subulate leaves as long as the fascicle. BractTs in opposite pairs, 
obovate-subulate, the uppermost narrowest, all more or less scarious, 
striate, and membranous at the edges. Catycrne Scaxes (or partial 
bracts) two pair to each flower, resembling those on the axes, above 
half the length of the calyx, the innermost somewhat the broadest, 
their apiculate summits divaricating. Prtats 5, with the claws twice 
as long as the limb, and clothed along the whole of the inner surface 
by an appendage attached down the middle and free at the edges ; the 
limbs wedge-shaped, irregularly toothed or jagged at the outer margin, 
of a clear sulphur colour on the upper surface, which is slightly 
frosted with a few short pellucid hairs, the under surface partially 
shaded towards the margin with rusty purplish red. Stamens 10, the 
five longest alternating with the petals, the five shortest opposite to 
them, the latter about the length of the claws, the former exserted. 
AntTuers oblong. GERMEN ovate, five-furrowed at first with the stigmas 
included, but afterwards much increased, and the stigmas exserted. 
Styxes filamentous, clothed by the stigmas through more than half 
the inner sides. J. H. Henstow. 
Popurar AND GeocrapuicaL Notice. After minutely examining 
the characters of the present plant, and comparing it with dried spe- 
cimens of the nearest allied species, we believe it to be a variety of 
Dianthus ferrugineus, which Decandolle considers may itself be only 
a form of Dianthus carthusianorum. Willdenow notices the tendency 
which the petals of Dianthus ferrugineus have to become yellow on 
> 
the upper surface, “ petala subtus rufa, intus flavescentes ;” and in the 
present variety they show a decided tendency to become rusty purple 
on the outside. But there is great uncertainty in discriminating the 
species of Dianthus, and Sir James Smith, in the second volume of 
the Linnean Transactions, when endeavouring to unravel their syno- 
nymes, has described his attempt as having led him into the most inex- 
tricable botanical labyrinth he ever entered. The cause of this con- 
fusion we feel persuaded must have arisen from the unnecessary 
multiplication of species in a genus where it has been so long known 
that some of them at least are subject to great variation. From such 
a consideration we think there may be sufficient grounds for supposing 
that such closely allied forms as those of Dianthus carthusianorum, 
capitatus, and ferrugineus, (and one or two more that might be men- 
tioned) will ultimately prove to be only varieties of one species, as they 
were originally considered by Linneus. The proportionate length of 
