SHORT NOTES 349 



was originally described by Sir J. E. Smith, and figured by Sowerby 

 in English Botany (E.B. 2140 (1810)), from specimens collected by 

 Borrer in 1809, in a boggy pool in St. Leonard's Forest, Sussex, 

 but as far as we know it has not been found there since Borrer's 

 time. In 1883 Mr. Arthur Bennett, to whom we are indebted for 

 much valuable material, sent us some fresh specimens of the plant, 

 collected by Mr. W. E. Beck with in a small deep pool in Shrop- 

 shire in the autumn of that year. In Ireland it was collected 

 near Ballybetagh, Glen Cullen, Co. Dubhn, by Mr. D. Orr, and in 

 1892, in company with Mr. E. M. Barrington, we found it grow- 

 ing in great profusion in two of the lakes in the Wicklow Moun- 

 tains, Lough Luggala and Lough Dan. These four are the only 

 authenticated records we have for N. gracilis in the British Isles. 

 It is widely distributed in Europe, and occurs in Asia, Africa, and 

 North and South America. — H. & J. Groves. 



Two Genera new to Tropical Africa. — x\mong specimens 

 sent by Mr. Ered Eyles from Mazoe, Ehodesia, are representatives 

 of two South African genera which have not hitherto been 

 recorded from Tropical Africa. One is the remarkable monotypic 

 genus Boioiea, hitherto recorded from the Cape region, and as far 

 north as the Transvaal. Mr. Eyles's specimens, which agree with 

 B. voluhilis, were collected at Mazoe at 4300 ft. (no. 556) and 

 4400 ft. (no. 364), the latter climbing under the shade of trees on 

 an isolated granite hill, and growing from a " large flattened 

 round white bulb 3 in. in diameter and 1\ in. deep." The plant 

 is described as bright green, withering yellow, with capsules of the 

 same green as the branches. It was found in flower in January, 

 and in fruit in April. The other genus is Testudinaria, repre- 

 sented by T. sylvatica Benth., male flowering specimens of which 

 were found in a river-bed at 4300 ft. in December (no. 212). 

 The plant, also male in flower, has since been sent by Mr. E. C. 

 Chubb from Bulawayo. The species is w^idely distributed in South 

 Africa, and is recorded as far north as the Transvaal — w^e have a 

 specimen from Johannesburg, from Dr. Eand (no. 1059) ; others 

 are from Lydenburg, from Dr. Wilms (no. 1496), distributed as 

 Dioscorea Elephantopus, and from Houtbosh, from Eehmann 

 (no. 5783).— A. B. Eendle. 



Parnassia palustris L. var. condensata (pp. 254, 315). — I 

 have looked in all the floras of the coastal islands from Denmark 

 to France, and the coast floras, but can find no note of the 

 Parnassia described by Messrs. Travis and Wheldon. But their 

 limitation of 1-3 scapes to the type can hardly be accepted ; in 

 specimens from Chippenham Moor, Cambs, they are from 5-7, 

 and 36 cm. high. These may be contrasted with others from 

 " Sands at Spiggie, Dunrossness, Shetland " (W. H. Beeby), which 

 have 1-2 scapes, and are 5*60 cm. high. Others from '• Largo 

 Links, Fife, 9, 1877, J. T. Syme," are 9*23 cm. high, and have 

 16 scapes, and thus appear approximate to condensata ; but on 

 careful examination it can be seen that these 16 scapes proceed 

 from a three-headed rootstock, whicli gives about five to each 

 head. — A. Bennett. 



