9 2 



NOTES—BOTANY. 



Iris Spuria, British? — There are 49 distinct species of Iris inhabit 

 Europe : two only given in our Manuals as British. Nmyan in his Conspectus 

 arranges the Irids according- to their affinities in three sections ; the second 

 of which {Euirides) he subdivides into Barbata and Imberbes. Under the 

 sword-leaved Imberbes five only are included, both the British species and 

 the others in this order. 



36. Iris Pseudacorus Linn. Britain, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, 

 Holland, Denmark. 



37. Iris fcetidissima Linn. England, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, 

 Italy = /. Bertolini. 



38. Iris spuria Linn. Castile, Valencia, Southern France (Narbonne), 

 and West France, Germany Western, Danish isles of Saltholm, etc., Austria- 

 Hungary. 



39. Iris Guldenstcedtidna Lep. Southern Russia, Roumania. Sub. sp. 

 spuria Reichenbach. In Hungary, Transylvania, Moldavia. 



40. Iris Monnieri DC. Crete. (Sieb. sec. Baker.) 



Then follow the linear-leaved Imberbes with which we are not concerned. 



But, from above we see (1) that fcetidissima is the spuria of Bertolini ; 

 (2) that ranking next to it is true Linnean spuria ; and (3) that these two 

 are very much alike, very near in characters, have been confused by great 

 botanists ; and (4) that from the latitudinal distribution spuria L. is quite 

 likely to be English. The plant called fcetidissima hitherto may be divisible 

 into two, referable to both fcetidissima and spuria. If the Huttoft plant 

 has not been the product of sown mixed seed from a nurseryman, it is more 

 likely to be ' native ' in the wet spots where it grows along with Pseudacorus 

 than if it were the dry-soil bushy-place true-' fcetidissima.' This is never 

 found with Pseudacorus in S.W. Ireland, Dorse^t, etc. 



And which of the spurias is Mr. Fowler's Corby Wood plant, that added 

 to the Line. Flora by him ? Probably the true Linnean fcetidissima. But 

 before this can be settled, in the coming season, plentiful material must be 

 got and then submitted to the South Kensington authorities. Reviewing 

 the whole matter so far as we know yet, this may be another case of 

 Selinum Carvifolia, found to be native otherwhere in England after the 

 Rev. W. Fowler had detected it at Broughton. 



There is no more to be said, I think. All suppositions and arguments 

 as to the out-of-the-way spot on the Lincoln littoral where it grows inter- 

 mingl^ with the yellow flag, are but special pleadings ; to which it may be 

 controversially replied that Barr, of Daffodil fame, the seedsman of Covent 

 Garden, teste his 190Q Seed Catalogue, p. 58, sells for a few pence packets 

 of mixed seed of ' laevigata (a Japanese kind) sibirica, graminea, spuria, 

 spuria-major [whatever that may be], pseudacorus,' and others. None of 

 the three first grow at Huttoft ! No ' fcetidissima ' at all is offered for sale ! 

 All rather goes to make this a matter on which we must suspend judgment, 

 whilst keeping our minds alert to seize any forthcoming - facts which may 

 add another floral gem to the crown of the queen of English counties. — 

 F. Arnold Lees, Leeds, 20th February 1900. 



I should not be surprised, from its continental distribution, if Iris spuria 

 were to turn up in Devonshire or the Channel Islands. It differs from 

 /. fcetidissima as follows : — (1) The leaves have not the strong unpleasant 

 scent from which the latter takes its name ; (2) the blade of the outer petal 

 is Only half as long as the haft; (3) the capsule is much smaller, narrowed 

 into a distinct neck and marked with six prominent subequal ribs ; (4-) seeds 

 black not bright red. — J. G. Baker, Kew, 20th February 1900. 



NO TE— ORNITHOLOGY. 



Bittern near Beverley. — A fine specimen of the Bittern (Botaurus 

 stellaris) was shot at the side of a ditch near Beverley on 22nd December. 

 It is six years since this species has occurred in this district. — J. R. 



Lovvther, Crane Hill, Beverley, 1st January 1900. 



Naturalist, 



