REPORT FOR 1907. 
313 
of fen (i.e. of fen land which has never been under cultivation) form- 
ing part of Woodvvalton Fen, Hunts. 
My object was to collect fen violets for distribution by the two 
Exchange Clubs. I found a strip of land which had been spade-dug 
for the purpose of planting willow cuttings to form an Osier Holt. 
The ground had been dug over about two years previously, and 
it was being rapidly covered with vegetation. On this piece of 
ground there was an abundance of V. crassifolia, stagnina, and 
nonoralis, together with hybrids, and growing near was a Luzula, 
which I at once perceived was a new form to our Flora. I have no 
doubt its appearance on that spot was due to the turning over 
of the soil and that it will quickly disappear. I found about six 
roots. The rough fen which is surrounded with water and is only 
accessible by boat, is covered with very coarse grasses, sedges, and 
rushes, so that there is a regular struggle for existence. The largest 
root of the Luzula was a big tussock. The other roots were much 
younger, evidently originating from the larger root. 
1 came to the conclusion from the description in ‘ Boreau ’ that 
it was pallescens, Besser. I sent specimens to Mr. A. Bennett. He 
was too busy to do more than look up his notes, from which he 
gathered that he had received ^'■pallescens, Besser,” from Messrs. 
Ley, Marshall, and Somerville. As he had not compared my plant 
with the specimens sent by those gentlemen, I thought it probable 
that what they had sent was merely a variety of 7 nultiJlora, and not 
the true plant of Besser. On enquiry Messrs. Ley and Marshall 
said my surmise was correct. Mr. Somerville had unfortunately 
just died, so I do not know anything about his plant. Mr. Mar- 
shall felt sure that my plant was that of Besser. I then sent speci- 
mens to Mr. Evans and afterwards to the Messrs. Groves. . . . The 
soil of the fen is pure turf. There was plenty of luxuriant multijlora 
growing in different parts of the same rough fen, but the two plants 
bore no resemblance to each other. — E. W. Hunnybun. Mr. 
Hunnybun in a note observes : '■' L. pallescens, Besser, may possibly 
be fairly abundant in the fen, but there is such a matted growth 
of sedge and grass that except, as in the present instance, where 
a small piece had been dug over with a spade to plant willow 
cuttings, it would find it almost impossible to grow. It will soon 
be choked and disappear again.” 
Sparganium . With a larger plant in a pond near Walton, 
Liverpool (v.-c. 59), October 1907. The larger plant was S. 
neglectum, Beeby, but I was unable to identify these much smaller 
plants. Are they S. ramosum, var. microcarpicm, Neum?— J. A. 
Wheldon. Yes. — W. H. Beeby. This may be microca^pum, but 
it is immature, and without fruit one cannot say positively. — 
Jas. W. White. Not S. neglectum, Beeby, but 6'. erectuin, L. 
{ramosum, Curt.), var. mtcrocarpum . — E. S. M. 
