937 



ratus or antheridium, and its fertilization by the entrance of spiral 

 filaments, spermatozoa or pollen-granules, which escape on the burst- 

 ing of the latter. His observations on the marchantimorphous pro-em- 

 bryo, and the origin of the first gyrate frond, were completely fore- 

 stalled by Mac Vicar and Henderson, as were those on the antheridium 

 and its spiral filaments by Nageli. 



K. 

 (To be continued.) 



On the Allium Holmense of Ray. By P. B. Webb, Esq.* 



When treating of the geographical distribution of the Allium Por- 

 rura and A. Ampeloprasum, L. (Phyt. Can. sect. 3, p. 344), the ques- 

 tion arose, — to which of these species should we refer the Allium 

 Holmense, &c, of Ray ? Published in a work of such importance as 

 the ' Historia Plantarum' of that author, this plant naturally attracted 

 the attention of Linneus. In the first edition of the ' Species Plan- 

 tarum,' as well as in the two subsequent editions, he alludes to it 

 under A. Ampeloprasum, of which he says, "habitat in Oriente et 

 in insula Holms Angliae," without however citing Ray amongst his sy- 

 nonyms. Ray first described this plant in his 'Historia Plantarum,' 

 1688, as " Allium montanum majus, Newtoni : Radix nucleis aliquot 

 majusculis constat Allii vulgaris in modum, tunica duntaxat suffusca 

 tecta, quam facile exuit ; de reliquo integra est et Candida, multas, ob- 

 longas, validas fibras demittens : caules 4 pedes altus, et caet. Aug. 

 floret; in parva insula Holms dicta supra Bristolium in Sabrinas 

 aestuario copiose provenit." A few years later he introduces this 

 plant, with corrections, into his ' Synopsis Plantarum Britannicarum' 

 as "Allium Holmense sphasrico capite. Great round-headed Garlick 

 of Holms Island. Hujus descriptionem vide Hist, nostr. p. 1125, 

 ubi radix ejus nucleis aliquot majusculis constare falso asseritur, est 

 enim simplex et tunic ata, duntaxat, cepae in modum. In insula parva 

 quadam Holms dicta in Sabrinae aestuario copiose provenientem obser- 

 vavit D. Newton. Rai. Syn. 1696, et ed. 3, 1724, p. 370." Neither 

 of these descriptions coincides with A. Ampeloprasum, L., seeming 

 rather to refer to A. Porrum, since almost the only tangible character 



* Extract of a letter to Hewett C. Watson, Esq. 



Vol. hi. 6 e 



