Teesdale: June, 1842; W. BORRER, Esq.- Westmoreland; In Birkdale: Rev. J. HARRIMAN, in B. G.-Yorkshire; On Cronkley Fell, at 2000 feet elevation: R. B. BOWMAN, in N. B. G.-SCOTLAND. Perthshire; Near the summit of Schroine ach Lochen; a mountain south of Mael Ghyrdy: August, 1827; W. WILSON, Esq., in Hooker's Botanical Miscellany, v. i. p. 84. I gathered it somewhere on the Breadalbane Mountains, and incline to suppose it was on Ben More:" Mr. H. C. WATSON, in N. B. G.

Perennial.-Flowers in August.

Root fibrous, tufted. Culms (stems) solitary, simple, naked, from 2 to 6 inches high, striated, smooth, roundish towards the base, angular, and rough-edged, at the top. Leaves several, radical, spreading or recurved, very slender, strap-shaped, channelled on the upper surface, slightly keeled on the under, pointed, striated, smooth, rough-edged, shorter than the culm; their longish sheaths closely embracing its base, each crowned with a short, brownish, membranous stipula. Spike terminal, compound, somewhat eggshaped, upright, not an inch long, having a short, sheathing, brown, membranous bractea, or two, at its base. Spikelets alternate, small, brown, usually 2-flowered. Germen oblong, scarcely 3-cornered. Style simple. Stigmas 3, strap-shaped, downy. Seed without any other covering than the scale (see fig. 3, a.), oblong, somewhat triangular, horny, smooth, crowned with the base of the style.

This singular little plant is, in habit, nearly allied to Scirpus, and still more closely to Blyssmus, t. 308; but the flowers are monoecious. From Carex it differs in not having the inflated corolla. It is a native of Switzerland as well as of Britain. Sir J. E. SMITH found it on Mount Cenis in August, 1787, but kept it unsettled in his Herbarium till 1799, in which year it was gathered in the county of Durham by Mr. DICKSON, to whom, Sir JAMES informs us, is due the honour of making it known. The Rev. Mr. HARRIMAN had found it in 1797; but not being aware of its novelty, he liberally disclaimed the merit of the discovery. See Engl. Bot. fol. 1410.

The drawing for the accompanying plate was made from a specimen kindly communicated to me by W. BORRER, Esq., who gathered it in Teesdale in June last.

And bush, and fragrant flower, and hilly path,
And thymy mound that flings unto the winds

Its morning incence, is-my friend; for I

Did make acquaintance with inanimate things

In very boyhood, and did love to break

With shouts the mountain silence, and to hang

O'er flashing torrents, when the piny boughs

Shook their dark locks, and plained in mournful tones

Mysterious to the barren wilderness;

And still, in solitary spots, my soul

Resumes its youth. . . . Think not that this is all

....

An idle folly; He who can draw a joy

From rocks, or woods, or weeds, or things that seem

All mute (and does't)—is wise."

Literary Gazette, Oct. 24, 1818.

[W.]

CASTANEA*.

Linnean Class and Order. MONE'CIA †, POLYANDRIA.

Natural Order. CUPULIFERA, Richard.-Lindl. Syn. p. 239; Introd. to Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 97.-Rich. by Macgilliv. p. 545.CORYLA CEE, Loud. Encyclop. of Trees and Shrubs, p. 845.AMENTA CEE, Linn.-Juss. Gen. Pl. p. 407.-Sm. Gram. of Bot. p. 189.-Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 534.-Mack. Fl. Hibern. p. 242.Hook. Brit. Fl. (4th ed.) p. 419.—QUERNEALES; sect. QUERCINE; type, CORYLACEE; Burn. Outl. of Bot. v. ii. pp. 523 & 531.

