﻿182 



didymis?™ 



Caules 1-2 pollicares, erecto-patuli, fere a basi dichotorne ramosi, 

 internodiis brevibus. Folia superiora et media internodiis breviora 

 vix lineam longa, infima 2-3'" longa internodiis longiora, omnia 

 lineari-lanceolata acuminata aristata, basi ciliata. Flores tetrameri 

 minimi solitarii subcymosi breviter pedunculati, pedunculis et flori- 

 feris et fructiferis erectis calyce longioribus setaceis. Sepala \"' 

 longa ovato-oblonga glabra mutica apice subincurva uninervia 



^etala nulla. Stamina 4 sepalis breviora, antheris 

 a quadrivalvis, valvis apice emarginato-truncatis. 

 Tota plantula late virens et parce glandulosa- 

 puberula = S. Reuteri Boissier in Inn,,,,. PI. (h-ieut. scr. ii. n. 1. 

 p. 82. Species e sectione Saginella Fenzl, proxima >. a V vtnhe L. et 

 s. t>atuf(B Jord. Prior differt foliis longioribus pedunculis elongatis, 

 et sepalis etiam in statu fructifero in crucem expansis. Cf. Reich. 

 Ic. f. 4958 (icon bona), S. patula, Jord. Obs. i. p. 23, t. 3, f. a (icon 

 optima) prater babitum procerum laxum capsula calycem non 

 excedente distincta est. Hab. in Hispania centrali circa Madritum, 

 Reuter ! " See also Willkomm and Lange's Prod. Flone tl ispaniru', 

 iii. 602. The plant may be known from S. apetala by its sepals not 

 spreading when the capsule is ripe in the form of a cross, from S. 

 procumbens by its erect peduncles, and from S. ciliata by all the 

 sepals being blunt and shorter than the capsule. The distribution 

 of S. Reuteri Boiss. in Europe was up to this record supposed to be 

 confined to the district round Madrid, a variety — peduncularis — 

 being found in "Aragonia australi." 



The Berkshire and Northamptonshire plant referred to is not 

 identical with S. Reuteri, but may be better placed under 5. ciliata. 

 Mr. Towndrow has not, so far, succeeded in finding the plant in any 

 other locality round Malvern, so that at present we can scarcely 

 class this as a native plant ; but it is possible that if critical 



found in other and less suspicious localities. 



NEW ZEALAND SOW-THISTLES. 

 By T. Kirk, F.L.S. 



In the Flora Nova-Zelandia and the Handbook of the New 

 Zealand Flora, Sir Joseph Hooker recognises one species, Sonchus 

 oleraceus L., of which he considers S. asper Hoffm. to be a variety. 

 Bentham adopts this view in Flora i.'^t,,,/, ,^ - ui. 679. Both 

 forms vary greatly in the outline, cutting and texture of the leaves, 

 and may be briefly characterised as under : — 



Sonchus oleraceus L. Sp. 116; Forst. Prodr. n. 282. 



a. oleraceus. Leaves clasping, almost entire, or toothed, or 

 deeply pinnatifid. Cauline leaves with large sagittate auricles. 

 Achenes glabrous, with 3-5 longitudinal ribs, finely muricate. 



(3. asper. S. asper HofFm. Leaves clasping, almost en tiro, 

 lobed, or deeply pinnatifid, sharply toothed, sometimes rigid, with 



