REPORT OF MEETINGS 
171 
was removed, and Mr. Druce can be congratulated on a very 
smart bit of work. 
The grass is indeed readily recognizable at any period by its 
curious root stock. This bears a dense tuft of short, stout 
shoots, most of which are barren. The whole plant is frequently 
without a flower-stem : sometimes only one shoot flowers — 
seldom more than three. Each shoot is separately enveloped at 
the base in a fine fibrous network, closely interwoven and of 
some thickness ; the whole forms a compact tuft often several 
inches in diameter firmly wedged among stones or anchored in 
a crevice of rock by plentiful long strong root-fibres. On digging 
up specimens I have several times noticed, in more than one 
locality, white patches of the mycelium of a fungus upon the 
fibrous sheathing, the health of the plant apparently not being 
thereby affected. This suggests the origin of Dillenius’ phrase 
“ gramen montanum fungosum,^^ or the latter adjective may have 
had reference to the filamentous matting which is so conspicuous 
a character. The leaves differ from those of cristata and the 
panicles are continuous and not more or less interrupted. 
The nomenclature of the genus Koeleria is very much involved. 
For reasons that need not be gone into here it is at present 
doubtful if the name vallesiaca can be retained for this species. 
It may have to be known as K. suberosa Persoon ; or possibly 
take the new title of K. splendens Druce. 
• Finding in a friend’s collection a good specimen of the new 
grass gathered many years ago on Worle- Hill (it was of course 
labelled cristata), Mr. Bucknall and I went there and found an 
abundance. It grows on several parts of that hill. Mr. Bucknall 
has also found many plants (mostly barren) on stony ground 
high up on Crook’s Peak, and a larger quantity towards the base 
of its southern slope. These North Somerset localities are at 
present the only ones known in Great Britain. 
JAMES W. WHITE, F.L.S., 
Hon. Secretary. 
