60 44. COMPOSITE. 



576. HiERACiuM viLLOSUM, Linn. 



Area [10 * * * * 15 16]. 



Incognit ? There is a strong presumption in support of 

 the true nativity of this species on and near the mountain 

 of Loch-na-gar, in the south-west of Aberdeenshire. And 

 yet it seems remarkable that so large a plant should escape 

 the eyes of modem botanists. The name appears in the 

 Flora of Yorkshire, where, contrary to the ill-conceived 

 plan of that work, the authorities are likewise added for 

 three several localities in this instance. One of these is the 

 old authority of Mr. Caley, repeated in different works 

 since the date of Withering's Arrangement ; a second being 

 that of Mr. Spruce, of small value in the question before 

 us ; a third being nothing better than a Railway guide-book. 

 Thus, we may at once reject the species from an English 

 list, and look to the evidence in favour of its occurrence in 

 Scotland. Two garden specimens are preserved in Smith's 

 herbarium, as " H. villosum," with a reference to " Ben 

 Lawers, &c., Mr. J. Mackay ; " and both these specimens 

 appear to be very luxuriant examples of H. alpinum ; a 

 circumstance which destroys the credit-worthiness of Mr. 

 Mackay's locality of Ben Lawers, given in English Flora. 

 But in the same herbarium there is a specimen of tine H. 

 villosum, labelled from rocks near Loch Callater, apparently 

 collected either by Mr. T. Drummond or Mr. Robertson, 

 in 1825; but it is not made quite clear by Smith's memo- 

 randum, that the latter had given to Smith the specimen 

 supposed to have been collected by Drummond. Another 

 specimen is said to be preserved in Dalton's herbarium, 

 labelled from Loch-na-gar. According to Dickson (Linn. 

 Trans. 2) H. villosum occurs on wet rocks on Ben Nevis; 



