﻿scraps in very bad condition. Unhappily my efforts to obtain good 

 specimens were not fully rewarded, although a valued correspondent 

 on the islands sent a strong root, which failed to grow. In 

 January, however, the plant flowered in the nursery grounds of 

 Messrs. Adams & Sons, Christchurch, and I am indebted to these 

 gentlemen for kindly sending the flowering receptacle and ripe 

 seeds. Unlike the forms previously mentioned, it is a strongly- 

 marked species, as will be seen from the following description :— 



Sonchus grandifolius, sp. n. A succulent herb 2-4 ft. high. 

 Rhizome stout, creeping, fleshy, sometimes 2 in. diam. Radical 

 leaves erect, l|-2 ft. long, 4-7 in. broad; petiole 6-9 in. long, 

 stout, dilated at base, not clasping; blade oblong or ovate -oblong, 

 pinnate, pinnatifid or deeply lobed; segments 4-6 on each side, 

 coarsely doubly serrate or dentate, almost coriaceous, scabrid above. 

 Lower cauline petioled, upper broadly sessile, not auriculate. 

 Anthodia corymbose, 1-1£ in. diam. ; peduncles cottony. In- 

 volucral leaves in 3-4 series, broad, subacute, outer with a median 

 line of spinous or rarely subfoliaceous processes. Achenes large, 

 broad, with 1 or 2 stout median longitudinal ribs, and about 

 4 finer ones ; margins broad. 



Hab. Chatham Islands. 



The ligulate florets appear to be yellow, tinged at the apices 

 with faint salmon -colour or purple. It is a noble addition to the 

 endemic plants of the Chatham Islands. 



SHORT NOTES. 

 Ranunculus ackis as an irritant (p. 155). — The following is an 

 Italian receipt for an ointment made from buttercup blossoms, — 

 which species I could not ascertain, — which I was told was highly 

 efficacious in the cure of cancer. The wording of the rec< 

 places rather obscure, but I copy it as I received it : — " Gather the 

 blossoms of buttercups (1 peck). Take the 8th of a lb. of fresh 

 butter from the churn, before either salt or water has been put, 



earthen pan over a stove ; add the blossoms, and stir for 1 hour, 

 very gently, with a ivoodm ladle. It will sink a good deal ; then 

 ladle it out and put on a strong cheese cloth, and under a press, 

 till every drop is squeezed out, then put in dry jar. The proper 

 time to gather the blossoms is in May, not before, nor after, and 

 nothing but the blossoms. When the ointment is put on the stove 

 to melt, the pan must be well greased on the outside to prevent it 

 from cracking. The buttercups must be gathered as near as 

 possible to where there is water, as they are much stronger. The 

 ointment must be put on fresh twice a day, for one week. The 

 first symptoms will be a deal of water, and then comes thicker 

 matter. To put the ointment only on the affected part; it will 

 draw everything into one place, and not cause a wound. It will be 

 about a month that the ointment must be kept on. When all the 



