32 BRITISH BOTANY. 



vate or oblong, sharply toothed. Petals about twice the length 

 of the sepals, smaller than in B. vulgaris. Pods four-cornered, 

 straight, erect, contiguous to the stem, with a beak nearly half 

 the length of the pedicel. 



Yorkshire, between Sheffield and Halifax, and between Wee- 

 don and Blisworth, plentifully. Mi'. Borrer. It is one of the 

 excluded species in Grenier and Godron^s 'Flore de France:' 

 these authors say, " Barbarea stricta, Andrz., n'a ete indique en 

 France que par confusion avec le B. vulgaris." We have not 

 seen fresh wild specimens, but we have no doubt about its being 

 distinct from B. vulgaris. Qy. Naturalized, or a genuine native ? 



B, prsecox, Br. e.b. 1129. l.b.s. 97. 

 A. 10. C. ? 



Stems erect, grooved, glabrous, branched, leafy. Root-leaves 

 lyrate, with a terminal ovate lobe; stem-leaves pinnatifid, with 

 linear-oblong lobes ; uppermost loith a narroio, cuneate, terminal 

 lobe. Clusters of fruit lax. Peduncles curved, ascending. Pods 

 spreading, slightly compressed. Seeds greyish, alveolate. 



In waste places, south of England, Mitcham, Brentford. Bi- 

 ennial; May-July. Qy. Naturalized? 



Grenier and Godron, ' Flore de France,' p. 92, intimate their 

 doubts about the specific distinctness of these species as follows : 

 — " II serait possible que la longueur et la direction des siliques 

 n'aient pas autant de valeur, comme caracteres specifiques, qu'on 

 leur en a attribue jusqu'ici ; et dans ce cas il faudrait reunir 

 comme simples varietes plusieurs de nos especes. Nous les avons 

 conserves, toutefois, par respect pour les botanistes distingues 

 qui les ont etablies.'' Probably this is the only reason that can 

 be given for the retention, in our lists, of many reputed species. 

 In reference to the present genus, it may be said, that if the 

 fruit does not afford reliable characters for distinguishing the 

 species, it will be vain to rely on the leaves. 



Arabis, Lin. — Annual or perennial plants, more or less in- 

 vested with simple or forked hairs. Leaves simple, toothed, 

 rarely lyrate-pinnatifid ; stem-leaves clasping or nearly sessile. 

 Flowers white, rarely rose-coloured. Sepals erect, sometimes 

 enlarged (gibbous) at the base. Stigma entire or slightly 

 notched. Pod linear, compressed; valves nearly flat, with a 

 longitudinal nerve, or with several irregular faint nerves. Seeds 

 in one row, compressed and bordered. 



