1078 



Aconitum Napellus, x\tropa Belladonna, Ciielidonium inajus, Cory- 

 dalis lutea, Impatiens Noli-me-tangere, Thalictrura majus, Primula 

 faiinosa, Carduus Marianas, Holtoniapalustris, and many other plants. 



Melampyrum montanum, Johnst. 



A paper by Daniel Oliver, jun., Esq., F.L.S, ' On Melampyrum 

 montanum, Johnst.^ was read. 



" This plant, as described in the ' Berwickshire Flora,' and men- 

 tioned in Babington's ' Manual ' as a variety of M. pratense, I am 

 inclined to believe, has been founded by Dr. Johnston on an exami- 

 nation of an insufficient series of examples of more or less distinct 

 forms of Melampyrum. 



" If I mistake not, the only station mentioned in the ' Berwickshire 

 Flora' for this plant, there described as a new species, is by Cheviot; 

 and I dare say the description may be quite comprehensive enough 

 to include each one of the series which may there occur ; but, I 

 apprehend, the characters, ' smaller in all its parts,' and ' floral leaves 

 quite entire,' are not essential distinctions of the plant, the smaller 

 forms only of which, 1 would suggest, have been familiar to Dr. John- 

 ston. 



" Last year, I described (Phytol. iv. 678) a plant which I called 

 M. pratense, var. ericetorum ; and, in the same communication, 

 hinted that its smaller forms might be identical with the Cheviot 

 M. montanum. 



" I am rather strengthened in this opinion by a series of specimens 

 which I collected, last month, near the Wall-town Crags, Northum- 

 berland. An example or two, selected from these, accompany this 

 notice. It will be observed that the floral leaves (bracts) are, in some 

 of the larger instances of the plant, ovate-lanceolate, or almost ovate 

 at the base, and deeply toothed ; while the smaller ones accord more 

 nearly with Dr. Johnston's M. montanum. Some of these appear to 

 be similar to luxuriant specimens from Urrisbeg, in county Galway, 

 Ireland, where they attain the most considerable size that I have 

 observed. Irish specimens I also send herewith. I may add, that 

 whatever name be applied to this plant, I cannot but think that some 

 comprehensive characters, which would yet sufficiently distinguish it 

 from M. pratense, at least as a marked variety, ought to be substituted 

 for the book-characters of M. montanum." 



Mr. M'Nab exhibited, from the Royal Botanic Garden, a number 

 of plants, which had been recently presented to the Garden. 



