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SHORT NOTES. 

 Microchsete aeruginea, sp. n. — In the autumn of last year, 



whilst examining some specimens of Rhodochorton Rot hit Nag. from 

 Berwick-on-Tweed, I found what appears to be a new Microchate, 

 closely allied to M. tenera, with which it must be classed, but 

 differing from it in the greater thickness of the filaments, th. 

 shortness of the articulations, and the marine habitat. I propose 

 to call it M. arnginea. It may be defined as follows : — M. minima, 

 stellata, fills 300 /z altis, 12 /x circiter crassis, saspe curvatis et 

 flexuosis ; vagina crassiuscula, uniformi, hyalina ; trichomatibus 

 6-7 fi crassis, aerugineis ; articulis, prater infimos diametro fere 

 duplo brevioribus; heterocysta basali oblonga vel heniisphaerica, 

 iutercalaribus nullis (vel non visis ?).— Hab. Prope Berwick Rho- 

 dochorton Rothii affixus. — E. A. Batters. 



Lepironia mucronata in the Friendly Islands. — Last autumn, 

 Mr. Crosby, who has been staying in the Friendly Islands, sent a 

 spike of a plant to be named, which on examination I refer to the 

 above. The plant is on record for India, Malaya, Madagascar, and 

 Australia. There is a specimen in the British Museum Herbarium 

 from the Fiji Islands. Mr. Crosby found it in a swamp on Vavau, 

 in the Friendly Isles, in 1891.— G. Claridge Druce. 



Arenaria gothica Fries. — By the kindness of Dr. 0. Nordstedt, 

 I have received a fine series of the above plant in all stages of 

 growth, and collected in various years. These show exactly the 

 same facies as the Yorkshire plant ; and Dr. Nordstedt has sent me 

 an extract from a letter from Mr. E. Linnarsson, who has grown 

 the plant in his garden at Skofde ; this shows the absolute identity 

 of our plant with that of Fries, notwithstanding the "annual" in 

 the original description. Mr. Linnarsson says : — " I have first this 

 year cultivated A. gothica; the seeds were sown late in August, 

 1890. Probably it is biennial, in the same mode as Draba verna, 

 Saxifraga tridactylites, and many other 'annuals.' It is not 

 probable that the plant can live to next year, unless by the very 

 small gemmae (i. e. 9 winter-buds) at the lowest leaves." Dr. Nord- 

 stedt quotes Hartmann (1843), "has simple rachis multicaulis, 

 which seldom becomes perennial ; " and goes on to say, "I think 

 this species varies much in habit; when seeds grow early in spring, 

 it is annual; when late in summer, biennial; and in favourable 

 localities perennial by means of winter- shoots. On the specimen 

 of 1859 there is perhaps a fruit from 1858 " ; this is so. He has 

 sent me seeds from Gotland, and I hope to grow them side by side 

 with the Yorkshire plant. Close as are these forms that cluster 

 round A. ciliata L., the Yorkshire plant is clearly not typical ciliata 

 nor A. norvegica Gunner of the Slietlands and Arctic shores. I 

 should be greatly obliged for seeds of the French and Swiss plant, 

 and later on would willingly send those of the English and Swedish 

 plant for them. — Abthub Bennett. 



