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164 SHORT NOTES OENOTHERAS IN BRITAIN Dr K . Rostanski of Katowice, Poland, an authority on the typical subgenus of a enothera, visited Britain for the first time in September, 1977. During this visit he examined aII specimens of this subgenus in BM, BRIST, CGE, JSY, K, LINN, LIV, MNE, NMW, OXF, RDG and STP, went to the dunes in S. Wales, and also saw Oenotheras growing at Cambridge and Oxford. He will be writing up his findings with a key and fuII details at a later date. Meanwhile, thanks to his diligence and skilI, the following taxa, aII of them biennial, have been identified by him for Britain: a. biennis L. Quite generalIy distributed; perhaps less frequent than formerly and apparently'not in Wales. a. cambrica Rost. This new species (Rostanski 1977) was shown to the B.S.B.!. at the 1975 Exhibition Meeting (McClintock 1976). It is rather like a. erythrosepala , but smalIer and with always green sepals and with pink veins on at least the lower leaves. Plants thus named seem to be clearly the third most frequent species in Britain and the solution of some nagging identification problems. The most usual name it has gone under has been a. parviflora. It has proved to be most plentiful along the coast of S. Wales, and I have been in touch with Dr Rostanski about it there since 1969. It is also the plant recorded under changing names from the dunes across the estuary at Burnham and Berrow, N. Somerset and was collected at Portishead, N. Somerset, in 1941 and Sharpness, W. Gloucs., in 1956. Further afield, there are specimens from Jersey (nine dates from 1867 to 1973), W. Cornwall (Penzance), E. Cornwall (Rock, 1930), N. Devon (Braunton Burrows, 1917 and 1958), S. Hants. (Hayling Island, 1960: Southampton, 1958), W. Kent (Stone, 1974), Surrey (Peckham Fields, 1840), Oxon. (Oxford, 1972-77), Caerns. (Portmadoc, 1957), Denbigh (LlangolIen), N. E. Yorks. (Redcar, 1958) and Edinburgh (Fushiebridge, 1962, 1964 and 1966). a. erythrosepala Borb. (a. lamarckiana auctt., non Ser.). The largest flowered and probably our commonest species. a. xfallax Renner em. Rost. (a. biennis x a. erythrosepala). Specimens attributable to the cross in which a. erythrosepala is the female parent (syns.O. xfallax sensu stricto, a. x cantabrigiana Davis, a. x velutirubata Renner) usually have the smaller flowers of a. biennis, but the red-striped sepals and at least some red-based hairs of a. erythrosepala, and have been seen from S. Lancs. (Aintree, 1942; Freshfield, 1956, 1961; Ince Moss, Wigan, 1969) and in the Oxford Botanic Garden, under various names, but the earliest record is from Guernsey in 1941 /42, under a. x velutirubata (McClintock 1975). The reverse of this cross (syn. a. x albivelutina Renner), which is apparently more variable, was detected from N. Essex (Colchester, 1881), Oxon. (Banbury, 1972), Northants. (Northampton, 1875), Notts. (Nottingham, 1963), S. Lancs. (Birkdale, 1913), W. Lancs. (St Anne's, 1907), and Guernsey, 1941-42 (under a. x albivelutina) (McClintock 1975). In addition, this hybrid has been recorded from Jersey in 1881 and Somerset in 1833 (Davis 1926), and from Cheshire and S. Lancs. (Stace 1975). a. muricata L. (a. rubricaulis Klebahn). In LINN Dr Rostanski found a specimen ofLinnaeus' long disputed a . muricata, which proves its identity. This species was colIected at Berrow, N. Somerset, in 1951 and at Lytham, W. Lancs., in 1965. It differs from the next species in its somewhat larger flowers, 10--25 mm, but with a hypanthium up to only 25 mm, and in its erect sepal-tips. a. parviflora L. This has very smaII petals, up to 10 mm, but a Icing hypanthium, exceeding 25 mm, and spreading sepal-tips. Specimens have been seen only from Glamorgan (Port Talbot, 1905; Aberdare, before 1917). a.perangusta Gates. This is like a. muricata, but has narrower, less toothed leaves, hairs with thick, red bases and fruits specially hairy on the angles. There are seven records: Cheshire (Hoole Bank, 1968), Glamorgan (Nantgarw, 1935; Abercym, 1961), N. Devon (Saunton, 1972), Surrey (Hurst Park, 1963), W. Kent (Stone, 1974), E. Suffolk (Ipswich, 1975-77). a. renneri Scholz. Distinctive in its rosette of imbricating spathulate leaves, and stems which are grey with soft hairs. Known for certain only since the early 1960s from Borthwick Bank, Edinburgh. a . salicifolia Desf. ex Don (a. depressa Greene, a. hungarica Borb., incl. a. multiflora Gates). A taII mostly un branched plant with small red bases to the hairs and flowers often cleistogamous or falIing in bud, with petals usually under 20 mm and fruits greyish with appressed hairs. There are two records Baildon, Mid-W. Yorks., 1962 (under a. multiflora) and Bristol, before 1918. Compare also Gates (1914, p. 387). a. victorini Gates & Catches. A distinctive species with almost entire leaves with a pink mid rib recorded only from Cofton, S. Devon, in 1915 and later.
