BOTANY 



was between Marholm and Walton, but it will be doubtless found in other situations if looked 

 for. 



Hitherto I have not seen a specimen from any other country, but from the plant occurring 

 almost exclusively in arable fields and especially in crops of seeds and sainfoin, we might expect 

 the plant to be of foreign origin ; but Professor Hackel of S. Poelton, the greatest living 

 authority on grasses, tells me he has not yet seen any besides English specimens. I may 

 add that I named the plant Bromus interruptus, and the specific name was adopted because of 

 the interrupted character of the inflorescence, which is very different from the panicle of the 

 soft brome grass to which in other characters it is allied. Notwithstanding the opinions 

 expressed by some of the botanists of the British Museum, Professor Hackel, C. B. Clarke the 

 President of the Linnean Society, and other eminent botanists agree with me in describing it 

 as a distinct species, differing as it does from the soft brome in several important characters, 

 which are retained unchanged in cultivation. 



For further details see a paper by me which appeared in the Journal of the Linnean Society, 

 vol. xxxii. pp. 426-430 (1896), and in my Flora of Berkshire, pp. 598-595- 



In the same locality I also met with a variety of the wild oat {Avena fatua) which I had 

 previously gathered near Slough in Buckinghamshire, which is at once seen to differ from the 

 type in possessing only one awn. Professor Hackel tells me he has never before seen this form, 

 and he names it var. uniaristata, and gives this diagnosis : ' Spiculas biflorse cum rudimento 

 pedicelliforme floris tertii, flore inferiore aristato, superiore mutico, quam inferiore | breviore, 

 utroque glaberrimo vel inferiore pilis paucis obsito.' 



The species which have become extinct or so scarce as to have evaded my observation in 

 the county include the following : — 



Hairy Buttercup. Ranunculus sardous, Crantz ; 

 R. hirsutus, Curt. Frequently confused by 

 botanists with hairy forms of the common 

 buttercup 



Wall Rocket. Dtphtaxis tenuifolia, DC. Formerly 

 on Northampton Castle 



Cress. Teesdalia nudicaulii, R. Br. 



Saponaria officinalis, L. ; var. cmcava. A monstrosity 

 observed by Gerard in a spinney near Litch- 

 borough prior to 1597 



Sundew. Drosera rotundifolia, L. In Harleston 

 up to 1836 



Nottingham Catchfly. Silene nutans, L. Recorded 

 by Morton from the neighbourhood of Harring- 

 worth, but here I think S. noctiflora was mistaken 

 for it 



Pearl wort. Sagina subulata, Presl. Recorded prob- 

 ably in error from Borough Hill in Baker's 

 History 



Marsh Cinquefoil. Potenlilla palustris. Scop. ; 

 Comarum palustre, L. Biggin 



Field Eryngo. Eryngium campestre, L. Formerly 

 near Brockhall 



Sweet Cicely. Myrrhis Odorata, Scop. Only of 

 casual occurrence 



Slender-headed Thistle. Carduus pycnocephalus, L. ; 

 var. tenuiflorus (Curt.) 



Field Ragwort. Senecio campeslris, DC. Witter- 

 ing Heath 



Prickly-headed Knapweed or Star Thistle. Cen- 

 taurea Calcitrapa, L. 



Swine's Succory. Amoseris pusilla, Gaertn. For- 

 merly near Creaton 



Smooth Cat's-ear. Hypochceris glabra, L. De- 

 stroyed by ironstone excavations 



Stinking Hawk's-beard. Crepis fixtida, L. Sup- 

 posed to have been gathered by Bobart near 

 Whittlebury Forest prior to 1712 



Rampion. Campanula Rapunculus, L. 



Bell-flower. Campanula rapunculoides, L. 



Spreading Bell-flower. Campanula patula, L. 

 Possibly erroneously recorded 



Fringed Water-lily. Limnanthemum peltatum, Gmel. 

 Formerly at Peterborough, but perhaps not 

 within the limits of our county 



Mudwort. Limosella aquatica, L. Near Kelmarsh ; 

 Morton, 1 71 2 



Water Germander. Teucrium Scordium, L. Ditches 

 in the Fen; Morton, 1 71 2 



Ground Pine. Ajuga Chamapitys, Schreb. 



Downy Woundwort. Stachys germanica, L. For- 

 merly in quarries near Fineshade 

 Small Bladderwort. Utricularia minor is included 

 in Topographical Botany, but on whose authority 

 I have been unable to ascertain 



Buck's-horn Plantain. Plantago Coronopus, L. 

 Billing Lings. 



Garlic. Allium oleraceum, L. 



Spider Orchis. Ophrys aranifera, Huds. Southorpe, 

 etc. 



Tall Sedge. Cladium jamaicense, Crantz ; C. 

 Mariscus, R. Br. Probably originally confused 

 with Scirpus sylvaticiu, and certainly not recently 

 observed 



M.irsh Fern. Diyopteris Tkelypteris, A. Gray. 

 {Lastrea Thelypteris, Presl.) 



Sweet-scented Mountain Fern. Dryopteris montana, 

 Kuntze. (JLastrea Oreopteris, Presl.) 



Royal Fern. Osmunda regarts, L. Moulton 



Pillwort. Pilukria globulifera, L. Borough Fen 



Several species have been erroneously recorded by various observers, and probably the 

 following belong to the category ; in a few cases the plant may have been really noticed in one 

 of the bordering counties and not within our boundary. 



79 



