nent inhabitant, and be recorded in all future catalogues of
our plants. It does not seem to be so well able to stand the
climate of the northern parts of this country; for it has not,
as far as we know, been recorded from there.
P. muricatum resembles the common P. Sanguisorba (t. 860),
but is larger and coarser. The stem is often 2 feet high.
The heads of flowers are thicker and longer in proportion,
and the fruits are considerably larger. Of these latter organs
there are two kinds, found upon different plants—one fruit
being rather elliptic in form, with thick blunt but denticulate
wings, and the spaces between them divided by sharply
denticulate ridges in a netted manner. This is the P.
platylophium of Jordan. The other plant has ovoid fruits
with sharp entire wings, and the spaces netted with bluntly
denticulate ridges. It is the P. stenolophium of Jordan.
Apparently these plants, which do not seem to differ materially
in other respects, are about equally common in our
southern counties. The fruit engraved on our plate is that
of the P . platylophium, although the general figure is probably
taken from a specimen of P. stenolophium. In Byrne’s Eng.
Bot. the plate is derived from the same drawing, but the
fruit of P. stenolophium has been added. As there is no
recognizable difference, except in the fruit, we should not
have known of this fact if it had not been recorded that
the specimens drawn were sent from Cambridge on July 8,
1849, and been believed that the P. platylophium has not
been found in that county. The fruits were drawn at a later
date than the chief figure, and their origin is not recorded.
M. Jordan remarks that, although these plants and other
allied species of Poterium retain for generations the characteristic
differences in their calyx-tubes, they are very variable
and unstable in all points relating to their stem, leaves,
pubescence, and habit.—C. C. B.