85 



A NEW MARITIME FORM OF WOOD VETCH: 

 Vicia sylvatica L. var. condensata. 



By G. C. DRUCE, F.L.S., 

 Oxford. 



On the shingly shore of Wigtonshire, between Port William and 

 jMonreith Bay, occurred in considerable quantity a peculiar variety 

 of Vicia sylvatica. The plants first seen were barren, and at a short 

 distance appeared to be V. Orobus^ but closer examination showed it 

 not to be that plant, nor was it till later on, when it was seen in flower 

 and fruit, that its connexion with sylvatica was made out ; so different 

 in habit was the plant. Careful examination revealed enough 

 structural difference to render it worthy of varietal distinction, 

 although the shingly soil and maritime situation necessarily have 

 been the agents in causing the changed appearance. There seems to 

 be no noticeof a maritime varietyof Kjtjv/z/^/zV^ in our own or continental 

 floras. In ' Topographical Botany ' V. sylvatica is recorded for 

 Wigtonshire, on the authority of Mr. Macnab ; but I do not know 

 whether this refers to the maritime or the sylvestral plant. The latter 

 I did not see in the county. 



The difference in habit is very striking; instead of the large, 

 climbing, plant with thin almost pellucid leaves and lax racemes of pale 

 flowers, this occurred in dense, prostrate masses about two feet across, 

 with densely massed flowers and subcoriaceous leaves, rigid in outline 

 and frequently glaucous, while the flowers, although delicately 

 pencilled with purpHsh violet, were themselves suffused with a light 

 purplish brown and smaller than the typical plant. 



Beneath are contrasted the opposing characters of the type and 

 variety. 



rather distant, oval or broadly subcoriaceous, crowded leaflets, 

 elliptical leaflets rounded or trun- truncate and mucronate at apex. 



V. sylvatica. 

 Stem long, weak, climbing, or 

 trailing. 



Leaves with 6-10 pairs of thin. 



V. condensata. 

 Stem short, rather rigid, pros- 

 trate. 



Leaves with 6-7 pairs of 



cate and mucronate at apex. 

 Peduncles with 5-18 flowers in 



Glabrous andfrequently glaucous. 



Peduncles with 4-14 flowers 

 in a dense unilateral raceme. 



a lax unilateral raceme. 



Pedicels as long as the calyx 



Pedicels slightly shorter than 

 calyx tube. 



tube. 



Calyx semi-membranous. 

 Calyx teeth slightly unequal 



Calyx teeth abruptly narrowed 

 into unequal subulate teeth. 



Calyx green and firm in texture. 



triangular subulate. 



Pedun cles 2-7 inches long. 



Peduncles 2-3 inches long. 



Nov. 1884. 



