332 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



SOME HYBEIDS OF THE GENUS SYMPHYTUM. 

 By Cedeic Bucknall, Mus.Bac. Oxon. 



In this paper I give the results of a study of the hybrids 

 formed by Symphytum officinale L. and S. peregrinum Ledeb., the 

 latter being the plant which has been long established as a colonist 

 in Britain, as well as in Scandinavia {S. u])lanclicum Nym. p. p.) 

 and in other European countries. I do not now propose to enter 

 into the question of the relations of S. peregrinum with S. asperum 

 Lepech. {S. asperrimum Donn), with which it has so often been 

 confused; let it sufi&ce to say that we have in Britain a plant 

 which agrees with Ledebour's description as distinguished from 

 that of S. asperum, and also with the figure and description by 

 Kuznetsoff in his work on the Caucasian species of Symphytum 

 (Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. S. Petersbourg, 1910). 



A native of South-east Caucasus and North Persia, S. pere- 

 grinum appears to have been introduced into Britain (together 

 with S. asperum^) at the beginning of last century; it is now 

 widely distributed and likely to spread, as isolated plants are some- 

 times found at a considerable distance from the main colonies. 



In the neighbourhood of Bath and Bristol there are numerous 

 stations for this plant, in some of which it is accompanied by 

 S. officinale, with which it hybridizes freely. 



As long ago as 1834 Babington gathered S. asperum in the 

 Oakford Valley, near Bath, but this, for some reason not fully 

 understood, has disappeared, giving place to the nearly related 

 S.peregrinum, which grows there in great profusion, accompanied 

 by S. officinale. At the end of May, 1911, when both species were 

 in full bloom, I noticed a few plants which were obviously inter- 

 mediate between them ; a little later I again found both species 

 on the banks of tbe Land Yeo stream at Flax Bourton, near 

 Bristol, with a considerable number of hybrids, which were easily 

 recognized by the various colours of the flowers. Kt the end of 

 April of this year, as soon as >S'. officinale was in flower, these 

 localities were again examined, and the hybrid plants were found 

 to be in flower at the same time as that species and earlier than 

 S, peregrinum, of which only a few plants were in bloom. 



For this reason the hybrids were very conspicuous, and were 

 found to be more abundant than was supposed. Other colonies 

 on the Land Yeo were equally productive of hybrids, several of 

 which, the progeny of different colour-varieties of the parents, 

 were very distinct in appearance and possessed marked characters. 

 In the dried state these forms are, of course, more difficult to dis- 

 tinguish, and in gathering specimens the habit and height of the 

 plant and the colour of the flowers should be carefully noted. As 

 the nutlets of the parent species are very distinct in character, 

 and those of the hybrids mostly intermediate, it is well to gather 

 specimens when the nutlets are fully formed and before all the 

 flowers have fallen. At this stage it will sometimes be found 

 that a few of the latest flowers have reverted to the colour of 



