Mr. J. Hardy on Plants new to Berwickshire. 275 



p. 141,) and there it may still be had. (Sir J. E. Smith, Eng. 

 Flor., IL,p. 421). 



It is a plant either subject to much variety or there are several 

 species nearly allied to it. " Mutabilis planta, etsi vulgatissima, 

 vix extricabilis," is Haller's announcement of it in his Hist. 

 Stirp .Helvet., II., p. 48. Linnaeus cites Orantz's Fragaria verna ; 

 but that author, Stirp. Austr., p. 74, says "Folium ubique subtus 

 incanum," which is not applicable to our plants. But Sir J. E. 

 Smith does not perceive "that any extraordinary diflGiculties attend 

 our verna.'''' 



The specific title is from the " Quinquefolium vernum minus" of 

 Taberneemontanus (quoted on the faith of John Bauhin) ; it being a 

 welcome herald of spring, as the student confined to a smoky city 

 during winter is well aware of. " Bluet in anfang des Aprillen," 

 (Bock); " Elorere incipit ineunte propemodum vere," as Clusius 

 expresses it ; but more picturesquely Linnaeus, by introducing its 

 companions with it, " Floret cum Tulipa et Anemone nemorosa," 

 makes it a symbol of life and joy. 



P. verna has a wide range of distribution. It flourishes from 

 Lapland to Carniola (Scopoli). It is very frequent in the Nor- 

 wegian Alps on the side towards Norway ; but it avoids the 

 Swedish side of these Alps, (Wahlenberg, Flora Lappon., 

 p. 146) ; while elsewhere in Sweden it is of common occurrence. 

 (Flora Upsal., p. 175). It extends also to Spitzbergen and 

 Greenland, and along the north of Asia. It is absent from the 

 south of Spain and Portugal. (Link in Konig's "Tracts," p. 70). 



2. Arabis Mrsuta, L. 



Hab. On the sea banks below the railway station, Burnmouth. 

 Mr. A. Falconer. Minto Crags and elsewhere, Eoxburghshire. 

 A. Jerdon, Esq. 



Scopoli, in the Flora Carniolica, 11. , p. 30, first arranged this 

 with Arahis. It was previously a Turritis. As a Turritis of 

 Petiver it obtained the English name "Daisy Tower Mustard." 

 Caspar Bauhin called it Erysimo similis Mrsuta, Prodromus, p. 42, 

 cum fig., and Pinax, p. 101 ; whence comes the Linneean name 

 hirsuta. C. Bauhin gathered it on the walls of Basil, &c. His 

 brother John also found it on the fortifications of several mediaeval 

 fortresses ; and records the facihty with which it occupies each 

 " coign of vantage " on walls of more recent erection. Hence 

 he named it Barbarea muralis (Hist. Plant., II., p. 869, 870) ; 

 translated in the English name "Wall-cress." He had the 

 merit first to describe the plant in his Libellus de Plantis a 

 Sanctis denominatis, p. 9. But it had previous observers. Among 

 theTemains of Conrad Gesner, there is an Icon, Tab. III., 115 of 

 his Opera Botanica, edited by Schmiedel, and named Delphinium 

 and Myagros sylvestris, which Haller refers to it ; although I 

 think the stem is too leafy, and the leaves too much indented. 



