Alyssum calycinum, <$-c. 447 



Note respecting Alyssum calycinum L. (Vol. V. p. 196., and 

 VIII. p. 392— 3^.)— The Swiss Federal School of Artillery 

 has its annual exercise on Thun common, in August and 

 September. Some years since, a quantity of turf was pared 

 to repair the glacis of a polygon, and the next spring, the 

 spot from which the turf had been removed was completely 

 covered with Alyssum calycinum L. This plant, as far as I 

 can learn, had not been before seen in this neighbourhood, 

 nor within many leagues. It still inhabits the same part of 

 the common, in much smaller quantity, and has scarcely 

 migrated fifty yards. 



In Curtis's Botanical Magazine, No. 1993., it is observed 

 that the one-flowered variety of Leucojum vernum L., has 

 the spots at the apex of the laciniae of the corolla always 

 green. This plant is abundant in orchards and pastures 

 about Thun ; in some places, until means were adopted to 

 lessen it, the fields were as white with its blossoms as those in 

 England are with daisies or the common chrysanthemum. 

 In consequence of the above remark, in the Botanic Magazine, 

 I have, during several successive years, searched for the plant 

 with green tipped flowers, and, although it is not too much to 

 say that my eye must have glanced over tens of thousands of 

 the blossoms, I have not yet found one, the spots on which 

 were green. Here they are invariably yellow, as in the two- 

 flowered variety figured in this magazine. Sometimes, but 

 very rarely, our plant bears two flowers, but in that case 

 there is no difference in the spots. Whence does this arise ? 

 Are all the plants in the English gardens descended by off- 

 sets from one individual which had green spots ? How are 

 the wild plants in other situations ? 



Can I record (or enable some one else better qualified to 

 do so) a plant as new to the British Flora ? Amongst some 

 British specimens recently come to my hands, is one which 

 appears, from the ticket, to have been from the herbarium of 

 Dr. J. H. Balfour of Edinburgh, and marked " Betula alba, 

 Clova, Aug. 1834." It differs from any specimen I have of 

 B. alba L., or B. pubescens Ehrh. (which Sir J. E. Smith 

 considers as the same species) and I have placed it in my 

 collection as B. intermedia Thorn., a rare plant on the Jura 

 and with which it seems to agree perfectly, so far as the speci- 

 mens I have received enable me to judge; it is, however, not 

 sufficiently advanced to afford me the inspection of mature 

 seeds. I would, therefore, point out the plant to the attention 

 of those who may have the opportunity of comparing more 

 abundant and perfect specimens of the Clova individuals with 

 authentic ones from the Jura, which will serve much better 



