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156 SHORT NOTES tripolium). The morphological characters of S. squalidus x S. vulgaris differ greatly from those of var. hibernicus, in which nothing but the ray florets separate it from normal S. vulgaris. Indeed, as Stace pointed out, even the rays of var. hibernicus differ significantly from those of S. squalidus. The rarity and sterility of S. squalidus x S. vulgaris in Cambridgeshire would suggest that the derivation of var. hibernicus through the triploid hybrid is at most a very rare event. This does not preclude the possibility of hybridization involving unreduced gametes of S. squalidus, but if this were the case, one might expect the resultant plants to have some other S. squalidus characters. S. squalidus was certainly in cultivation at the University Botanic Garden before the end of the nineteenth century and rayed S. vulgaris was unknown there until 190 I, when it was first recorded as S. squalidus x S. vulgaris; this sort of evidence cannot, however, really provide unequivocal support to either hypothesis. It seems sensible to concur with Stace's conclusion that an origin through mutation is at least as plausible an hypothesis as one via hybridization. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We should like to thank the curator of the Druce-Fielding Herbarium, Oxford (OXF), for the loan of the relevant specimens and Mr P. D. Sell for supplying the notes on the nomenclature. REFERENCE STACE, C. A. (1977). The origin of radiate Senecio vulgaris 1. Herediry, 39: 383-388. R. 1. S. BRETTELL & A. C. LESLlE HEATHERS WITH PARTS IN FIVES OR SIXES The discovery early in 1977 of more examples of Erica tetralix with five or six leaves in a whorl (cf. McClintock 1976) prompted a wider search for such plants in this and other species too, and thoughts on its value taxonomically or otherwise. The five-leaved state was briefly ('feuilles quinees') described as var. quinaria by Guffroy (1927, p. 29). Senay (1928), unaware at the time of Guffroy's name, came across the plant independently (also in Brittany) and wrote a longer account, including a description of one plant with leaves in sixes. He recorded its presence in seven French departements, all in the north-west, and found a specimen that had been collected in 1858 by de Brebisson. Van Ooststroom & Reichgelt (1961) reported: 'Bladen in kranzen van 4 (of 6).' Withering (1796) noted that Erica tetralix has 'leaves sometimes five in a whirl (sic).' Nothing more seems to have been noticed in Britain until P. Rawlinson found it in 1974 near Dolgelly, Merioneth, v.c. 48, and the next year it was sent from Co. Galway by Col. A. Morris. These were shown at the B.S.B.l. Exhibition Meeting in 1975 (McClintock 1976). In 1977, one of us (P. R. B.) found it to be plentiful on Silchester Common and Bartley Heath, N. Hants., v.c. 12, and here too some of the whorls were in sixes. Further search by him showed that plants with leaves in fives or sixes are common on many other heaths in Hampshire, including the New Forest, and also in Surrey. This was followed by Col. Morris sending specimens of E. x praegeri with leaves in fives from Connemara. To his shame, the other author (D. McC.) found in his herbarium that he had collected E. tetralix in 1975 in the same locality with leaves in fives, and had not noticed it. Further search showed that this form of pleiomery occurs also in E. mackaiana, both in Connemara and Donegal (specimens in herb. D. McClintock, 1975), and in at least one named cultivar (,Whitehouse'). In extenuation, it may be pleaded that few people even look for this, nor is it easy to notice. Indeed, a search through BM showed specimens of E. tetralix with leaves in fives (apparently unnoticed) to be frequent, with one specimen dating back to 1855. Further studies of these variants of E. tetralix have proved very interesting. The most obvious finding is that plants with leaves in fives are common, at least locally (up to one plant in three in some areas). On these plants, the number of shoots with leaves in fives or sixes is variable, but we have not found any plants where all the shoots are affected. Ecological observations show conclusively that
