the town,” in the year 1842. We are indebted to him and to
Mrs. Robinson of Fareham, who found the plant near Fareham
as long ago as 1840, for the specimens from which our figure
is derived. It has also been observed on the coast of Wigton
and Kirkcudbright shires in Scotland, and near Galway in
Ireland by Prof. Balfour; near Tramore in the county of
Waterford, Ireland, by Prof. E. Forbes; and by Chichester
Creek (one of the stations recorded by Dillenius) by Mr. Bor-
rer (in 1827) ; and by the Rev. W.“ W. Newbould. We have
examined specimens from all these localities, and, although
they differ slightly in appearance, believe them to belong to
the same species as authentic examples of Drejer’s plant now
before us. We also consider it to be quite distinct from
S. Limonium and from S. spatkulata (t. 2663), which is erroneously
referred to it by Fries.
S. rariflora agrees with S. Limonium in most respects, but
differs in the following manner. Its stems branch from below
their middle, and the subdivisions are erect or slightly curve
inwards : in its ally the stems are simple to a much higher
point, and the subdivisions turn outwards horizontally or even
downwards, the whole forming a corymb. In the present plant
the flowers are placed in distant pairs, or are solitary within
two broad bracts; in the other, the clusters of flowers are
closely imbricated upon the ultimate subdivisions of the stem.
The figure, if contrasted with that of S. Limonium (t. 102),
will give a better idea of these differences than any description
can convey.
It is an inhabitant of muddy sea-shores, and is probably
widely distributed upon our coasts : on the continent of Europe
it is only known on the coast of Denmark, unless either
of the new species described by Lloyd in his Flore de la Loire
Inférieure is identical with it. We have seen no specimens of
Mr. Lloyd’s plants, and find it very difficult to determine
them from the short descriptions.
It is a perennial, flowering in July and August.—C. C. B.