74 RARER FORMS OF RUBUS LATELY FOUND IN DORSET. 



bramble forms. I believe Dorset to be almost exceptionally rich 

 in these, but that may only be because it has lately been (in its 

 south-eastern portion) pretty closely studied by several specialists, 

 chiefly by the Revs. W. Moyle Rogers and E. F. Linton, of 

 Bournemouth, while we have had the great advantage of visits 

 from Mr. T. R. Archer Briggs, whose recent death we mourn, than 

 whom none had a greater acquaintance with the Rubi of the south- 

 west of England, and from Dr. Focke, the great German specialist. 

 I myself have also tried to do some little work in this direction. 

 In consequence of these investigations I am now enabled to lay 

 before you descriptions of several Rubi which have either been 

 very lately added to the British lists or are of great rarity in 

 England. They are all from the valley of the Stour, or the country 

 within a very few miles of it. 



Rubus sulcatus, Vest. Dullar Wood, one mile from Bailey Gate 

 Station. I had the good fortune to find this species for the first 

 time in July last (1890), but the bushes which I then saw had 

 been much cut about, so that I passed the plant as probably a form 

 of Rubus suberectus, Anders. A few days later I showed it to Mr. 

 Rogers, who at once suggested sulcatus. Mr. Briggs accompanied 

 me further into the wood, and soon all doubts were dispelled by 

 the discovery of further specimens in fine condition. Several 

 plants threw their flowering panicles full ten feet into the air. 

 This species can hardly be confused with any other except suberectus, 

 and perhaps plicafus. From R. suberectus it differs by its sulcate 

 stems, with strong prickles, dilated and compressed at base, stalked 

 lower leaflets and sepals reflexed after flowering. R. sulcatus has 

 a wide distribution in western Europe, being found in Scandinavia, 

 Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. It also occurs, but 

 very rarely, both in England and Scotland. In all probability it is 

 a form of considerable antiquity. Areschoug suggests that it 

 appeared originally as a modification of R. plicatus. It was first 

 recorded as British by Professor Babington in 1886, having been 

 found (probably in the previous year) in Perthshire by the late Mr. 

 A. Sturrock. Since then it has been reported from a few English 



