I wish, in conclusion, to acknowledge the great assistance which I have received from the Rev. W. Moyle Rogers in drawing up the above descriptions.

FURTHER NOTES ON HIERACIA NEW TO BRITAIN. BY FREDERICK J. HANBURY, F.L.S.

(Concluded from vol. xxx., p. 370.)

Occurs over a very

H. ANGLICUM Fr. X HYPOCHEROIDES Gibs. small area of rocks on two of the limestone scars in the neighbourhood of Settle; the areas are so limited that it would be imprudent to publish their exact position. I first received dried specimens from the Misses Thompson, who have thoroughly worked up the Hieracium flora of the district, with the request that I would name them. The examples sent were so different to anything I had seen before, that I took the earliest opportunity of investigating the locality in their company, and studying the plant amid its natural surroundings. Exactly intermediate in nearly every character between the supposed parents, typical plants of which grew all about the rocks, we felt no doubt that we had found a hybrid, and its restricted distribution strongly favoured this view, in which both the Rev. E. S. Marshall and Mr. J. C. Melvill fully concur. Of more robust habit and with larger heads than hypocharoides, it strongly resembles that species in its pure yellow styles, floccosemargined and comparatively short blunt phyllaries, its straight bifurcate manner of branching red stem, and beautifully spotted leaves, which are purpled beneath, whilst their ovate subacute shape and shaggy petioles are just those of the anglicum type. There is one rather large and broadly clasping stem-leaf, the heads are very truncate at the base, and the ligules slightly pilose before

expansion.

I have not

H. COMMUTATUM Beck. EUPATORIUM Griseb. (?). personally seen the above in the fresh state, but, judging from the fine series of specimens recently given me by the Rev. Augustin Ley, have little doubt but that this determination will prove to be correct. Here are Mr. Ley's own notes:-"An interesting form of Hieracium grew on a hedgebank near Forfantan Station, Breconshire, at about 1000 ft. above sea-level." Typical H. boreale was growing in abundance along with it, and H. corymbosum, also in abundance within a few hundred yards. Our plant occupied some twenty yards of the hedgebanks, and there were many hundred specimens. It appeared distinct from both, yet its close alliance with both, especially with H. boreale, seemed unmistakable. From boreale it differed in the more rigid leaves, broader in their centre, and tapering gradually at both ends, the point of the leaf acute, the sides with finely pointed spine-like serrations, venation much marked on the under side, and slightly in the stem, which was less hairy. From corymbosum, in the darker colouring of the whole plant, in the stiff whitish hairs of the stem,

and the dark green involucre; the branches of the panicle less spreading; the height of the plant was about 2-8 ft., while that of H. corymbosum was 1-2 ft. From the above it will be seen that the plant was fairly intermediate between H. boreale and H. corymbosum, bearing the stem, inflorescence and involucre of the former, and leaves approaching the latter. It is suggested that it is a hybrid between the two."

To the above remarks I would only add that there is no question whatever as to its connection with H. commutatum Beck. (H. boreale), whilst the absence of crowding in the leaves, their harsher texture, prominent veining, and the less broadly heart-shaped character of those in the upper portion appear to me very distinctive. The phyllaries, too, are rather longer and more acute, and, as far as I can judge from dried specimens, the styles are less livid, and the ligules of a deeper yellow than in H. commutatum. I am only sorry that Mr. Ley did not dry good specimens of the two supposed parents, but this he can probably do another season; the extraordinary range of variation in both species renders the acquisition of this additional evidence most desirable.

I will conlcude this paper with brief references to several wellmarked plants which require further investigation before it would be wise to give new names, distinguishing them by letters only. They are worthy of the closest attention, and to most, I cannot doubt, it will ultimately be found necessary to give specific or varietal rank. For some I had already provided names, intending to publish them among the foregoing. The prolonged frost of last winter, however, destroyed many of my most recently collected plants. Hieracia as a rule are hardy enough, but being recently moved and not having developed sufficiently long rootlets they were lifted out of the ground and killed, thus stopping for the present all further opportunity of studying their habits and of comparing with other species grown under similar conditions. As they were collected from widely separated districts, I must rely on the kindness of correspondents to replace some of my lost forms.

