodge is an old 

 and lonely tenement on a wild part of Wolmer Forest, now inhabited 

 by a Mr. Wm. White, I think one of the forest keepers : the Aristolo- 

 chia was growing in considerable plenty in sandy, cultivated ground 

 along the palings in front of the house, and amongst potatoes, when I 

 visited the spot in September last ; one specimen was gathered in 

 fruit, which I believe is rarely perfected when formed, and this it sel- 

 dom is from peculiarity of structure in the flower opposing an obstacle 

 to impregnation of the ovary, besides the disposition the plant has to 

 increase by the widely creeping root. Mr. White being from home 

 when I called, I was unable to learn whether the Birthwort occurred 

 in other places about the premises, but I understand the date of its 

 introduction is unknown to him and his forest neighbours, who regard 

 it as a nameless curiosity, and from its strong smell endowed, pro- 

 bably, with great medicinal virtues.* Although unquestionably not 

 indigenous, the Birthwort is perfectly and permanently established in 

 both stations, beyond all likelihood of extirpation, and quite as much 

 at home here as in any of the recorded British habitats that I have 

 seen, which are all equally artificial in their origin with our Hamp- 



* See p. 668 of the present volume. 



