Mr. C. C. Babington on the British Rubi. 39 



both sides, and the whole plant is destitute of that tawny colour 

 which is peculiar to it when exposed. The prickles on the petioles 

 are straight or nearly so. 



" If you examine similar plants on higher and drier, but still 

 shady spots, the barren stem is found to have the same appear- 

 ance as in the plant of moist places, but with a manifest tendency 

 to more equality and regularity in the prickles. The under sur- 

 face of the lower leaves is green, that of the upper ones has a 

 whiter appearance. The prickles on the petioles are slightly 

 curved or hooked, but a few are straight." 



I am indebted to Mr. Leighton for a specimen from near 

 Shrewsbury, in which the barren stems from the same bush have 

 the small scattered slender prickles of R. Leightonianus in one 

 part, the strong, equal and regularly distributed ones of R. leuco- 

 stachys on another, and also several intermediate states. It may 

 be safely added, in the words of Mr. Leighton, that the above 

 " fully proves R. Leightonianus to be only a state of R. leuco- 

 stachys @. vestitus growing in shade." 



24. R. hirtus, W. et N. 



a. hirtus ; caule subtereti, foliis magnis quinatis insequaliter mucro- 

 nato-serratis, foliolo terminali ovali cuspidato, panicula tomentosa, 

 sepalis vix aciculatis. 



R. hirtus, Rub. Germ. 95. t. 43. 



ft. Menkii; caule subanguloso ; foliis mediocribus quinatis vel ter- 

 natis insequaliter et grosse mucronato-serratis, foliolo terminali 

 ovali-lanceolato, panicula hirta, sepalis aciculatis. 



R. Menkii, Rub. Germ. 66. t. 22. 



y. foliosus ; caule anguloso sparsim piloso, foliis mediocribus qui- 

 natis ineequaliter mucronato-dentatis, foliolo terminali cordato 

 acuminato, panicula hirta ad apicem foliosa, sepalis paululum aci- 

 culatis. 



R. foliosus, Rub. Germ. 74. t. 28. 



I have nothing to add concerning var. a. and /3 ; var. y. is now 

 published for the first time. It grows in Hartshill Wood, War- 

 wickshire, where it was discovered by the Rev. A. Bloxam, and 

 to whom is also due the credit of determining its identity with 

 the R. foliosus, Weihe. It does not quite agree with that plant, 

 for in the l Rubi Germanici ' the stem is stated to be hairy, the 

 terminal leaflet ovate cuspidate and finely serrate (but scarcely so 

 represented on the plate), the panicle almost without setse at the 

 summit (according to the description, but many are shown in the 

 figure), and the calyx without setae or aciculi. In other respects 

 the English plant agrees well with the description and figure of 

 that found in Germany. 