SHORT NOTES 157 plants with leaves in fives are much more common on the borders of waterlogged areas than in the less wet parts. Also, the number of affected shoots on each plant is much higher in the wetter areas. Plants with leaves in sixes have only been found so far in the very wet areas, where there is much surface water, and they are not uncommon there. All such plants have at least some shoots with leaves in fives; one specimen was found with a shoot on which the numbers ofleaves in each whorl alternated between five and six. Another common finding is for the leaves to lose their arrangement in whorls and to take on a spiral pattern. The number of sepals on all these plants also seems to vary between four and six, but this number does not necessarily correlate with the number ofleaves on a shoot. On the other hand, there may be wholly pentamerous flowers (Hagerup 1928) and Miss M. 1. P. Scannell has noticed that occasionally such plants also have leaves in fives . Senay (1928) wrote: 'nos Erica telralix ne presentent pas de stades intermediaires entre les verticilles tetrameres et les verticilles quinees: la transition est completement brusque'. Our studies have shown the exact opposite. Indeed, it may be more appropriate to include all these states under plain Erica tetralix L. , describing its leaves as whorls of 4 (-6) and flowers tetramerous (-pentamerous). The inconstancy of its appearance seems to reduce its taxonomic, if not its physiological, value. More study is needed, however, if a name is required for this variant under E. mackaiana and E. x praegeri, in neither of which it has previously been noted. Finally, there is a subform of Cal/una vulgaris with 'flowers often with a pentamerous, sometimes hexamerous perianth', to which is added 'the packets of bracts are as a rule more or less twisted' (Beijerinck 1940, p. 133). This is the subf. pentamera of f. multibracteata, in which the number of bracts exceeds 12 and which is the normal state in late-flowering varieties. Both these taxa were described by 1. lanssen in 1935. REFERENCES BEIJERINCK, W. (I 940). Calluna. Verh. k. ned. Akad. Wet. , 38(4): 1-180. GUFFROY, C. (1927). Notes sur la flore bretonne. Bull. bot. Soc. Fr., 74: 17-39. HAGERUP, O. (I 928). Morphological and cytological studies of the Bicornes. Dansk. bot. Ark., 6: 1-27. MCCUNTOCK, D. (1976). Some aberrant heathers. Wmsonia, 11: I go. SENAY, P. (1928). Erica tetralix it feuilles quinees. Bull. Soc. linn. Seine-maril ., 14(1): 7. V AN OOSTSTROOM, S. J. & REI CHGEL T, T. J. (1961). Erica, in V AN OOSTSTROOM, S. J. elal., eds. Flora Neerlandica, 4: 43-49. Amsterdam. WITHERING, W. (1796). An arrangement of British plants, 3rd ed., 2: 373. London. P. R. BROUGH & D. M CCUNTOCK TRAGOPOGONx MJRABILIS ROUY IN WEST KENT, V.c. 16 On 31st May, 1976, we found a single plant of the hybrid Tragopogon porrifolius L. x T. pratensis L. (= T. x mirabilis Rouy) at a field border between Cuxton Great Wood and the M2 motorway near Rochester, W. Kent, v.c. 16. Dr F. H. Perring has confirmed that this is the first record for W. Kent. A flowering stem which was taken from the plant was confirmed by Dr C. A. Stace and is now in MANCH. The plant was growing within a few metres of both parents and was about I m high. Its capitula were purple with a yellow centre, and it resembled T. pratensis rather than T. porrifolius in its leaf-base and thickness of peduncle. Fresh pollen grains were stained and measured; they varied between 24j.lm and 60j.lm, and 46% of them became stained in acetocarmine. The average size of stained grains was 48j.lm and that of unstained (presumably infertile) grains 36j.lm. Achenes produced appeared normal but none of those sown proved to be viable. When dissected they were found to be hollow, containing only shrivelled contents. The site was revisited in 1977 but no hybrid plants were found. B. & 1. BURROW
Page 1: Walsonia , 12, 155--1 66 (1978). 15
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