64 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



May 13th, 1852.— Dr. Seller, President, in the Chair. 



Dr. Balfour read a letter from Dr. Dickie, mentioning that he hac 

 added two mosses to the Flora of Ireland, viz. Polytrichum hercyni 

 cum and Hypnum rufescens. 



The following papers were read : — 



1 . " Notice of Chinese Vegetable Products transmitted for tht 

 Museum of (Economic Botany," by Mr. Robert Fortune. 



2. " On Plants found in Yorkshire, Westmoreland, and Cumber- 

 land, in April 1 852," by Mr. James B. Davies, 



Mr. Davies gave a complete list of the plants observed by him, 

 with their dates of flowering. 



Professor Balfour exhibited a young plant of Victoria Regia, from 

 one of the hothouses in the Botanic Garden, showing the remarkable 

 difference in the form of the leaves produced in its early stage of 

 growth from those afterwards formed. The plant showed the first- 

 formed linear leaf, followed by the sagittate form, after which, leaves! 

 of a more or less rounded-cordate form are produced. 



June 10, 1852. — Dr. Seller, President, in the Chair. 

 The following papers were read : — 



1. "On a supposed new species of Eleocharis," by Charles C. 

 Babington, M.A. This paper will be found in the present Number 

 of the 'Annals.' 



2. " Analysis of the Fluid (known as Gram Oil) from the leaves 

 of Gram (Cicer arietinum)," by Thomas Anderson, Esq. This paper 

 consisted of an analysis made by Mr. Russell Aldridge : — " On eva- 

 poration it yielded a black residue which would not dissolve in cold 

 water, bu| did so readily when heated ; and on cooling it became 

 turbid, showing the presence of oxidizable extractive. To a small 

 portion of the fluid chloride of calcium was added, and a precipitate of 

 oxalate of lime obtained, showing the presence of oxalic acid ; it was 

 then filtered, and to a portion of the filtrate potash was added, no 

 precipitate was obtained, therefore no tartaric acid. To the remainder 

 of the filtrate ammonia was added, which gave no precipitate when 

 cold ; but upon boiling it a slight one was obtained, showing a trace 

 of citric acid. The remainder of the original solution was evaporated 

 down, and the residue taken up with alcohol, a small quantity of 

 gummy matter separated ; on evaporating the alcoholic fluid, it 

 left some sugar ; the residue was then placed in a platinum capsule 

 and subjected to red heat, the ashes (which were of a brown colour) 

 were then taken up with water, and a few drops of hydrochloric acid 

 added, which gave to the fluid a yellow colour, showing the presence 

 of oxide of iron. It was then filtered, and carbonate of ammonia 

 added, which gave a distinct trace of lime, again filtered, and to the 

 filtrate phosphate of soda added, which gave a trace of magnesia. 

 Potash and soda were present in minute quantities. 



" The results thus are : — 



*' Oxalic acid (copious), citric acid (traces), oxidizable extractive, 

 gum, sugar, lime, magnesia, iron, potash and soda." 



3. " Notice relative to the Transmission of Foreign Seeds in Soil," 