a. I am indebted to the Rev. H. E. Fox for the only specimens I possess of a plant, sent in August, 1890, from Dollywaggon Pikes, Cumberland. The notes I made on receiving the fresh specimens are insufficient to enable me to give a full description at present, but the following characters will serve to distinguish it pending further particulars. Stem from 15 to 20 inches high, both radical and cauline leaves rather anglicum-like, though the latter are stalked; but differing entirely from that species in the inflorescence. The heads, 3 to 7 or more in number, are borne on slender, arcuate, densely setose and sparingly floccose peduncles, the involucre is almost black with setæ, the phyllaries long and very acute. The ligules are quite glabrous. In the stronger plants the radical leaves are coarsely and acutely toothed at the base, like those of the variety acutifolium of H. anglicum Fr. The main stem, whilst appearing glabrous, or nearly so, to the naked eye, is scabrid with minute rough bristles and setæ, and sparingly floccose.

JOURNAL OF BOTANY.-VOL. 81. [JAN. 1893.]

с

b. A very interesting plant, found by Mr. H. C. Hart and myself in July, 1891, on the grassy banks of the Carrick River, Co. Donegal, scarcely above sea level. It appears to be intermediate in general character between the scapigera and vulgata. Height about 15 to 20 inches, heads 1 to 3, rather large, radical leaves few, broadly-ovate, subacute, very wide towards the truncate base, and abruptly narrowed to a long petiole, almost entire. Stem leaves usually two, shortly stalked, of the same form and equally abruptly narrowed as in the case of the radical leaves. All bright green and glabrous above, rather glaucous and with few long simple hairs below. Styles pure yellow. Ligules glabrous. Involucre truncate. I have seen no other form at all like this, and had hoped to have watched its development under cultivation and completed its description, but the destruction of my roots necessitates the postponement for the present of further information.

c. A plant belonging to the vulgata discovered in July, 1888, by Dr. F. Buchanan White on trap rocks at St. Cyrus, Kincardine. It is about twenty inches in height, and in foliage resembles H. vulgatum Fr. The heads, however, are so extraordinarily cuneate at the base, and the phyllaries so abnormally long, narrow and very acute, overtopping the young buds to the extent of making them appear nearly double their true length, that it is very doubtful if it can be placed to that species at all. Dr. White made no further description than that the styles were yellow, and he has not yet had the opportunity of revisiting the spot. I sent it to Dr. Lindeberg, who wrote:-"Forma sane miraculosa, ab omnibus Hieraciis luculenter diversa phyllariis longissimis, formâ anthelæ foliisque caulinis basi incisis, etc. Observatione maxime dignum!"

d. A plant found by Dr. White at Loch Lubnaig, Perthshire, on the 27th August, 1891. Excepting that the involucres are very sparingly floccose, it agrees well with H. truncatum Lindeb. As the stems were broken off from near the base, it is impossible to say from our present specimens whether the root-leaves have the semi-persistent character of those of H. truncatum or not. The plant should be carefully collected again.

e. A beautiful and distinctive form, occurring on the precipitous cliffs of Craig Dulyn, Carnarvon. I had fully intended to have described this plant under the name of H. orimeles, but have recently come to realize that it is closely allied to, if not identical with, the Braemar form alluded to in the earlier part of this paper under H. onosmoides. In North Wales the plant grows luxuriantly and seems at home, the flowers in most cases being perfectly developed, though a few of the stylose form occur, and these first aroused my suspicion as to its connection with the Scotch specimens. The further discovery that some of Mr. Beeby's Shetland plants from rocks at the foot of Cliva Hill, near Brae, are certainly similar to those from Wales, greatly strengthens the supposition that there is one form occurring over a large portion of Great Britain. I am equally clear now that this must be separated from the Tain plant, and, should further investigation prove it to belong

to H. buglossoides Arvet-Touvet, I shall gladly adopt this name; but if not, the name suggested above would be suitable.

Since the publication of the name H. caniceps in the last (December) number of this Journal, I find that Norrlin has forestalled me in the use of this term. I therefore suggest Hieracium rivale as a suitable substitute, having nearly always found the species by small rocky streams. I may here mention, as a coincidence, that Norrlin described a Hieracium under the name Hieracium proximum, a few weeks after my description of that species had appeared. I have also to thank a correspondent for pointing out a material correction needed in my description of H. euprepes. I there spoke of the peduncles as "divaricate." They are remarkably upright, and form a very acute angle with the axis in the Scotch specimens, but in some of the robust and dwarf Welsh plants, a drawing of one of which I had before me when writing, they are widely spreading. The close upright panicle, however, is the more usual form.

