Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 34 (1896).djvu/315

 PROFESSOR BABINGTON ON RUBUS IN 1891. 289 table such as that of Genevier; for I have not found even that, with all its excellence, to be a true and certain guide. And if not so, an analytical table is very liable to lead us astray. As I have said in my Manual of British Botany, such a Synopsis "must be used with caution, as a very slight error will totally mislead." We are accustomed, and perhaps advisedly, to look for such distinctive marks as are afforded by the direction of the stem : (1) either quite or nearly upright ; (2) more or less highly arching, but turning down at the end in the autumn so as to reach the soil, and then penetrating into it and throwing out roots, and thus forming a new centre for the growth of the following year ; (3) or rising with a very small arch and then becoming prostrate, and often following the inequalities of the ground with singular exact- ness for a considerable distance, but in the late autumn again forming a small arch so as to present its growing point directly towards the earth and penetrating into it, and rooting there as in the former case. It often happens that these naturally prostrate plants rise to a considerable height by being supported by the neighbouring shrubs ; and in such a case they treat the top of a hedge as if it was the surface of the ground, and run along it for a considerable extent ; in such cases the end frequently is not able to reach the earth before being killed by the cold of winter : for this condition I have with Focke used the term scandent. The form of the terminal leaflet has been justly much trusted by us. The form and character of the panicle, or rather inflorescence, and direction of the sepals require much attention. Until recently we have in this country systematically neglected the valuable characters which appear to be afforded by the colour of the different parts of the flower, and their relative proportions and direction. We had been taught to consider such points as undeserving of attention, from being too variable to be of any use. The colours are apparently somewhat variable, but less so than we have been led to suppose ; but their proportions and direction in the several stages in the course of reproduction seem to be very constant. It has been said that the relative length of the stamens and styles is the result of dimorphism. It is doubtless so in many plants, but observation has not led rubologists to the conclusion that such is the case amongst Rubi. It would appear that the dehiscence of the outer ring of anthers at the time when the stigmas are ripe affords a sufficient security for cross-fertilization ; the fertilization has usually taken place before the inner rows of stamens have produced any pollen ; but insects continue to frequent the flowers, and convey the pollen of these later stamens to another flower, having already done this with the product of the first ripened anthers. It is very much to be wished that collectors would make a note of the characters afforded by the flowers, as well as record the direction of the growing stem ; as the want of such information renders their specimens of very much less value. I have been as much at fault as others in former years, and thus a considerable part of my collection consists of specimens scarcely determinable.