168 Ncuoman^s British Ferns, 



handsome, yellow, nestled, as it were, among the leaves." This 

 plant, when introduced, will form a good companion to Cand611e« 

 Cunningham?. Tetracarpae^a tasmannica, a new and very 

 beautiful little cunoniaceous shrub, found near the source of the 

 Meander, or Western River, in Van Diemen's Land. Three 

 closely allied species of Bae'ckm are described, which, we have 

 no doubt, would stand well on a conservative wall; and Facci- 

 nium Imray/, from the mountains of Dominica. This plant. 

 Dr. Hooker says, " is one of the most remarkable species of the 

 genus with which I am acquainted. Of the present plant, the 

 firm coriaceous leaves are, in one specimen in my possession, 

 5 in. long ; but the most remarkable feature in the plant is its. 

 extremely thick corollas, so thick and firm that they are difficult 

 to dissect, even with a very sharp knife." We hope soon to see 

 these plants introduced to our gardens. The other plants 

 figured are all herbaceous. Among the more remarkable are : 

 Lawrencm spicata, from Van Diemen's Land, belonging to the 

 natural order Malvaceae, but very different from any plant of that 

 order we ever saw. Dr. Hooker says, " I am quite unable to 

 point out any genus of the order to which it is here referred, 

 with which in habit it has any close affinity." Morostachys ca- 

 pitata, a most remarkable Brazilian grass, which " attains to a 

 considerable height, climbing among, and supporting itself on, 

 the branches of the shrubs among which it grows." i?ubus 

 Gvxnnidimsy a small bramble which belongs to the same group 

 with R. arcticus, Mr. Gunn says, " From its growing where 

 snow covers the ground a considerable part of the winter, and 

 where the climate is at all seasons very cold, I think it would 

 succeed well in your country, and be an agreeable addition to 

 your list of esculent fruits." Many of the other plants figured 

 and described would prove valuable additions to our flower-bor- 

 ders during the summer, treated as annuals : and some few might 

 even stand our winters among the herbaceous plants. We can 

 but thank Sir W. J. Hooker for the clearness and accui'acy of his 

 descriptions and figures, and, for the sake of those who take 

 in the work, notice a slight error that has taken place in num- 

 bering the plates. No. 275., Trifolium macrocalyx, ought to be 

 No. 285. ; and be placed as such. This is a small error, easily 

 set right when the work is bound up. A caryophyllaceous plant 

 is also wrongly numbered. — W. A. M. 



Art. IV. A History of British Ferns. By Edward Newman, F.L.S. 

 8vo, pp. 104, numerous woodcuts. London, 1840. 



This is a book that must be acceptable, both to the botanist 

 and amateur, for its extreme accuracy, and for the great care 



