92 Notes on Lastrea remota {Moore). [Sess. 



about the plant being a hybrid between L. Filix-mas and L. 

 spinulosa in the case of the Windermere plant. The scales, 

 on which botanists seem mostly to rely in separating the so- 

 called species, dilatata, spinulosa, and semula, are most distinct ; 

 and in the case of the Windermere remota, the scales of which 

 seem to be the same or almost the same as those on spinulosa, 

 the natural inference is that this plant has been one of the 

 parents. On the other hand, in the Loch Lomond plant the 

 scales are evidently much nearer to those on dilatata, and as 

 no plants of spinulosa were observed growing near, I think 

 we may assume that dilatata has been one of the parents in 

 this case. 



With regard to trying to prove that the plant is a hybrid, 

 many use the fact that as none of the plants of remota have 

 ever been known to produce the same plant from spores, there- 

 fore it is certainly a hybrid ; but this theory does not hold 

 good, as there are some hybrids which do produce from seed 

 exactly the same plants as the parent plant. A very familiar 

 example is in the case of the common primrose crossing with 

 the cowslip, which produces the polyanthus : now this plant 

 always produces its same kind, and not either a primrose or a 

 cowslip, as one would have expected. Therefore there seems 

 to be no general rule to guide one in this matter. It is rather 

 presumptuous in me to bring up a subject of such difficulty on 

 which I am able to throw so little light ; my only excuse is 

 that the plant exhibited was found by me in Scotland, and 

 has been referred by some of our acutest specialists to the 

 plant under discussion — viz., Lastrea remota, — and this being 

 the only occasion of its having been seen in Scotland, it struck 

 me that the matter might be interesting to the members of 

 this Society. 



[This paper was illustrated by lantern-slides.] 



