ii 4 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP, 



also, occasionally, in hedges, and planted often in 

 plantations, less often in gardens. Usually readily 

 known from all the following by the snow-white 

 felt of the under-surface of its broad unlobed 

 leaves, by the cream-coloured anthers of its stamens, 

 and by its large red fruit. 



The var. nepk&la, Svme, which differs somewhat 

 conspicuously in extreme states by its narrower, 

 obovate leaves, is connected with the type by a 

 = Tr:e£ ::' ; :ii::: -; ar.i:; I : r'lr t :ier_:::al ..:. 

 it in flower and fruit-characters. It is the more 

 usual plant on mountain rocks, but grows also, 

 with the type, in the limestone woods of lower 

 districts. 



; . P. rotuniifalia, Bechst. This form stands well 

 apart from P. aria in the direction of P. tcrminalis, 

 Ehrh., which it also approaches in stature, being, 

 -.vher. :u"-".- ?-:■""-. = -.ret ::' :"~:r:v fee. iiisrh r — :r= 

 Besides the leaf-characters, it diners from P. arm 

 also in its fruit, which is, when fully ripe, of a light 

 i.rsrii'r --til:— — esly ar-i :E£:eL=E.= . ar.iriper.: .a:er 

 in West Gloucester, in November. 



The var. iecipiens, N. E. Br., is perhaps hardly 

 worth distinguishing. Specimens further from the 

 tvpe than the Nightingale Valley plants attributed 

 to this variety occur, with the type, in woods near 

 Symond's Yat, West Gloucester, and. I believe (also 

 with the type), at the Wynd Cliff, Monmouthshire. 



3. P. intermedia, Ehrh. This (excluding the Arran 

 plant next mentioned) is clearly as much a native 

 :rte ai i" :: :he ::htr ::r~5 rr.rr.rl'i-ei r.-ire ar.i 

 will be found, I believe, more widely spread than 

 has been supposed. I have seen it growing in 

 Somerset (Nightingale valley). West Gloucester 

 (Symond's Yat, and near Chepstow), Monmouth 

 (Piercefield Park), Hereford (Great Doward), 

 Brecon (Craig Cille), Montgomery (Craig Breid- 

 den), and Denbigh (Cefn Fedw). Its range of 

 distribution therefore seems to be just that of P. 

 aria, though a far less abundant form. This plant 

 has only of late years been recognised in Britain as 

 a distinct form ; the Piercefield Park plant having 

 been referred to P. laiifolia, Boswell (P. rotnndifolia), 

 by Mr. J. G. Baker, in 1878; the Great Doward 

 plant to P. aria, by Dr. Boswell, in 1S82 ; and the 

 Denbigh plant to P. ruficola. by the authorities of 

 the Exchange Club, in 1891. Yet all these are 

 clearly P. intermedia, Ehrh. The less dense, less 

 snow-white, rather silky felt of the leaves, their 

 lobed margins, and less crowded veins usually 

 separate P. intermedia, without difficulty, from P. 

 aria. The flowers are larger and more showy, and 

 the anthers of the conspicuous stamens are of a 

 rather bright pink, the fruit round, bright-red, 

 ripening earlier than in P. aria. 



Plants occur in which the leaf-characters are far 

 less marked than as described above, but which 

 possess the pink anthers characteristic of P. inter- 

 media. Further observation is needed to determine 



whether these are better placed under P. aria or 

 :'t ::r=ri: -'ar.: 



4. P. minima, n. sp., or n. var. A small spread- 

 ing shrub, height ten to twenty feet; much 

 branched, with slender branches. Leaves, linear- 

 oblong, skalloaly pmnafifid, with three to four 

 principal lobes, which are usually deepest at the 

 middle or upper part of the leaf, the lowest one- 

 third or quarter being without lobes ; side veins 

 five to seven, making a very acute angle with the 

 midrib, prominent on under, grooved on upper 

 surface ; under surface with grey felt, which 

 persists until the leaf falls. 



Flowers produced early in June, in loose corymbs 

 which are not flat-topped, small resembling those 

 of P. aumparia, Gaer.r. petals cream-coloured 

 r:'.ir_i -;a"r~; r.:e: ::'; pe:a'_; : ar.'.htr; :r. :he 

 r.r-: ipenina: ::' ".he ~" 7 -~er= :rearr_-;:l: ure-i ier. 

 v i~k: =h. =: z~ :ar .-: z~ : r. :a.; :: ;:; :: ar. _ :::":• 

 r.e~: :r. :he ;:.:.:; :r ;:: r-srs:=:e~: ur.ril the :r ait 

 is ripe. Fruit small, globose, bright coral-red, bitter ; 

 rip -^r.-.r;- ::. ue :; = :"":-; ::' Septettt her perthtrr.e 

 in the flowers resembling that of Crataegus 

 oxyacantha. 



P. minima is very near the P. standka of Boswell 

 (in Bot. Exchange Club Rep., 1872-4, page 21), 

 but differs in the leaves being narrower, with a 

 more linear outline ; and much shallower lobes 

 except upon the young leading shoots ; and in the 

 fruit being globose, small, bright red, and bitter. 



From P. intermedia. Ehrh. (of Piercefield Park, 

 etc.), it differs by the slender branching habit, by the 

 greyer felt of the smaller and much more linear 

 leaves, which have the lobes terminating in a 

 sharper point ; by the flowers being less than half 

 the size ; by the colour of the anthers ; and finally by 

 the small fruit. P. intermedia, Ehrh. has long, thick, 

 nearly undivided branches, very showy flowers, 

 larger than in P. aria, Ehrh., with long stamens 

 and rather brightly pink anthers, and large fruit. 



Locality. — On a limestone mountain cliff, called 

 Craig Cille, near Crickhowel, Breconshire ; also 

 on limestone rocks at Blaen Onnen, two miles 

 westward from Craig Cille. Undoubtedly native, 

 and in great abundance at the former station, 

 where the shrubs clothe the limestone cliff to its head 

 at nearly 2,000 feet ; seedlings also being frequent. 

 P avatparia, Gaertn., P. intermedia, Ehrh., and 

 P. aria, Ehrh., var. rupicola, also occur on the same 

 cliff; but the very distinct habit and fruit of the 

 present plant, as well as other reasons, forbid the 

 idea of hybridity. 



5. P. scandica, Ascherson, and Boswell (?). (Bot. 

 Exchange Clnb Rep., 1872-4.) By this name 1 

 intend the plant of Glen Eis-na-vearach, Arran, 

 still, as when Dr. Boswell wrote its description in 

 : ~5, unknown as a native plant - in any other 

 British locality. This is surely distinct from 

 P. intermedia, Ehrh., by the almost buff-coloured 



