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28 ENGLISH BOTANY. 
uppermost leaves nearly sessile, and narrower than the others both in 
vars, «and B. Fruit spikes 2 to 8 inches long, the lower glomerules 
usually rather distant and becoming closer together towards the apex 
of the spikes, which are arranged in an irregular lax pyramidal panicle. 
| Fruit perianth 3; to 4 inch long, variable in shape, but usually sub- 
rhombic, with a few blunt teeth above the lateral angles, and a few 
prominent tubercles on the back, the valves united only for a very 
little way at the base. Seeds variable in size, the largest ones about 
the size of rape seed, but much compressed, pitchy black, appearing 
finely rugose, especially on the beak, under a very high magnifying 
power. Plant light green, more or less thickly clothed when young 
with whitish meal, especially on the stems and calyces. 
Vars. a and @ in their extreme forms look widely different, but 
I cannot venture to separate them even as subspecies, not only because 
they are completely connected by intermediate forms, but because 
besides they do not appear to remain hereditarily constant. The most 
extreme form of var. 8 was one I observed on the embankment below 
Gravesend in 1853. When the earth of the embankment was loose 
these plants were 3 or 4 feet high, the largest leaves 3 or 4 inches 
long, and 1 to 14 inch broad, and the perianth with the apical portion 
nearly deltoid and closed ; but on seeking the plant in the same place 
again in 1865 I could find none but narrow-leaved plants, with leaves 
not above 1 inch broad, and the perianth with its apical portion 
narrower and acute, the tips of the sepals in many of the larger ones 
recurved. In this case I cannot be certain that the plants in 1865 
were the descendants of those in 1853, but it is highly probable they 
were so. In 18631 brought from Pegwell Bay seed of an intermediate 
form,with rather narrow but deeply serrated leaves ; I divided the seed 
into two portions, one of which was sown in a warm light border, the 
other in a damp stiff bed with a northern aspect. ‘The plants that 
sprung up in both borders had serrated leaves, those of the seedlings 
in the light soil rather broader than in the others. The fruit perianths 
of the plant in the light soil were short and closed, while those in the 
damp border had the largest in each cluster, twice as long and more 
recurved at the points than I have ever seen them in wild specimens. 
‘As then the two forms of perianth on which stress is laid to dis- 
criminate the two varieties, can be found on the seedlings of one 
parent, there remains only the unreliable character of the entire or 
toothed leaves to separate them. 
Grass-leaved Sea Orache. 
French, Arroche des rivages. German, Ufer-Melde. 
The origin of the common name of this plant we find given by Dr. Prior thus :— 
“Orache, formerly Arach, in Pr. Pm. Arage, in MSS. Harl. 978, Arasches, French, 
arroche, a word that Menage and Dietz derive from L. atriplice. Its Greek name 
xpuco\txavor, golden herb, suggests a far more probable explanation of it in a pre- 
sumed M. Latin aurago, from aurum, formed, like plantago, lappago, solidago, &c., 
by the addition of ago, wort, to some other noun.” 
