S A GINA 
3i 
Numerous states of this variable species have been described. We here recognise the following three varieties, though 
we are -not fully convinced that they are deserving of any higher rank than that of formae or subvarieties. 
(a) S. apetala var. communis var. nov. ; S. apetala Jordan Observ. fragm. i, 27, t. 3 B (1846); Syme Eng. 
Bot. ii, 1 18 (1864). 
leones : — Smith Eng. Bot. t. 881, as 5 . apetala. 
Exsiccata : — Billot, 516, 516 bis, 516 ter, as S. apetala ; Fries, xii, 54, as .S. apetala ; Schultz {Herb. Norm.), 
832, 832 bis, as 5 . apetala. 
Sepals divaricate in fruit. Petals usually present, minute. 
( b ) S. apetala var. ciliata Garcke Deutschl. FI. ed. 13, 65 (1878); S', ciliata Fries FI. Suec. 47 (1814); 
Babington in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, i, 153 (1848); Bot. Gaz. i, 176 (1849); Syme Eng. Bot. ii, 119 (1864); 
S. depressa F. Schultz Prodr. FI. Starg. Suppl. 10 (1819); S. patula Jordan Obs. fragm. i, 25, t. 3 A (1846)!; 
S. filicaulis Jordan Obs. fragm. vii, 16 (1849); S. ambigua Lloyd FI. I'Onest Fr. 74 (1854); S. apetala subsp. 
ciliata Rouy et Foucaud FI. France iii, 288 (1896). 
leones: — Reichenbach Icon, v, t. 200, fig. 4956, as S. ciliata ; fig. 4957, as S. depressa ; fig. 4958, as S. 
apetala ; Syme Eng. Bot. ii, t. 247, as S. ciliata ; Sv. Bot. t. 562, fig. 2, as S. ciliata. 
Camb. Brit. FI. iii. Plate jo. {a, b) Whole plants. ( c ) Leaves of primary rosette (enlarged). ( d ) Portion of 
flowering branch (enlarged), (e) Flower (enlarged). Worcestershire (b, R. F. T., sent as S. apetala x reuteri), 
a , c and d from Jersey (E. W. H.). 
Exsiccata: — Billot, 517, as S. patula \ Crdpin, 1009, as S. ciliata', Fries, i, 42, as S. ciliata ; v. Heurck, ii, 
52, as S. patula-, Schultz, v, 438, et vii, 438 ter, as S', depressa ; v, 438 bis, et ix, 438 ter, as S. depressa var. 
glandulosa-, Thielens et Devos, i, 33, as S. patula', Wirtgen, ix, 447, as S. patula \ xvii, 949, as S. ciliata. 
Sepals remaining more or less closely appressed to the capsule. Petals usually absent. 
Beneken (in Bot. Zeit. iii, 721 (1845)) maintained that the two preceding varieties are brought about by habitat-conditions. 
His views were combated by Babington (in Bot. Gaz. i, 174 — 177 (1849)), and supported by Henfrey (ibid, ii, 182 (1850)). 
Babington (loc. cit.) pointed out that Fries’ name S. ciliata is an unfortunate one, for the presence or absence of a fringe 
of hairs upon the lower part of the leaves has proved to be far too inconstant to be depended on. Schultz’s name .S. depressa 
and Jordan’s name S. patula are both also inapplicable to some states of the plant. The trouble here is that the characters 
which have called forth these names are not fixed. We should however hesitate in this case to trace the cause of the varia- 
tion to Mendelian segregation. It seems unreasonable, when the flowers are so minute as in 5 . apetala, to assume, in the 
absence of experimental knowledge, the existence of hybrids and consequent factorial segregation. If an assumption must be 
made, it seems more reasonable to suppose that the flowers are self-pollinated, and that the variations are, as Benekin and 
Henfrey believed, largely due to the conditions of the habitat. Both var. communis and var. ciliata are widely distributed. 
(c) S. apetala var. reuteri H. and J. Groves in Babington’s Manual ed. 9, 58 (1904); S. reuteri Boissier 
Diagn. PI. Or. Nov. ser. 2, fasc. i, 82 (1883); S. reuteri var. glabra Ingham and Wheldon in Journ. Bot. xlvi, 
ill (1908)! 
leones : — Willkomm Icon, et Descr. i, t. 73, fig. A (1852), as 5 . reuteri. 
Camb. Brit. FI. iii. Plate go. (J) Whole plant, (g , h) Fruits (enlarged). Worcestershire (S. H. B.). 
A minute ephemeral form. Primary rosette small, with leaves up to about 6 or 7 mm. long. 
Pedicels very short, up to about 3 — 4 mm. long. Capsule small, up to about 2 mm. long and rather 
narrower than in the preceding varieties, with usually erect sepals, carpels emarginate-truncate after 
dehiscence. 
Mr R. F. Towndrow (Journ. Bot. xxxiv, 367 (1896)) believes that this plant was introduced from Spain with the ballast 
employed to make the platform of the railway stations at Worcester about the year 1858. 
Mr F. N. Williams (see Journ. Bot. xlvi, no (1908)) states that he has received so many specimens of the plant from 
the north of England, and from inland localities as to preclude the idea of its having been imported from Spain. He adds : — 
“I am quite prepared to reverse the early view of the habitat of this plant, and now hold that it is a casual or alien in its 
original and only station ‘ near Madrid,’ and a native of more northern countries.” 
Possibly the limited distribution of the plant is more apparent than real, and due to its having been passed over as a 
dwarf state of S. apetala. 
The var. reuteri has been recorded for Devonshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Herefordshire, Worcester- 
shire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Pembrokeshire; but we do not venture to vouch for the correctness 
of this distribution. 
Out of Great Britain, the var. reuteri has only been definitely recorded for Spain fnear Madrid). 