SHORT NOTES 165 The only other species of Oenalhera found wild in Britain is O. slricta Ledeb. ex Link, which belongs to subgenus Raimannia. Despite previous determinations, no specimens seen were attri butable to O. ammaphila, O. chicaginensis, O. grandiflora, O. nuda or O. suavealens, which should disappear from our lists in the absence of verification. REFERENCES DAVIS, B. M. (1926). The history of Oenothera biennis Linnaeus, Oenothera grandiflora Solander, and Oenothera lamarckiana of de Vries in England. Proc. Am. phil. Soc., 65: 349-378. GATES, R. R. (1914). Some Oenotheras from Cheshire and Lancashire. Ann. Mo. bot. Gard., I: 383-400. MCCUNTOCK, D. (1975). The wildflowers of Guernsey, p. 130. London. MCCUNTOCK, D. (1976) . A new Oenot/tera. Watsonia. 11 : 18!. ROSTA NSKI, K. (1977). Some new taxa in the genus Oenothera L. subgenus Oenothera. Pt 3. Fragm.flor. geobot .. 23: 285-293. STACE, C. A. (1975). Oenothera, in Hybridi=ation and the flora of the British Isles, pp . 265-266. London. D . M CCLINTOCK VARIATION IN TERMINAL LEAFLET SHAPE OF ONONIS REPENS L. IN THE BRITISH ISLES Wild colonies of Onanis repens L. growing in various localities in the British Isles were sampled between the months of June and August from 1954 to 1956; in almost all localities, the exhaustive sampling method was employed except where some of the plants were inaccessible or the population was too TABLE I. MEAN TERMINAL LEAFLET INDICES OF O. REPENS IN THE BRITISH ISLES Mean leaflet Standard Localities sampled Sample size index error ± I. Sands of Luce, Wigtown, v.c. 74 33 1·64 0·03 2. Oxwich Burrows, Glam., v.c. 41 33 1·66 0·05 3. Hartlepool Dunes, Durham, V.c. 66 137 1·67 0·02 4. Boxhill, Surrey, v.c. 17 100 1·70 0·03 5. Whitburn Coast, Durham, v.c. 66 149 1·73 0·02 6. Edinburgh, v.c. 83 34 1·78 0·04 7. Holy Island Dunes, Cheviot, v.c. 68 50 1·80 0·03 8. Lay-town, W. Meath, v.c. H23 34 1·81 0·03 9. Courtown Harbour, Wexford, v.c. HI2 32 1·86 0·05 10. Slapton Sands, S. Devon, v.c. 3 66 1·87 0·04 11. Beachy Head, E. Sussex, v.c. 14 144 1·88 0·03 12. Corbridge, S. Northumb., v.c. 67 76 1·92 0·04 13. Tunstall, E. Suffolk, V.c. 25 III 1·93 0·03 14. Newmarket, W. Suffolk, V.c. 26 50 1·94 0·04 15. Berwick, Cheviot, v.c. 68 43 1·94 0·04 16. Oxwich mainroad, Glam., v.c. 41 34 1·95 0·04 17. Stroud Road (East), E. Gloucs., V.c. 33 33 1·95 0·03 18. Drigg Dunes, Cumberland, v.c. 70 51 1·95 0·04 19. Rodborough Common, W. Gloucs., V.c. 34 50 1·96 0·04 20. Quarrington, S. Lincs., v.c. 53 128 1·98 0·03 21. Albury, Surrey, v.c. 17 50 2·20 0·05 22. Stroud Road (West), E. Gloucs., V.c. 33 65 2·02 0·03 23. Newark(Sleaford Road, S. Lincs., v.c. 53 54 2·08 0·04 24. Clonakilty Bay, W. Cork, v.c. H3 38 2·35 0·04
Page 1 and 2: Walsonia , 12, 155--1 66 (1978). 15
Page 3 and 4: SHORT NOTES 157 plants with leaves
Page 5 and 6: SHORT NOTES 159 habitats for this v
Page 7 and 8: SHORT NOTES 161 1\ : ," ,.... - ~ ,
Page 9: SHORT NOTES 163 TABLE I. NUMBER OF

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