Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 9 (1871).djvu/210

 188 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

Jpril. — R. P. Williams, Esq., Vice-President in the chair. " Notes on HymmophyUa, especially with reference to New Zealand Species," by Mr. W. Andrews. In the course of the paper, the following reinarks were inci- dentally made on the two British species : — It has often much surprised me that British botanists are so persistent in making H. mnlaterale the true representative of H. Wilso)n, for I venture to assert that few have ever possessed truly authenticated specimens of H. unilultraleoi Willdenow and of Bory St. Vincent, and none to have seen living specimens. //. 7ini- Inlerale seems altogether to be confined to the Island of Bourbon, where alone it was met with and described by Bory St. Vincent. Of H. uni- lateralc of New Zealand, the spreading frond more nearly approaches II. tunhrichjense, but the fruit, with even and entire involucres, is similar to that of H. Wihoni, with the exception that the lips of the involucre are broader and not ovate. I have been favoured with a specimen of the true H. umlateraU from Reunion, obtained by Dr. Meller. It unfortunately has no involucres, yet the character of the pinnules of the frond are dis- tinct both from H. tiinbridgtnse and H. Jrilwni. I expect better speci- mens. In the meantime, I will give the account of one who has taken much interest in the study of Ferns, especially those of the Mauritius, from which place the communication is sent. The extract, which is very clear and pleasingly written, is from a letter sent to a lady in this city, who is much interested in the suhiect:—".IIi/viei/ojjI/i/ll/tm unila- terale does not grow in Mauritius, but in the neighbouring Island of Bourbon (Reunion), and none has been found there since 1835, so that there was some difficulty in procuring a specimen. Tins, however, has been managed with the aid of Dr. Meller, the Director of the Botanic Gardens here, who was in Reunion when your letter arrived, and who succeeded in getting me an authentic specimen, named by Bory St. Vincent himself, which I now send to you, together with a 'iew of our Mauritius Ili/meiiopliylleae and Tricliomanes, as they may interest you or your friends. Sir Henry (Barkly) and myself, in concert with Dr. Meller, carefully examined H. uiiilfilerale, and we came to the conclusion that it decidedly differs from the description given of H. JFilsoni by Hooker in his ' Species Filicum,' i. 95, inasmuch as its margin is perfectly smooth except just at the apex of the segments, while the latter is described as having the margin " toothed or spiuuloso-serrate." The cells, too, "which Dr. Meller examined with a microscope, are sufficiently distinct from those of II. TP'llsoni, as figured in Seemann's ' Journal of Botany,' I. 294. It also appears to differ widely from the description given of H. tnvhriJgeiise, to which Sir William Hooker referred a specimen of H. unilaterale, sent by Willdenow (vide ' Species Filicum'). We have not yet found H. tnnbridgense in Mauritius, and can only judge from some specimens from Ireland, and from a figure given in Beddome's ' Ferns of Southern India.' There can be little doubt therefore that //. Tf^thoni is a distinct species, though whether the same honour can be given to H. miilaterale, or whether it is only a peculiar form of some of the Bourbon varieties, remains to be proved. Sir Henry and Dr. Meller both incline, I think, to the latter opinion, as several of the Hynwnophylhfe from Reunion have a decided tendency to a unilateral character, and I enclose one specimen of //. Borynnnm found by Dr. Meller growing with a mass of that Fern and from the same root, Avhich you will see is scarcely distinguishable from //. nnilateraler Mr. F. Clowes, of Windermere,

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