APPENDIX A.—REPUTED DISCOVERIES. 97 
“Herbarium Britannicum” (1804-12), and his herbarium, and to 
Don’s plants in the possession of Miss C. E. Palmer of Odiham, 
sent by him to her grandmother, the fourth Countess of Aylesford, 
circa 1804-10. 
Ranunculus alpestris, L. 
“By the sides of little rills, and i in other ~ places, about 
two or three rocks on the mountains of Clova, Angusshire, 
M 
its kindred, may easily have been a erlooked, but when in 
blossom it is truly a splendid plan Smith in Trans. Linn. 
Soc, & P. 343 (1811). Smith’s pace was read in 1809. 
“Mr. Don informs us it rarely produces flowers where he 
{cag kes it, nani that the plant itself 3 is not plentiful 
Sm in Eng. Bot., t. 2390 (1812). 
ee to have been from Don’s garden.” Hooker and 
seen Brit. Fl, Ed. vi. “A specimen from Don 
marked ‘near the head of Clova,’ has the 7 of a 
wild one.” Za. Brit. F]., Ed. vii., p. 9. 
“Clova Mountains, G. Don, in Herb. Smith, now generally 
excluded from our flora.” Watson, Comp. Cyb. Brit., p 477. 
“Incognita. It is difficult to decide under what category of 
citizenshi - . . this alpine Ranunculus ought to be placed. 
mithian 
have searched the mountains of that county has ever 
detected an example of this species there. Moreover its 
to expect the species in Scotland; since it is not found in 
Scandinavia, nor any of the arctic lands. At the time when 
Mr. Don was a collector, it was not the custom with botanists 
to be very gts in recording the locality and distribution 
of plants; and they might not always be sufficiently careful in 
keeping British and foreign, wild and garden examples of oa 
same species, apart from each other.” Watson, Cyb. Brit., 
p. 82. 
“ No doubt Mr. Don made ue mistake in — he found 
it there.” Syme, Eng. Bot., i., p. 70. 
After Don’s shies lg it appears very ge to 
' believe he was in error. It must be remembered that hardly 
any competent botanist has sited the Clova mountains at so 
early a date as the plant flowers to make a systematic 
G 