This brings me to the end of a paper, the volume of which has considerably exceeded my first intentions. To many who have not made this genus a special study, the number of new forms described may seem excessive. If, however, the careful work Mr. Backhouse accomplished single-handed in a few years, and over very restricted areas of the British Islands, be compared with similar work done by a large number of our best critical botanists over much wider areas and during quite as many years, it will not appear surprising that a large number of new forms have been found. As stated early in this paper, I have endeavoured to restrict the number as far as I honestly can, and I need scarcely say that even with this large accession of new names, I have many individual specimens for which it is still difficult to find a restingplace. This will always be the case in a genus where finality is an impossibility. It must not be inferred, however, from such an admission, that there do not exist well-defined types, often scattered over wide geographical areas separated from each other by hundreds of miles of lowland country, yet constant in their characters and recognizable at a glance wherever they are met with. The experience of all true workers at a genus like Hieracium proves such an inference to be quite untenable. Our experience in this country differs in no respect from that of our confrères abroad, who have made this and other large critical genera a lifelong study.

I would only add, in conclusion, that I hope shortly to be able to send to the Botanical Department of the Natural History Museum at South Kensington a fairly complete set of our Hieracia, embracing nearly all the forms described in this and previous papers. It has been impossible to comply with the numerous requests for specimens that I have received. For the work that lies before me in the completion of my monograph, it is essential that I should retain as large and representative series as possible. To the list of kind friends enumerated at the beginning of this paper, I wish to add the name of Dr. W. A. Shoolbred, and to again thank all for their continued help during the past season.

DO NATURAL HYBRIDS EXIST ?-I had overlooked the fact of Mr. C. B. Clarke's having again referred to the hybrid question in the Journal for last November (p. 322), in his paper on Holoschenus Link. His first objection I deny; experimental proof has been furnished, in many cases. His second objection carries very much more weight; but the question of what a subspecies is (supposing "subspecies to be more than an expression) complicates that part of the subject, and one hardly knows what one has to meet. I should not, for example, describe as a hybrid the offspring of a species and of a variety of that species. As bearing on this matter, I may perhaps be allowed to mention a striking object-lesson. While the Rev. E. F. Linton was staying with me last August, we found growing upon a railway-bank near Witley, Surrey, several plants intermediate between Verbascum nigrum and V. Thapsus; these two species occurring at the same spot. Now, I had carefully searched this same locality in vain for such intermediates in 1890, and am certain that they did not then exist. He would be a bold man who should make out the two supposed parents to be "subspecies of one aggregate; and I do not think that any unprejudiced person could doubt that the intermediate was the product of fertilisation between them. Why not, then, call them (what in point of fact they are) hybrids? Similarly, I had allowed Epilobium lanceolatum and E. roseum (besides various other species) to spread rather freely in my garden. This summer there appeared for the first time two or three specimens which blended their characters. These I cannot regard as anything else than E. lanceolatum roseum; there is no other reasonable way of accounting for the phenomena. Had I found the plants in a wild condition, the evidence would doubtless have been less satisfactory; but I should have felt justified, by a somewhat intimate acquaintance with the two species, in naming them as above. I may add that the true species always retain their individuality, and can, when once known, be distinguished at a glance.-EDWARD S. MARSHALL.

SALIX MOOREI, Lond. Cat., IN FORFARSHIRE.-In connection with Messrs. Linton's paper on Scottish willows (Journ. Bot. 1892, 358), I may mention that a small plant which I collected in Glen Fiagh, in 1888, has proved to be the above (S. herbacea × nigricans). It bears a considerable resemblance to S. Grahami, which is planted close to it, but shows just those differences which one would expect from the substitution of S. nigricans for S. phylicifolia in the parentage.-EDWARD S. MARSHALL.

CAREX RHYNCHOPHYSA IN IRELAND.-Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger has been fortunate enough to add this well-marked species to our Flora; he found it last August in County Armagh. A description and plate will appear in our next number.

ASPLENIUM LANCEOLATUM IN KERRY. I came across a fair maount of this fern last summer, not far from the village of Camp,