62 



THE NATURALIST. 



NOTES ON SOME FOEMS OF CRATJSGUS, 



C. P. HOBKIRK, 



In a former Paper on this subject, (Naturalist, Vol. Hi. jp. 12, J I 

 called the attention of our local botanists to the description of two forms 

 of Gratmgus, as given in tlie Continental j/^oras, viz. : — C. oxyacantlioides, 

 Tbuil., and C. monogyna, Jacq., and, whilst requesting them to devote 

 some attention to the forms found in this country, I stated my own 

 desire to be furnished with specimens from their various localities. To 

 those gentlemen who have kindly acceded to my request, by sending 

 specimens, I would here beg to tender my warmest thanks, more parti- 

 cularly to J. G. Baker, Esq., F.L.S., of Kew, and the Kev. W. T. P. 

 Meade King, of Atherstone, the former of whom lent me the whole of the 

 dried specimens ( English and Foreign) in his own herbarium, and sent 

 me fresh flowering specimens of all the forms found in the Royal Gardens 

 at Kew ; the latter, some fifty fresh specimens of the forms found in his 

 immediate neighbourhood. Partly in fulfilment of my promise 

 (1. c. p. 14.) and partly at the request of Mr. Baker, after having spent 

 much time in a careful study of the specimens kindly sent to me and of 

 those groY/ing near Huddersfield, I am induced to give to the readers of 

 the Naturalist the result of my examinations so far as they have at 

 present gone, with the hope that they may have some interest attached 

 to them, and may lead others to a further study of these forms, and thus 

 either confirm or modify my opinions. 



Linneus places the genus Cratasgus in his class Icosandria, order 

 Digynia, and thus describes C. oxyacantha, " C. foliis obtusis subtrifidis 

 serratis." (Syst, Nat. 1057, A.D. 1737.) 



C. monogyna, Jacq., is separated from the above in the the following 

 terms : — - 



" At vero in C. monogyna folia sunt glaberrima magisque nitentia : 

 turn etiam pleraque valde profunde secta in lobis quinque vel tres acutis 

 et aut integerrimos aut ad summitatem paucis dentibis serratis. Pedun- 

 euli nullis villis pubescent. Lacini^ calycis semper cum in flore tum in 

 fructu ita reflectuntur totse quanta©, ut ad germen fructumque arete 

 apprimantnr postica sui parte. Stylus unicus ad est constantissime, ortus 

 e centro germinis, nunquam mihi Tariare visus in uUo flore : hinc etiam 

 fructus gestat semen aeque constanter unicum, idemque subrotundum, 



