384 



it may be in others ; and, therefore, in all probability Cuscuta Has- 

 siaca will be met with elsewhere. E. G. Varenne. 



Kelvedon, Essex, October, 1851. 



Inquiry respecting the Occurence of Selaginella Helvetica in Britain. 

 By the Rev. W. W. Spicer, M.A. 



Can any reader of the ' Phytologist' verify or refute the alleged 

 existence of Selaginella Helvetica in England in former days ? I was 

 surprised, on looking over Sherard's herbarium, at Oxford, some years 

 ago, to find a specimen of this lycopod among the British 'Filices. 

 There was no record of locality with it ; but there were five labels, 

 three of which contained references to old botanic authors ; a fourth 

 had the Linnean name, with a reference to Sp. PI. p. 1568, n. 18, in 

 the handwriting (as Mr. Baxter, who was then Curator, informed me) 

 of Dr. J. Sibthorp. The remaining label was a paragraph, cut out 

 from a copy of the third edition of Ray's Synopsis, at the foot of the 

 108th page, and is to this effect: — 



" Hujus una tantum species adhuc innotuit, nempe Muscus, &c. 

 C. B. Quern licet Lobelius Somersetise sterilibus montibus, Mendip 

 vocatis, ubi plumbeum effoditur, nonnunquam magna copia provenire 

 memoriae proditum reliquerit. Nemo tamen post eum nee ibi nee 

 aliis locis hunc Museum in Anglia adhuc observavit. Nee loca a 

 Merreto in Pin. p. 80. Mcmorata huic Musco competunt, sed alii 

 procul dubio speciei, quam pro hoc perperam habuit. Herbarium 

 sane ipsius nullum hujus Musci specimen continent." (The "loca a 

 Merreto memorata " are " damp places at the Neathouses and Kings- 

 bridge, by the Thames' side.") 



I desired Mr. Baxter to inspect other herbaria for me, and he soon 

 after wrote me as follows: — " Besides the Sherardian herbarium, I have 

 examined those also of Morrison, Dillenius, and Dubois, all of which 

 contain specimens of Lycopodium helveticum ; but neither of them 

 give any localities for it." Now the question is, were Lobel and Mer- 

 ret really mistaken, and did the specimens get accidentally into the 

 herbaria of Sherard, &c. ? It seems hardly likely. Neither is it 

 likely that they should all combine to place this particular exotic (if 

 it is one) in the British department of their herbaria. Perhaps a 

 search through other old herbaria, or an examination of some old 

 botanical works, might throw some lighten the subject. The dates of 

 the above-named authors are : — Lobel, 1570 ; Merrett, 16(37 ; Mori- 

 son, 1670; Ray, 1724 (3rd edition) ; Sherard (died), 1728; Dillenius, 

 1741. I do not know Dubois' date. W. W. SricER. 



Itchen Abbas, October 25, 1851. 



