394 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



(dark shining green in aquifolium, about 6 in. long, with usually 

 three pairs of leaflets besides the terminal one), 1 to 2 in. long and 

 up to 1 in. broad, coriaceous and probably evergreen, glabrous ; 

 veins very numerous, strong, prominent above when dry; sub- 

 entire and smaller upwards on the young shoots, more or less dis- 

 tinctly prickle-toothed (holly-like) and occasionally laciniate lower 

 down, and on the older branches. Fruit abundantly produced, 

 varying from round to oval, bright red when half ripe, ultimately 

 almost black, with abundant glaucous bloom and dark crimson 

 juice ; style distinct, stout, crowned by the broader stigma. 

 Eacemes rather short, 1J to If in. long (about 1 in. in vulgaris, 

 about 2| in aquifolium, which is similar in the shape and colour 

 of the fruit, but has the sessile stigma depressed when ripe). 



Seeds apparently perfect. 



It is curious that this plant should so strongly incline towards 

 one species in habit, armature, and simple foliage, and to the other 

 in fruit. Dr. Focke's remarks {PflanzenmiscMinge, p. 22) are so 

 interesting that I translate them in full : — 



" Mahonia. 



" Several closely related species (B. aquifolium Pursh., B. fasci- 

 cular is Lindl., B. nervosa Pursh., and B. repens Lindl.) have been 

 introduced from North America into European gardens. The 

 genuine types are fairly well characterized, and can be distinguished 

 without much difficulty; but in European gardens they have 

 merged through manifold crossings into one extremely variable, 

 but in all its forms fully fertile, ■ mixed species ' (Mischart). The 

 first hybrid of the kind, a B. aquifolium x fascicularis , w r as already 

 distributed by Rivers, the nurseryman, before 1850. For example, 

 about 1855 my father planted a number of Mahonias from England. 

 As they throve better in the dry sand of his garden than any 

 other cultivated plants, he sowed the seeds of different kinds 



eparat 



of forms, 



which it seemed quite hopeless to keep apart. Since then these 

 shrubs have increased remarkably by self-sowing ; all the speci- 

 mens are very fertile, but one can with difficulty find two bushes 

 among them which exactly resemble each other. 



11 Mahonia x Euberberis. 



» i 



ifolium 



was of accidental origin in A. N. Baumann's garden at Bollweiler, 

 in Alsace, and was introduced into horticulture under the name 

 of B. Neuberti. It is more like B. vulgaris, but is evergreen and 

 has prickly leaves/' 



The Somerset plant appears to be the first known instance of 

 a quasi-wild hybrid in the genus. My garden shrub agrees well 

 with the description of true B. aquifolium Pursh., and has none 

 of the characters of J5. fascicularis or B. nervosa. 



