1857.] BOTANICAL NOTES^ NOTICES^ AND QUERIES. 191 



The question will probably be answered affirmatively. In R. hir&utiis the 

 tubercles may be always ascribed, but they may not ahvays be there. 



Wistaria (or Glycine) Sinensis. 



A magnificent specimen of this plant, 180 feet long, and covering about 

 1800 square feet of wall, has been for some time an object of great in- 

 terest in the garden of the Horticultural Society, where hundi-eds of per- 

 sons have visited it and admired its piles of blac-coloured fragrant flowers. 

 The following little calculation will serve to show how wonderful is the 

 evidence afforded by this single specimen of the creative power of Nature. 



The number of branches was about 9000, and of flowers 675,000. Each 

 flower consisting of 5 petals, the number of those parts was 3,375,000. 

 Each flower contained 10 stamens, or the whole mass of flowers 6,750,000. 

 Each ovary contained about 7 ovules, so that preparation was made for 

 the production of 4,050,000 seeds, for the 'purpose of fertilizing which 

 the anthers, if perfect, would have contained about 27,000,000,000 pollen- 

 grains. Had aU the petals been placed end to end they would have ex- 

 tended to the distance of more than thirty-four miles. 



Menyanthes trifoliata {English Buchheaii). 



A coiTespondent asks why this beautiful plant is named Buclbean. 

 Miller, he observes, tells us that it should be Bogbean, but he believes 

 that Buck is coiTect. Can any of our readers say why it is so called ? 



Oxford Plants. 



The following has come to hand from the ingenious author of the 

 paper on Oxford plants. ^ — -Since the paper was written 1 regret to have to 

 add another to the list of defunct species in the case of Lastrea Oreo- 

 pteris, which has recently been uprooted and the site of its gTow^th ploughed 

 up, and thus another of the Shotover rarieties has disappeared. Shoidd 

 the petition (now in com-se of signature in Oxford) against the disafi"orest- 

 ing of Stow Wood not be successful, there is reason to fear that further 

 additions, including Turritis glabra and others, will have to be made to 

 the list of extinct species by the next census-taker. 



Dorking Plants. 



Have you determined the Borkliausia ? or is it a Crepis ? 1 observed 

 the plant Crepis taraxacifolia ? growing in profusion last week in the 

 Dorking chalk-quarries. Helleborus foetidus, — 1 found several fine plants 

 in Sir Lucas Pepys' wood at Mickleham. In the same locality I observed 

 N. Nidus-avis plentifully. In one locality I counted seven specimens 

 within the circumference of a yard, rather an unusual number to be in 

 such close proximity. J. D. Salmon. 



[A fresh plant of the Crepis would oblige the Editor.] 



Alisma Plantago akd Mr. Kuskin, the celebrated 

 Art Critic. 

 In a review of the Royal Academy Exhibition for this year (1857) 