GEN. CHAR. Sterile Flowers numerous, on a very long cylindrical catkin, in irregular clusters. (see fig. 1). Calyx (see fig. 2.) of 1 sepal, in 5 or 6 segments. Corolla none. Filaments (see fig. 2.) from 5 to 20, or more, hair-like, longer than the calyx. Anthers roundish, or oblong, of 2 lobes.- Fertile Flowers (see fig. 3.) 3 together, within a 4-lobed, thickly muricated involucrum. Calyx (fig. 4.) of 1 sepal, in 5 or 6 segments, having the rudiments of 12 stamens. Germen incorporated with the calyx, 6-celled (see fig. 5.), each cell 2-seeded, 5 of the cells mostly abortive. Styles (see fig. 4.) 6. Stigmas oblong, permanent. Nut 1-celled, with from 1 to 3 seeds, inclosed in the enlarged spiny involucrum (fig. 6).

The sterile flowers clustered, on a very long cylindrical catkin, each flower with from 5 to 20 stamens; and the fertile flowers inclosed, 3 together, in a 4-lobed, spiny involucrum, each with 6 styles; will distinguish this from other genera in the same class and order. One species British. CASTA'NEA VESCA. Spanish Chestnut, or Chesnut.

Eatable Chestnut. Sweet Chestnut.

SPEC. CHAR. Leaves oblong-spear-shaped, pointed, sharply serrated; smooth on each side.

Gærtn. v. i. p. 181. t. 37, f. 1.-Willd. Sp. Pl. v. iv. pt. 1. p. 460.-Gray's Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 248.- With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 580.-Lindl. Syn. p. 239.-Loud. Arb. et Frutic. Brit. v. iii. p. 1983. figs. 1923 to 1926; and v. viii. t. 286.; Encycl. of Trees & Shrubs, p. 912. f. 1706.; Encycl. of Gard. (new ed.) p. 943. par. 5166.Irv. Lond Fl. p. 114.-Cow. Fl. Guide, p. 31.-Beesl. Hist. Banh. p. 588.Castanea vulgaris, Park. Theat. Bot. p. 1400. f 1.-Lam. Dict. v. i. p. 708.Lam. et Decand, Fl. Fr. v. iii. p. 306.-Hook. Brit. Fl. p. 408.-Macr. Man. Brit. Bot. p. 216.-Hook Fl. Scot. p. 273 -Grev. Fl. Edin. p. 203.-Fl. Devon. pp. 155 & 133.-Bab. Prim. Fl. Sarn. p. 91.-Luxf. Reig. Fl. p. 82.- Leight. Fl. of Shropsh. p. 476.-Mack, Cat. Pl. of Irel. p. 83.; Fl Hibern. p. 255.-Castanea sativa, Mill. Ie. p. 56. t. 84.-Hunter in Evelyn's Silva, p. 159, with a plate.Castanea. Ray's Syn. p. 440.-Bauh. Hist. v. i. pt. II. p. 121, with a figure.Evelyn's Silva, (2nd ed.) p. 41.-Duham. Arb. v. i. t. 50.-Johnson's Gerarde, p. 1442. f. 1.-Fagus Castanea, Linn. Sp. Pl. p. 1416.-Engl. Bot. t. 886.— Huds. Fl. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 422.-With. (2nd ed.) v. ii. p. 1086.-S. Fl. Brit. v. iii. p. 1027.; Engl. Fl. v. iv. p. 151.-Abb. Fl. Bedf. p. 211.-Davies' Welsh Bot. p 91.-Purt. Midl. Fl. v. ii. p. 462.--Perry's Pl. Varvic. Selectæ, p. 78.— Winch's Fl. of Northumb. and Durh. p. 62.-Walker's Fl. of Oxf. p. 283.- Baines' Fl. of Yorksh. p. 93.-Gulliv. Pl. of Banb. p. 20.-Chesnut, Phill. Pom. Brit. (2nd ed.) p. 93.; Comp. for the Orch. p. 84.-Chestnut Tree. Kent's Sylv. Sketches, p. 92.

Fig. 1. A tuft of Sterile Flowers.-Fig. 2. A separate one of ditto.-Fig. 3. A tuft of Fertile Flowers.-Fig. 4. A separate one of ditto.-Fig. 5. Enlarged Germen.-Fig. 6. Matured Involucrum and Nut.

