154 86. GRAMINA. 



the arctic region, and the transition from paludal or uligi- 

 nal is at once to pascual there, I am still disposed to 

 believe the Scottish and Scandinavian " P. alpinum " one 

 identical species, although Mr. Babington keeps them 

 apart, giving to the Scottish plant the name of P. commu- 

 tatum, as more allied to the Helvetic plant thus designated. 

 Fries, however, does allow a " commutatum " in Scandi- 

 navia, simply as a local variety of the more frequent 

 " alpinum." I fear that the attempted separation of 

 Phleum alpinum and commutatum, like that formerly 

 attempted between Gnaphalium alpinum and pusillum, 

 and various other similar instances, indicates in the bo- 

 tanists themselves a minute capacity for seeing petty 

 differences, rather than any capaciousness of judgment 

 for rightly understanding those differences, and correctly 

 estimating their value and bearings in science. 



1273. Phleum pratense, Linn. 

 1273, b. Phleum nodosum, Linn. 



Area general? 



South limit in Cornwall, Isle of Wight, Kent. 



North limit in Shetland, Orkney, Hebrides. 



Estimate of provinces 18. Estimate of counties 82. 



Latitude 50 — 61. British type of distribution. 



Agrarian region. Inferagrarian — Superagrarian zones. 



Descends to the coast level, in the Peninsula. 



Ascends to 350 yards, in East Highlands. 



Range of mean annual temperature 52 —43. 



Native. Pratal, Pascual. It is doubtful whether the 

 provincial area of this grass is strictly and naturally 

 general. In the Shetland Flora* we are informed that it 

 is seen usually " in fields of sown grass, hence probably 



