62 



SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



t-iV 



FIELD BOTANY. 



CONDUCTED BY JAMES SAUNDERS, A.L.S. 



Lathyrus nissolia. — The grass vetch was 

 found by Mr. C. E. Salmon, of Reigate, last year in 

 this lane leading to Outwood. It is abundant 

 again this year, but has not yet bloomed in our 

 orchard here as it did last year. — R. Asliington 

 Bullen, F.L.S., F. G.S., Axeland Park, BTorley. 



Metamorphosed Bluebell. — In a wood on 

 the sandstone near Godstone in Surrey an in- 

 florescence of Seilla festalis recently attracted 

 notice by its peculiar appearance. The flower 

 stalk was erect, the perianth leaves whitish-green 

 and cohering at the ends. In the interior no 

 stamens were visible, these organs being replaced 

 by six additional carpels containing ovules. All 

 the carpels were more or less united, especially by 

 the long styles, to the original three carpels in the 

 centre. — C. E. Britton, 35 Bug dale Street, S.E. 



Spread of Whitlow Pepperwort. — I do not 

 know whether the increase of Lepidium draoa L. 

 has been noticed in other localities. It established 

 itself at Eastney some forty years ago, as I am 

 informed by Mr. Moncrieff, a most accurate 

 observer, and is now a weed which covers the 

 ground at this time with its crowds of snowy lace- 

 like blossoms. Then it travelled westward, and is 

 abundant on the earthworks, the remnant of the 

 old fortifications of Portsmouth, near the Garrison 

 Church, the Domus Dei founded by Peter de 

 Rupibus. The next step in the plant's westward 

 progress brought it to Rownes, near Fort Brock- 

 hurst Railway Station, whence it will probably, in 

 due course, spread to the cultivated land in the 

 vicinity. This plant seems to have few insect 

 enemies ; the leaves are always perfect. One is 

 inclined to believe that it is the weed of the 

 future, as it produces seed in great quantity, and 

 appears to be able to maintain itself anywhere. — 

 Martin Snape, Spring Garden Cottage, Gosport. 



[Lepidium draba L. is plentiful about Margate 

 and. Ramsgate, and is well established in several 

 counties as far north as Yorkshire. It is also 

 making itself quite at home in the United States. 

 It is a native of South-east Europe and West 

 Asia. — J. S.~\ 



Witches' Brooms. — My attention has recently 

 been directed to a disease which attacks certain 

 trees, and is known as " Witches' Brooms." The 

 English literature on the subject is apparently 

 scanty, and I cannot find any reference to the matter 

 in the twenty volumes of Science-Gossip that are 

 on my shelves. Most of our readers may have 

 occasionally seen on birch trees dense masses 

 of small twigs that slightly resemble badly made 

 nests. These are illustrations of the subject under 

 consideration. The silver fir is also liable to a 

 similar diseased condition, and Mr. W. H. Burrell, 

 of Sheringham, informs me that it is not uncommon 

 in the fir woods of North Norfolk. In the silver 



fir the disease is due to the attacks of a fungus 

 known as Peridermium elatinum. Until now I 

 was not aware of the existence in this country of 

 the phenomenon referred to on any other species 

 of tree than those mentioned above. Recently, 

 however, I found numerous examples of a similar 

 occurrence on hornbeam — at least they appear to be 

 strictly analogous to those that may be seen on 

 the birch. As but little is known of the comital 

 distribution of witches' broom in Great Britain 

 any information on the subject would be very 

 acceptable to the writer. Care should be taken to 

 discriminate the species of tree on which they are 

 observed. Since writing this note, a specimen of 

 it has been forwarded to the Natural History 

 Museum, South Kensington, where it has been 

 prepared for exhibition in the Public Gallery. 

 Mr. Murray thinks its formation is due to the 

 attacks of insects. — Jas. Saunders, A.L.S., Luton, 

 June, 1901. 



Wild-flower Gardens in Public Parks. — 

 One of the great deterrents to a more general 

 interest in field botany appears to be the difficulty 

 of satisfactorily identifying the plants found on 

 our rambles. Even with the books usually avail- 

 able to the ordinary rambler, who is perhaps more 

 of a lover of plants than a student, the difficulty, 

 either on account of too precise technicalities or 

 the want of them, is still very present. If, how- 

 ever, an opportunity of comparison betwixt the 

 unknown find and a growing labelled specimen is 

 given, all such uncertainty is cleared away. The 

 circle of acquaintance with nature of the rambler 

 increases, and he begins to feel that botany is not, 

 after all, such a dry and matter-of-fact study as 

 text-books have led him to believe. Yet, where 

 can such gardens, laid out for utility rather than 

 ornament, be found '? There appear to be but few in 

 the country outside university centres, but in almost 

 every municipal park there is more or less space 

 available for the purpose, and the cost after laying 

 out the ground is very slight. Bolton, although a 

 smoky enough town, has started a series of beds 

 in the public park in which it is proposed to place 

 as many species of British plants as can be coaxed 

 to grow. These beds run parallel with each other, 

 and down the centre are circular plots in which 

 are planted suitable foreign species or cultivated 

 varieties of the same natural orders as are in the 

 adjacent British beds. The whole is arranged as 

 nearly as possible according to the natural system, 

 while at the bottom "of the series of beds is a 

 shallow pond in which it is hoped to exhibit 

 aquatic and marsh-loving plants. The scheme was 

 started by the local Botanical Society, who supply 

 the specimens as opportunity offers, the Parks 

 Department of the Corporation keeping the beds 

 trimmed and finding the foreign types for the 

 central plots. The work was only taken in hand 

 last year, and there are, of course, very many 

 species of plants, some of them quite common, 

 which are yet wanting. We should be very glad of 

 assistance in filling these gaps, and if any of yoivr 

 readers can forward us roots of wild British plants 

 we should be grateful. Such plots as these must 

 be eminently useful, not only to the unattached 

 rambler, but to the science classes and students in 

 many branches of knowledge. They are so easily 

 formed and conducted that it is hoped they will 

 come to be a recognised factor in the attractions 

 of our municipal parks. — Thos. Midgley, The 

 Museum, Bolton. 



