ADDITIONAL SPECIES. 287 



swelling upwards, especially when bearing seed, fistular." THOM- 

 SON in litt. SPRENG. Syst. Veg. iii. 663. 



Hob. " Frequent on the banks of the Tweed at Birgham 

 and Lennel, and in fields near Eccles," Mr R. D. Thom- 

 son. Frequent all over the east and north of Berwick- 

 shire and N. Durham, occurring at the sides of fields, in 

 waste grounds, and also in Deans. June Oct. 7/ 



Herb smooth, leek-green, abounding with a bitter milky 

 juice. Root tapering. Stem 2 to 3 feet high, branched. 

 Flowers, not including the involucre, about an inch in 

 diameter, yellow, solitary, closing before noon. The boys in 

 this neighbourhood chew the seeds before they have be- 

 come hardened and mature. 



For this very interesting addition to our wild plants, the 

 botanist is solely indebted to Mr R. D. THOMSON, son of 

 the Rev. Mr THOMSON of Eccles; and I have much plea- 

 sure in recording the discovery, the more so as my young 

 friend is a native of the county whose vegetable produc- 

 tions I have attempted to describe. Having satisfied him- 

 self that the species was distinct from T. pratensis, with 

 which I had confounded it, Mr THOMSON stated his opi- 

 nion, and carried a specimen to Dr HOOKER, who deter- 

 mined it to be without doubt the T. major of JACQUIN'S 

 Flora Austriaca, and of SMITH in REES' Cyclopedia. (Hoox. 

 in litt.) 



BIDENS. 



I. B. cernua, leaves lanceolate, serrated ; flowers drooping, yel- 

 low ; bracteas nearly equal, entire ; bristles of the seeds about 

 four, erect Nodding Bur-marigold. 



Hal. Ditches and ponds, very rare. Pond near Girtrigg 

 on the farm of Lady flat, Berwickshire, Mr Thomas 

 Brown. Aug. Sept. Q 



The following remarks relative to this plant have been com- 

 municated to me by Mr BROWN. " Annual plants, it has 

 been observed, produce in general more seed than peren- 

 nial, and the reason is obvious. The Bidens is annual, and 

 we might expect it to have the benefit of this provision, 

 for indeed the circumstances of its growth seem to call for 

 greater productiveness than is common even among an- 

 nuals. It is found by the sides of ponds and ditches, and 

 its seeds are thus even in danger of being blown either to 

 the dry land or to the deeper parts of the pond. In either 



