SHORT NOTES 429 
Porth Towan early in September by myself. The Wadebridge 
plants range from nine to fifteen inches in length, while none of 
the Porth Towan ones, zich grew on short turf in a very exposed 
place by the sea, are more than two inches high. In Linton’s 
British Hieracia, aie rsoch al Morfa Bychan, Carnarvon, are the 
only British stations cited for this very striking variety. e two 
Cornish localities are on the north coast.—F rep. Hamittron Davey. 
Frora or Bristot.—I have in Ereppeaie and hope to publish 
in a year or so, a new edition of my Ilora of the Bristol Coal-fields. 
So much additional information has teats noted in the years that 
have gone by since that tentative sketch was issued by the Bristol 
Naturalists’ Gaainty. f that the book may now be deemed entirely 
out of date. A re-written Flora is said to be wanted for several 
reasons; to me not the least important one seems to be this, that 
almost every botanist in the country comes to Bristol at some time 
or other in search of local rarities, and the trained eye not unfre- 
whether a discovery be original or not. This point is illustrated 
by the “ Bristol Notes’’ published in the November number of the 
Journal (p. 895); that the facts there mentioned had been long 
known locally could on ly have been ascertained by making inquiry 
on the spot. I shall be sincerely grateful to any botanist who may 
have rambled in this neighbourhood if he. will communicate to 
me matters of interest concerning flowering plants that may 
have arrested his attention. Some ‘of my distant friends, on their 
incursions, have given me valuable help. The district flora is 
ve ch; its treasures, as recent 5 ps show, are many. Some 
have remained long unregarded, even now others may be 
ie ie see oo keener iy 2 mine shall rest upon 
them W. Wut 
we RIA OFFICINALIS “a —Some years ago it came under my 
paecration that the stamens of our common Parietaria showed 
peculiar action, to which I could see little or no reference in our 
British Floras; but I put off writing about it in hope of getting the 
process illustrated. Before maturing, the stamens form a compact 
group, the four soso tou ching one another in the form of a short 
broad cross. Afte y, the filam a 
e moment a puff of pollen leaving re sige anther in 
the aneesiaa away from the centre of the flow The filament is 
at first curved inward over a itself, like an nee doubled up with 
the fist on the shoulder; then suddenly thrown out at full length. 
These staminate flowers being sono the object is to scatter the 
pollen towards pistillate flowers around. I Looms — a 
again and again, sunlight being feativel \e tart the stamen into 
action. The fact of the anther bursting ac ieahoouny with the 
spring of the filament struck me as very remarkable.—K. F. Linton. 
