270 56. BORAGINACE^. 



such in Hooker's British Flora and Babington's Manual, 

 has the most restricted geographical range in Britain ; and 

 though probably the commonest of the three in the south- 

 ern provinces and lower agrarian zone, yet it appears to 

 become the most rare in the northern provinces and upper 

 agrarian zone, if found at all in this latter zone, which it is 

 not satisfactorily ascertained to be. In the Flora of Shet- 

 land, M. palustris and M. caespitosa are enumerated ; but 

 there seems good reason to infer that the former name 

 really intends the species M. repens. In the Catalogue of 

 Hebridean plants, we find M. repens and M. caespitosa, 

 without M. palustris. In the Orkney Catalogue and Moray 

 Flora, M. palustris is the only species, or only name, men- 

 tioned ; and likely enough it there stands for the two species 

 enumerated among the plants of the Hebrides. In Murray's 

 Northern Flora, M. palustris and M. secunda are the two 

 names used; but the descriptions here come in to assist 

 us, and they show sufficiently well that the former name 

 means the species M. caespitosa, while the latter name is a 

 synonym for M. repens. In the Flora Abredonensis, M. 

 palustris and M. caespitosa are enumerated ; the former 

 name probably intending the species M. repens, and the 

 latter being applied correctly. In the Flora of Forfarshire, 

 all the three species and names are included. I have col- 

 lected the three species myself in Perthshire ; but only M. 

 repens and M. caespitosa to the north of the Grampians. 

 Still, it cannot be deemed unlikely that the true M. palus- 

 tris will be found up to the North Highland province, in 

 the low grounds. Dr. Dickie gives 1200 feet as the alti- 

 tudinal limit of M. palustris in Aberdeenshire, probably 

 intending M. repens. I have myself met with M. palustris 

 in low situations only. 



