498 



friend Mr. Babington, on a careful study of the subject, concurs in 

 this opinion, and I am delighted to fortify my own view with that of 

 so distinguished an observer. 



After attentively comparing numerous specimens, both recent and 

 dried, of the C alpinum and latifolium of our Scotch and Welch 

 mountains, I am perfectly unable to detect any specific difference be- 

 tween them. Sir W. Hooker, in ' Flora Scotica,' gives as the main 

 distinction, the capsules in C. alpinum being " oblong, curved," and in 

 C. latifohum " ovate," (Fl. Scot. 144) ; while in ' British Flora,' ed. 3, 

 p. 217, he says, "I agree with Mr. Wilson in thinking that there ex- 

 ists scarcely any difference, either in the flower or fruit, between this 

 (C. latifolium) and the preceding (C. alpinum) ; in both, the capsules are 

 broadly oblong, shining, nearly twice as long as the calyx," &c., and 

 the distinguishing characters between the two plants seem to be on- 

 ly in the pubescence, viz., C. alpinum being " clothed with long silky 

 hairs," and C. latifolium " clothed with short, rigid, yellowish pubes- 

 cence." After a careful examination of numerous specimens I have 

 drawn up the following descriptions, and shall then endeavour to es- 

 tablish the essential characters of the three plants, viz., the one from 

 Shetland, and the C. alpinum and latifolium of our authors. 



Cerastium latifolium, (Linn.) 



Plant 2 — 5 inches high, branching ; stems prostrate for about half 

 their length, then ascending, never rooting ; whole plant covered with 

 a dense, short, glandular pubescence ; leaves orbicular, obtuse, dark 

 green; Jrac^eas herbaceous, lanceolate, acute; sepals blunt, with a 

 membranous border half their own breadth ; peduncles one-flowered, 

 equalling the flower ; Jiowers large, white, with green veins in the in- 

 side ; petals bifid at the apex ; capsule ovate, shining, scarcely longer 

 than the calyx, opening with ten valves. 



This seems to be the original plant of Linnaeus, and the C. latifo- 

 lium of the continental botanists, for I have specimens commimicated 

 by M. Leresche from the Alpes du Vallais, exactly similar to the 

 Shetland specimens, except in having the leaves slightly acute ; and 

 Mr, Babington writes me that Reichenbach, in his ' Icones Florae 

 Germanicae, figures the form as " C. latifolium, var. glaciate, of Gau- 

 din, Fl. Helv." 



Abundant on a serpentine hill to the north of the bay of Baltasound, 

 Unst, Shetland, extending over about a square mile of ground. This 

 station is interesting as being the only one hitherto known in Britain 



