HYBRIDITY IN HIERACIUM 885 
Hab. Orange River Colony, near Vredefort Road; Capt. Barrett- 
Hamilton. 
Planta 3-0-4-0 cm. alt., rhizomate duro aliquantulum nodoso 
sparsim ie fulta. Rami graciles, glabrati. Folia 0-5 em 
ong., O- . lat., firma, copiose cystolithigera. Bractee 0-6- 
chief points about this are the lowly habit, the small leaves, 
and the hispid bracts, bracteoles, and calyx. 
Blepharis dilatata C. B. Clarke. Capt. Barrett-Hamilton, 
Barleria macrostegia Nees. Capt. Barrett-Hamilton. 
i oor Eckloniana. Transvaal, Pivaan’s Poort; Lieut. Pateshall 
Thoma 
var. MINOR, var. nov. Norm mal, except for the daca bracts: only 
1:0 cm. long.—Zululand, Isandhlwana; Lieut. Pateshall Thomas. 
Iippia scaberrima Sond. Capt. Barret-Hamilton. Fine speci- 
Orthosiphon Pretoria Giirke. H. T. Ommanney, No. 18. 
HYBRIDITY IN AIERACIUM. 
By Freperic N. Witwiams, F.L.S. 
In a note in the last number of this Journal (p. 362) there is a 
disposition, it seems, to beg the question all along the line. In the 
first place, it is doubtful ae ‘‘it is highly desirable”’ in this 
utilitarian age “that some acute and careful botanist should make 
a lifelong study of this nope difficult genus.” We have already had 
several object- lessons in the effects of such concentration of effort 
on critical siege a, and their results are not encouraging. What w 
invariably see, in such an extremely limited sphere of work, is over- 
deicrisninaton oe trivial differences, a tendency to describe an ex- 
cessive number of individuals, see” Sige in grasping the significance 
of salient characters, and obscuring of the capacity to pick out the 
connecting strands of affinity ae groups of species; in fact, 
inability to see the wood for the tre 
The genus Hieracium includes oe an extraordinary number of 
distinet ona that no other genus of flowering plants can compare 
with it. Some of das forms, indeed, are distinguished by special 
peculiarities, and may be taken as type-forms of species, while all 
the ct represent iplerenodaans and Sate tinal forms by which the 
type-forms are connected together. On the protean character of 
the aonsties nt members of this genus much has been written, and 
Many controversies have arisen, without as yet coming to a definite 
conclusion generally acceptable to all parties. French, German, 
and Swiss botanists have introduced the factor of the natural 
Journat or Borany. Vor. 40. [Nov. 1902.] 2k 
