in Norfolk; and to these he probably alludes in his observations
on his var. (3. of M. maculata, vol. 3. p. 320 of his
English Flora. The Rev. G. E. Smith, who has accurately
distinguished this species from the M. maculata, (the pod of
which is represented at fig. 1,) has sent it to Mr. Sowerby
from the coast of Kent, where he finds it common. It is
equally common on the coast of Sussex, as we learn from
Mr. Borrer, who also has gathered it at Cley.
It is one of the most abundant species in the centre and
south of Europe, as well as on the north coast of Africa, and
extending as far east as the north of Persia. It has also
become naturalized in various other parts of the world,
even within the tropics, where its seeds have been transported
with European grains.
Whole plant glabrous. Stem, as in most of the annual
species, procumbent, or slightly ascendent, angular, and
varying in length from a few inches to two or three feet,
according to soil and climate. Stipulas lanceolate, semi-
sagittate, with the margins deeply toothed. Leafstalks
usually from half an inch to an inch long. Leaflets rather
shorter than the petioles, usually crenate, obcordate, sometimes
obovate,or even rounded at the base as well as at the
apex : toothed at the apex, with the midrib produced into
a little point: the lateral ones nearly sessile, and opposed
to each other at a short distance below the insertion of the
terminal leaflet. Peduncles usually shorter than the leaves,
bearing sometimes one or two only, sometimes five or six or
even more very small yellow flowers. Pods from two to
three lines in diameter, entirely glabrous, brown, or more
often black at their full maturity, consisting frequently of a
turn and a half only, or two turns in the British specimens,
but more generally of two or three turns in the more luxuriant
specimens from the south of Europe ; these turns or
spiral rings are somewhat distant, much reticulated on the
whole surface, and have at the edge a double row of subulate
divergent spines more or lesk hooked at the extremity,
the two rows separated by the somewhat prominent but
thin margin of the pod, which margin is neither furrowed
as in M. maculata, nor thick and callous as in the M.prcecox.
The spines vary much in length, being sometimes scarcely
perceptible in some Continental specimens of the var. «,
and often near two lines in length in the var. /3.
Gaertner’s figure of M. coronata, De Fruct. 2, 1.155. f 7,
which is usually referred to this species, appears to me to represent
the M. TerebellumWiWA. Morison’s figures cited
above, though not very accurate, belong I think both of them
to some varieties of this species. I had also considered the
M. lappacea of Lamarck as a large variety of M. denticu-
lata, but it may perhaps be distinct; it is not however a
native of Britain.—G. B e n t h a m .