1858,] botanical notes, notices, and queries. 663 



Claytonia Alsinoides. 



We are indebted to our estimable correspondent, Mr. Sim, of Perth, 

 for the following, and we beg to state that this is a notice of the third 

 naturalized exotic which he has discovered and communicated to the 

 ' Phytologist ' within the past twelve months : — 



" I first observed the Claytonia alsinoides near the Aremonia station in 

 1856, plucked a few plants, but was sadly baffled to find out its name. 

 I knew it belonged to the Natural Order Portulacace(S from its bisepalous 

 calyx, but that was aU. I got a few more plants of it last year, and after 

 searching my Botanical Dictionary from beginning to end, I found that 

 the generic description of Claytonia perfectly agreed with my plant. The 

 next point to be settled was, what Claytonia is it ? Only two are described 

 in my work, and it is neither of these. I got a look of Loudon's ' Ency- 

 clopaedia of Plants,' and found it to be Claytonia alsinoides, which in that 

 book is, I think, represented by a figure. I visited Scone Wood this 

 summer for a supply of the Aremonia, but neglected to look particularly 

 for the Claytonia. No doubt many will say it is an escape from a garden, 

 but I think that in this case, and also in that of the Aremonia, such an 

 opinion is untenable, especially as the plant in question is an annual, a 

 low, succulent, inconspicuous plant, and would be considered, I am sure, 

 by any gardener or nurseryman neither pretty nor ornamental. It very 

 much resembles, as its specific name denotes, one of our Alsines or 

 Chickweeds. Unlike the place where the Potentilla is found, — near rub- 

 bish from nurseries, — no rubbish is here of any description, but, like the 

 Aremonia, it takes shelter under the trees of the wood. I cannot form 

 even a conjecture respecting its introduction to this spot. I believe 

 the only known habitation for it is Nootka Sound. C. perfoliata, with 

 spathulate leaves, has been found in several places in England. I cannot 

 decidedly say the extent of surface it covers, but if I am living and well 

 next May, I intend to visit the spot and procure a supply, and ascertain 

 more exactly the area of its distribution. I should say I saw it plenti- 

 fully in 1856, covering about a quarter of an acre of ground under the 

 tall trees. John Sim." 



"House" Plants, etc. 



The perusal of your article in a recent number of the 'Phytologist' 

 respecting the word Buch has induced me to consider what can be said 

 on behalf of plants having the prefix Horse. They are numerous, and 

 the same rule applies with regard to the meaning of the word horse, as 

 relating to certain plants, that we find in the word hucli, though in the 

 present case the word means size. Eor instance, we have Horse Chestnut, 

 Horse Cucumber, Horse Radish, Horse Mint, Horse Purslane, Horse 

 Eape, etc. 



I think there is no difficulty in saying that these names indicate 

 plants which are distinguished for their size compared with some others. 

 The word horse is used as a prefix to other words which have a similar 

 meaning, to signify size and strength, such as horse-leech, a large leech ; 

 horse-martin, a large kind of bee ; horse-muscle, a large muscle ; horse- 

 crab, a large crab ; horse-emmet, a large ant ; horse-fly, a large fly. We 



