Chickweeds. 537 



First, we hereby train the mind to the practice of that accuracy 

 which is so essential to Science. 



Secondly, there is provided ample occupation for the local botanist. 



Thirdly, by this means are to be collected the items of evidence upon 

 which, eventually, must depend any attempt at establishing something 

 like agreement as to the limits and meaning of species, it being noto- 

 rious that those who are at present most disposed to " lump " species 

 are usually those who have least practical acquaintance with the plants, 

 and that their operations are too often the merest guesses. At the same 

 time it cannot be denied that many species have been recently far too 

 much subdivided, and that it is equally the fault of some " splitting" 

 botanists to have established species with too short experience. Still* 

 for all that, nearly all the progress recently made in the knowledge of 

 our British Plants is owing to the latter of the two " schools," and 

 much will have been gained if we but lay the foundation for future 

 experiments by registering all the "forms" which we can find; thus 

 securing a starting point for observations upon the variability and per- 

 manence of the true species. Common plants, above all others, are 

 likely to famish data for such investigations, because from being more 

 dispersed they exist under more varied conditions, and are under the 

 eyes of a greater number of observers. 



Such being then the importance of the subject, I trust no apology 

 will be needed for introducing to the readers of the " Phytologist" 

 three different plants, which are in this country called indiscriminately 

 Stellaria media, the first of these being the ft, neglecta of Babington's 

 Manual, p. 53. 



i. Stellaria neglecta, Weihe. S. latifolia, D.C. Stems of moderate 

 height, weak, fragile, upright, unbranched, or with only short branches 

 at their base, dichotomous at the summit, with an alternating line of 

 hairs running from knot to knot. Leaves wide, the lower ones stalked, 

 sub-cordiform, pointed; the upper sessile, ovate, pointed. Peduncles 

 very long, reflected when in fruit, usually like the calyx with no hairs. 

 Petals white, bipartite, slightly exceeding the calyx. Stamens ten. 

 Anthers rose at first, then yellowish, at last brown. Styles nearly as 

 long as the stamens. Seeds rough ["acutely tubercled"]. In damp 

 places. 



S. umbrosa, Opitz, the S. media, 7, of Babington's Manual, and 

 S. grandiflora, Ten., is described as having its "leaves narrowed gra- 

 dually into long points, its calyx more narrowed below ; sepals lanceolate, 

 acute, glabrous, but tubercular ; valves of the capsule narrower, seeds 

 with prominent acute tubercles" (Bab. Man., p. 53). In the latter 

 character the plant agrees with S. neglecta, of which it is perhaps a 

 variety. 



S. neglecta in aspect resembles S. nemorum, and it is very probably 

 the former which has been found near Brighton (see p. 157 of this 

 volume). S. neglecta is said to flower in April and May, not the year 

 round like S. media. It is to be noticed that Reichenbach (Flor. Exc.) 

 describes S. neglecta as having decumbent stems. 



