Peb. 1, 1865.] 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



33 



blossoms being quite the exception. The 

 Pilewort (A*. Ficaria) varies greatly in the 

 luiniber of its petals, instances being on record 

 in which the flowers have been entirely 

 double. Babington, in his Manual, assigns 

 A])ril and May as the time of the blossoming 

 of this species ; I have always observed it in 

 flower by the end of February or the begin- 

 ning of IMarch ; and have twice or thrice 

 noticed it on Clnistmas day. In some neigh- 

 bourhoods the blossoms of the Wood Anemone 

 {Anemone nemorosa) occasional)}^ assume a 

 deep pink tinge; and this is especially the 

 case when they are somewhat past their 

 prime. Yet it is a curious fact that all, or 

 even the majority of, specimens do not par- 

 take of this peculiarit}', as I have observed 

 it in a wood near High Wycombe, in which 

 the fading specimens retained their original 

 white, with the exception of one single patch, 

 of v.'hich all the blossoms were deep pink. I 

 met with a curious form of the Field Larkspur 

 {DelpJoinium Consolida) on some waste ground 

 in Clielsea last year, in which the petals were 

 entirely wanting. 



I have recentl}' observed, in Wycombe 

 Park, a variety of tlie common Bittercress 

 {Cardamine j'iralensis) presenting features 

 similar to that mentioned in Part IG of the 

 "Liverpool Naturalist's Scrap-Book," having 

 young shoots growing from the base of the 

 terminal leaflet, which was much enlarged. 

 The blossoms of the Bitter Candytuft [Iheris 

 amara) are sometimes of a purple colour, 

 difFei'ing widel}' from the chalky-white which 

 is their usual hue. 



I last year received from a botanical cor- 

 respondent residing at Durham the very 

 beautiful variety of the Wood Sorrel (Oxalis 

 AcetoseUa) which was recorded by Dr. Bichard- 

 son, in Bay's Synopsis, under the name of 

 Jlore pv.rpiu-Go, as having occurred ''' in a 

 hollow lane betwixt North Ouram and Halifax 

 in plenty." My specimens came from a wood 

 near Byer's Green, Durham, Avhere I am in- 

 formed that it occurred in abundance : and 

 the same friend found it subsequently in 

 Kokeby Wood, Yorkshire ; he remarks that 

 it blossoms later than the ordinary form. It 

 appears to be rather unfreqnent, and so con- 

 spicuous a plant could hardly be overlooked ; 

 it is reported from Chiselhur.st, Kent ; Shrop- 

 shire ; and AVales. 



The proliferous variety of the White Clover 

 {Tr'ifoliv.m rep)ens) occurred last year in great 

 abundance on the Balham end of Wandsv^'ortll 

 Common ; I had previously observed it in 

 the grounds of Chelsea College. The blossoms 

 of this spccica occasionally vary to a piukish 



hue, somewhat similar to those of the variety 

 known as the Scilly Trefoil, but of a much 

 lighter shade; while those of the Purple Clo- 

 ver {T.pratense) are sometimes, though rarely, 

 of a pure white. In the latter plant the 

 calyx is occasionally much enlarged, and the 

 flowers are almost hidden from view ; tliis I 

 imagine must be the variety called little-flow- 

 ered (ypafi'vlforur.i) by some authors; it may 

 usually be found on the Balham end of 

 Wandsworth Common. The wMjite variety 

 above referred to I found last year in a field 

 near Downley, Bucks, with a variety of the 

 Pfop Trefoil {T. procumhens), distinguished by 

 Schreber as a species under the name of T. 

 campestre. I am not aware that this last has 

 been previously recorded as having occurred 

 in Bi'itain ; it is much larger in all its parts 

 thm the Plop Trefoil (T. jnvcumbens), and 

 more robust in its growth; the leaves and 

 flowers are also of a darker hue, and the for- 

 mer clasp the stem very closely, giving a 

 shrubby character to the plant. The field in 

 which I gathered it v.'as sown with T. hyhri- 

 duin-, and the former had evidently been in- 

 troduced with it ; but though it occurred in 

 some plenty it did not appear to be part of 

 the crop. 



A curious variety of the Wild Carrot 

 {Daucus carota) was noticed in the same 

 neighbourhood, having umbellets, or small 

 umbels, springing from the main head of 

 blossom. This peculiarity was observed in 

 but one plant. The lilac or blue hue, which 

 is, with one exception, characteristic of our 

 British Teazle Worts {Dipsacacea:), is, as far 

 as my experience goes, extremely variable — 

 the shade of colour differing greatly in 

 different plants. In the neighbourhood of 

 High Yf ycombe, I last year found specimens of 

 the Field Scabious {Knaidia arvensis) and the 

 Small Scabious [Scahiosa columbaria), having 

 perfectly white blossoms, the latter occurring 

 in one or two places ; and at Whittiugton 

 Park, in the same vicinity, a very pretty 

 variety of the devil's bit (S. succisa) was ob- 

 served, the flowers of which were of a pale 

 pink, or flesh colour. The ordinary form of 

 this plant is one of the last to yield to the 

 approach of winter. I gathered a pretty 

 bunch of its blossoms at the end of November 

 last. 



The order Gomposike, though large, does 

 not furnish so many varieties as might be 

 expected. The most interesting which I 

 have noticed is one of the Nipple Wort {Lnp^ 

 Sana commimis), the flower-heads of which 

 were proliferous, having smaller ones growing 

 from their centre : this also occurred in the 



