680 



brium officinale, &c., and therefore I think the agency of Nature only 

 has located the plant there, however that may have been exercised. 

 I am the more induced to mention this, as I did not discover this Le- 

 pidium in time to include it in my Malvern Plants,* which 1 should 

 otherwise have done, since its habitat is on the western side of the 

 Teme, within a little more than five miles of Great Malvern. As I 

 have often poured forth maledictions on road-surveyors for eradicat- 

 ing plants, it is but fair to set down this occurrence as per Contra, Cr. 

 in their favour ; and I dare say the embankments of railways will in 

 time produce some good things. I beg leave to say that I have in 

 fairness left between twenty and thirty plants of the Lepidium, if not 

 more, to perfect their seeds, so that if the locality should become 

 unproductive in future, it will not be my fault. — Edwin Lees ; Church 

 Hill Cottage, Powick, near JVorcester, July 12, 1843. 



[The parallel case of Lavatera Olbia springing up on the embankment of a new 

 road in Epping Forest, has been recorded by Mr. H. Doubleday, (Phytol. 265) ; there 

 is, however, this difference, that we are not aware of any other British station for the 

 Lavatera being on record, while Lepidium Draba has previously occurred in Glamor- 

 ganshire (Phytol. 106), Kent and Cheshire. — Ed.} 



344. Enquiry respecting Equisetum arvense and E. Drummondii. 

 Perhaps you will allow me, through the medium of your periodical, to 

 enquire of your readers whether Equisetum arvense or E. Drummon- 

 dii be the more glaucous of the two ; as I never had the pleasure of 

 seeing E. Drummondii in a living state. My reason for making this 

 enquiry is, that Sir W. J. Hooker tells us (in ' British Flora,' 1st and 

 5th editions) that Drummondii " is greener and less glaucous " [than 

 at'vense]. Francis, speaking of E. Drummondii, says, "this plant 

 differs from Equisetum arvense in its more glaucous, greener colour." 

 I hope to be excused for making this enquiry, for surely, such books 

 as those I have quoted were written for the purpose of being under- 

 stood. I think it can be no printer's error in the ' British Flora,' or 

 it would have been corrected before it had got through five editions, 

 — Samuel Gibson : Hehden Bridge, June 13, 1843. 



345. Enquiry respecting Carex distans. While on the subject of 

 enquiries, perhaps I might be allowed to ask, what is to be under- 

 stood by " the barren stalks," in the description of Carex distans in 

 ' British Flora,' 4th and 5th editions ? As this is a new term among 

 the Carices, I hope to be excused for making the enquiry. I should 

 have taken this for an error of the press, had I not found the same 



* Plants of the Malvern Hills. By Edwin Lees, F.L.S., &c. Tilt & Bogue, 

 Fleet Street : Lamb, Malvern, A notice of this book in our next. 



