SHORT NOTES 377 



26 (1893). In this Journal for 1889 (p. 33, t. 286) Mr. Fryer 

 described the above plant under the name of "P. varians Morong 

 in herb, ined." ; and the Messrs. Groves use this name in the 

 9th edition of Babington's Manual. This name was used because 

 in letters and specimens lie sent to me Dr. Morong employed it, 

 and we supposed he intended to publish it. 



The earliest name, however (see Journ. Bot. 1900, 130), is 

 P. spathceformis Tuckerman ex Bobbins in A. Gray, Man. Bot. 

 ed. 5, 487 (1878). In his description Mr. Fryer discusses its 

 hybrid origin (as heterophyllus X Zizii). Dr. Morong says: " A 

 weighty argument against this view is the fact that neither of the 

 supposed parents occur in Mystic Pond [its original locality] , and 

 that it should be produced in localities separated by the Atlantic 

 Ocean. " 



Certainly the curious part of its hybrid reference is (as Mr. 

 Fryer mentions) that, although there exists a certain difference in 

 the North American forms angustifolius (Zizii) and heterophyllus 

 that can hardly be put on paper, yet is easily recognized by the 

 eye, the varians of America is the varians of Britain, save for 

 very minor differences. Ascherson & Graebner make it Zizii x 

 heterophyllus, though the land form gathered in a ditch in Cam- 

 bridgeshire that had not been dry for thirty years before is 

 essentially towards heterophyllus. Messrs. Ascherson & Graebner 

 record it from Silesia, the Bhine Province, and Sweden. I have 

 it from Ireland (Donegal, 1889, H. C. Hart), and Miss Armitage 

 gathered it in Pembroke * in 1902. In America the variability of 

 the plant is remarkable. Dr. Morong sent me a series of specimens 

 " collected in one season from July 10th to Sept. 25th, that you 

 may see how singularly the plant varies during the season ; all 

 from the same spot." The actual dates being July 10th-25th, 

 August 11th, Sept. lst-15th, 25th. 



Beyond the reference by Dr. Morong in his N. Am. Naiad. 22 

 (under P. Faxon i) and 27 (under P. spathuheformis), I do not 

 think there is any suggestion (other than my own in this Journal 

 for 1900, 128) with regard to hybridity in this genus in America. 

 But Dr. Hagstrom considers he has some North American 



hybrids. 



SHOUT NOTES. 



Pollen of Hybrid Violets. — A short account of some observa- 

 tions which I have made during the last two seasons upon the pollen 

 of various hybrid violets may be interesting. Opinions have been ex- 

 pressed that the pollen of hybrid violets is always abnormal — ill- 

 shaped and devoid of protoplasmic contents — whereas my investiga- 

 tions lead me to believe that, although some such grains may be 

 thus described, the majority are spherical in shape, quite sound and 

 full. The first plant I examined was the hybrid Viola odorata x 



Given as Glamorgan in error in Supp. to Top. Bot. 85. 



