ON THE GREAT WATER-DOCK OF ENGLAND. 85 
ia it will be proper to say a little more on the value of the cha- 
racters above given, None of them, I think, can be held to be in = 
genus of very ag importance. "As to the dentigulation of t 
ustfolius ; the slight i 
the character is thee indicated ai its great difference in degree even 
in the same whorl of flowers, where may ound every gradation 
down to 
root-leaves has been much used as a character to separate nearly allied 
species in this genus, but is, taken alone, quite insufficient ; tapering 
and abruptly rounded bases are certainly found in the same species, e.g., 
. palustris, without being correlated “with any other differences. It 
must be admitted, however, that the pes in this respect between 
well-marked 2. Hy drolapathum and R. maximus is very striking, the 
unequal base of the latter being gapecially'te rkable.* 
The following is the synonymy, with es to figures :— 
R. Hyprotararaum, Huds. Fl. Ang., ed. 2, p. 154 (1778); Meisn. in 
DC. Prod. xiv., p. 
Lapathum magnum, Ger. emac., 389, e 
ee maximum aquaticum seu ped em ie Ray, Syn., ed 
3, p. 140, et alior. 
Britannica antiguorum vera, Munting, De vera Herba Brit., p. 14. 
R. Britannica, Huds. Fl. Angl., ed. 1, p. 185 (non L,). 
- aes orgs 7 Brit., p. 394, et auct. plur. (non L.f) 
nting | 4 Bauhin, Hist. Plant. i.,p. 987 ; Petiver, 
Woodvi 
; Syme E.B. viii., t. (b 
Leight. Fl. Shropsh., p. 153 (details); Fl. Dan,, t. 2348; 
Reichenb. Icon. Bot., t. 370; Sturm, Deutschl. Fl., bd. 17, hft. 
73, n. at ABs, Darst. & Beschr. Aran. Gew., bd. 13, te 4, 
fig. dex 
Var. B. tise, Borrer MS. in herb. 
R. maximus, Schreb. in add. Rohe ainl: & Koerte, Fl. Erlang. i, 
p- 152 (1 ete Sits Le., p. 48. 
R. aquaticus, Campd. Rum., p, 100, fide Meisn. (non L.f) 
R, ‘hier ophiith, ¥ Schultz, FL Star targ. Supp., p. 1 
. acutus, Palmstruch, Svensk. Bot,, 161 (non L 
. W. F. Meyer, Fl. Hannov., p. 458 ; 
Tab,—F1. Dan., t. 2347 ; Sturm Le,, n. 16; Secale: Bot., t 161. 
R. Hydrolapathum proper is a common plant through Central and 
Northern Europe, probably reaching into Asia, but does not extend to 
* It is worth noticing here that, alone of British handbooks, the ‘‘Student’s 
Flora”? of Dr. Higulent (. 312) gives such a definition of the leaves of R. Hydro- 
lapathum, ‘* rounded, cordate, or acute at the base,” as will include under the 
Species also R. 
ee R.aquati oar a7 Linneus probably, as Fries reer included R. Hydro- 
lapathum, R. maximus, R. domesticus, and R. Hippolapathum; there can, how- , 
wince be see doubt that the “sean as the plant ehietly in coat But 
iti name in the genus. 
D2 
it is surely better to abandon the use of cgustiied as & 
