23 
leaves are generally quite glabrous by the time the plant is in flower, 
but occasionally traces of them may be observed, even in full-grown 
leaves. The under side is clothed with grey arachnoid pubescence 
varying much in thickness and frequently nearly disappearing in the older 
leaves. The flowers are a little larger than those of the Mountain Ash, of 
a purer white, though still tinged with cream colour, and have precisely 
the same pleasant scent as those of the Mountain Ash. The fruit is 
said by Mr. Duthie to have a sweet taste, while Fries describes the 
fruit as acid. Taste at the best is not only indefinite, but we want 
standards to go by. Thus Nyman in his “ Sveryes Fanerogamer ” 
describes the fruit as “less sour than those of the Mountain Ash,” 
“ rather sweet-sour.” Now sour is a term I should never apply to the 
berries of the Mountain Ash. In Arran P. fennica grows in Glen 
Catacol, in the vicinity of P % scandica and P. Aucuparia. I saw but 
one tree of it, close by over a dozen of P. scandica , but Mr. Duthie 
found several trees on the opposite side of the same burn. The tree 
which I saw was apparently the normal P. fennica of Scandinavia, at 
least its leaves quite resembled those of specimens I have received 
from Norway and Sweden, but Mz\ Duthie collected specimens from 
different trees, some of which approach closely to scandica , and 
some of them to Aucuparia. Those which approached scanclica have 
many of the leaves only lobed, only the most vigorous having one or 
sometimes two pairs of pinnce separated. The under side of the leaves 
of these specimens are very thickly grey-felted, and though gathered 
in the month of July they have not become nearly glabrous. At the 
other extremity of the scale there are specimens with the greater part of 
the leaf pinnate, there being three or four pairs of pinnae and not more 
than three lobes on each side ; beyond the pinnae the pubescence on the 
under side is much less dense, and in some of the older leaves is only 
observable on minute examination. My belief is that P. fennica is a 
hybrid between P. scandica and P. Aucuparia. Against this it may 
be alleged that it is said to be common in Norway, while P. scandica 
is rare there. But ten years ago it would have been said that P. 
fennica grew in Arran and P. scandica did not. P. fennica is not un- 
frequently seen in plantations. I have specimens from the Bev. A. 
Bloxam, labelled “ Pyrus pinnatifida, the Altons, near Ashby, Leicester- 
shire, May, 1845,” and a doubtful one from G. L. Sandys, labelled 
u Pyrus pinnatifida, Berry Hill, near Cop ford, Dean Forest, Glou- 
cester, 1841. (Mr. H. C. AVatson has a specimen with the same label, 
which he thinks is the same as the Chambdry plant. See below.) 
My specimen is too imperfect to be sure of, but I think it is nearest P. 
fennica. But Arran seems to be its only native station in Britain. 
