520 



The last botanical notice in the number is a short but interesting 

 separate paper entitled — 



''^Notice of the Smilacina hifolia (Convallaria hifoUaJ, a British 

 Plant. By R. Embleton, Surgeon. 



" For my knowledge of this interesting addition to the British Flora, I am indebt- 

 ed to my friend, the Rev. Osd. Head, of Howiclc, who discovered it growing, rather 

 sparingly, " under the shade of a wide spreading heech," in one of the woods at How- 

 ick. It has hitherto been found in France, Germany, and other parts of the conti 

 nent ; and I possess a specimen in my herbarium from Norway, collected by my friend 

 Mr. R. B. Bowman, of Leadenhall St., London. It is a graceful and beautiful plant, 

 and well deserves a share of the admiration which is so universally given to the other 

 members of the natural family (the lily of the valley tribe) to which it belongs. It is 

 easily recognised by its creeping roots, from which arises a delicate stem from live to 

 seven inches in height, with two alternate ovate leaves, and terminated by a spike of 

 small, delicate, white flowers. It flowers in July. 



" Since its discovery in the woods of Howick, I am informed by Mr. Duncan, Earl 

 Grey's gardener, that it is found in the woods at Kenwood, the seat, I believe, of the 

 Earl of Mansfield, and from which place, through the kindness of the same individu- 

 al, I possess specimens, which do not show any diS'erence from those gathered at 

 Howick, with the exception of their being a little more succulent. It is there found 

 in similar situations, namely, under the shade of beech and fir trees. It may, proba- 

 bly, hereafter be found in many other quiet, shady spots of our native woods, and will 

 well repay the wandering botanist for his labour of love in its search. 



"Embleton, Sept. 21, 1842." 



Much as we should rejoice at seeing the claims of this pretty little 

 plant to a place among our indigenous species fully established, we 

 must confess that at present we can only look upon it as an intruder, 

 although one which we can hail with a hearty welcome. Loudon 

 gives the year 1596 as the date of its introduction into Britain, so 

 that it is perhaps only surprising that it should not have been previ- 

 ously met with in an apparently wild state. There are several other 

 plants possessing an equally good title to be recognized as British, 

 since they are at least completely naturalized, and yet botanists are 

 not at all disposed to look upon them as true Britons : Lihum Marta- 

 gon, Chelidonium majus and Ornithogalum nutans maybe mentioned 

 as examples. Linnaeus, in his ' Flora Lapponica,' enters fully into 

 the consideration of the question whether this plant should or should 

 be considered a species of Convallaria; and comes to the conclusion 

 that it really belongs to that genus. 



We hope at no very distant period to be able to renew our acquain- 

 tance with the ' Proceedings of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club.' 



