814 



408. Note on Villarsia nymph ceoides. Having seen in ' The Phy- 

 tologist,' several stations for Villarsia nympliEeoides in Middlesex 

 (Phytol. 747), I beg to mention one in Surrey. I have seen it grow- 

 ing plentifully near Isleworth ferry, in the ditch between the park and 

 the Thames. — Alexander JViUiamson : Kew, November 8, 1843. 



409- Note on Impatiens fulva. In addition to the several stations 

 mentioned for Impatiens fulva (Phytol. 63), I may name three others, 

 where I have seen it growing this season. The first is near Barnes, 

 in a marsh between the road and the Thames, but it is not plentiful. 

 The second is near Isleworth, on the right hand side of the road to 

 Twickenham, in a ditch that runs across the field, where it is abun- 

 dant. The third is near Hounslow, where it grows about the sides of 

 some ponds near the mills. — Id. 



410. Note on Fritillaria Meleagris. It may be interesting to some 

 of your readers, especially Mr. Edwards (Phytol. 580), to know that 

 this pretty plant and early ornament of our meadows, produced its 

 drooping flowers in abundance last April, in the locality mentioned 

 by Mr. E., half way between Mortlake and Kew bridge; but I am 

 sorry to say that too many of the radical botanists visited this station 

 during the time it was in flower; such hands prove more destructive 

 than the Mortlake children, even supposing they do pull off the flow- 

 ers to ornament their May-garlands. — J. Ross : B. G. Kew, Novem- 

 ber 9, 1843. 



411. Note on Aspidium spinulosum. I am sorry to differ from Mr. 

 Bree in respect to his observations on Aspidium spinulosum (Phytol. 

 773), more particularly his remark " that the application of the speci- 

 fic name of spinulosum to a British fern (first adopted, I believe, by 

 Smith and Sowerby in * English Botany') originated in error." The 

 error will, I think, rest with the continental botanists, beginning with 

 Willdenow, who applied this name to a plant differing from the species 

 so named by Muller in ' Flora Danica.' This author first introduced 

 our plant in his ' Flora Fridichsdalina,' published in 1767, as a vari- 

 ety of Polypodium Filix-femina : becoming editor of the ' Flora Da- 

 nica,' he figured it in that work. No. 707, under the name of Polypo- 

 dium spinulosum. Withering was the first English author who 

 noticed it : my excellent friend, the late James Dickson, refenred to 

 by Mr. Bree, was, I believe, acquainted with the plant, but has no- 

 where published it. Withering was followed by Hull and Symons ; 

 Smith, changing the generic name to Aspidium, described it in 1804, 

 in his 'Flora Britannica' (vol. iii.), well observing, — ^^ Distinct a 

 species a CL Witheringio bene elucidata^ By this it will appear 