* From Castanea, a town in Thessaly; or from another town of that name in Pontus. † See fol. 83, note †.

LOCALITIES.-In woods, plantations, and hedges, mostly in the South and West of England; a doubtful native.

Tree. Flowers in May.

A stately and majestic tree; attaining, in favourable situations, the height of 60 or 80 feet. Bark with remarkably deep clefts. Branches widely spreading, round and smooth when young. Leaves alternate, on short petioles, elliptic-spear-shaped, sharp pointed, 5 or 6 inches long, and 2 broad, smooth, with many transverse veins, ending in sharp, somewhat spinous-pointed, serratures; of a rich shining green above, paler beneath. Sterile Catkins numerous, axillary, solitary, yellow, pendulous; from 4 to 6 or 7 inches long, deciduous. Flowers ranged along the common stalk of the catkin, in lateral sessile tufts (see fig. 1). Stamens numerous, long, and spreading.—Fertile Flowers (see figs. 3 & 4.) much fewer than the sterile ones, and placed on termina! stalks, which are lengthened out as the fruit advances. Styles (see fig. 4.) about 6, with long, smooth, upright stigmas. GERTNER detected about 12 scarlet rudiments of stamens, among the wool at the base of the styles. Nuts (see fig. 6.) large, broadly egg-shaped, usually 2; flat on the inner side, and each attached by a broad scar to the bottom of the greatly enlarged involucrum (see fig. 6.) the outside of which is copiously armed with complicated sharp prickles. See Sm. Engl. Fl.

The sweet Chestnut is by some considered to be indigenous in Britain; but, notwithstanding the great age of some specimens, it appears, from the observations of the Hon. DAINS BARRINGTON, and others, more than probable that they have all been planted. Mr. LOUDON observes, that the wood of this tree has the remarkable property of being more durable when it is young than when it is old; the sap or outer wood very soon changing into heart wood; and hence the great value of this tree for posts, fencing-poles, stakes, trellis-work, hoops, &c. (Encycl. of Tr. & Sh.) It was once very generally supposed, that the roofs of some of our Cathedrals, and many of the oldest buildings in London were constructed of Chestnut, but it has been shown by DAUBENTON and others, that these 100fs and buildings are formed of the wood of the sessile-fruited Oak, (Quercus sessiliflora,) which, when old, resembles the Chestnut. (Cowell's Fl. Guide). The nuts constitute a great part of the food of the common people in the South of France and the North of Italy; where they are used either roasted or boiled, and also ground into meal, and made into cakes, bread, and puddings. In England they are roasted, and served up as a dessert; they are said also formerly to have accompanied the wassail bowl in the celebration of Christmas festivals. These nuts are also used for whitening linen cloth, and for making starch. Deer are fond of Chestnuts; hence they are sometimes called Buckmast. Some instances are recorded in which the Chestnut is said to have arrived at a most extraordinary size and age, such as the Castagno de cento cavalli, on Mount Etna, the trunk of which, according to the account given of it by Mr. HoUEL, is 160 feet in circumference. A figure of this tree may be seen in BURNETT'S Outlines of Botany, v. i. p. 57. The oldest Chestnut tree in England is, I believe, in the garden of Lord DUCIE, at Tortworth, in Gloucestershire; the circumference of its trunk, in 1820, was 52 feet; and it is supposed to be more than 1000 years old. A portrait of this ancient tree, and also of a very old one at Cobham, Kent, is given in Mr. LOUDON's excellent work, the Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum, at pages 1988 & 1989.

The CUPULIFERE are apetalous, dicotyledonous Trees or Shrubs, with alternate, stipulate, simple, penninerve leaves; and monoecious flowers. Sterile flowers amentaceous; fertile ones aggregate or amentaceous. Ovaries seated within a coriaceous involucrum (capsule) of various figure, and with several cells (see fig. 5) and several ovules, the greater part of which are abortive. Ovules pendulous, either solitary or two together. Fruit a bony or coriaceous, 1-celled nut, more or less inclosed in the involucrum.-The British genera are, Fagus, t. 331.-Castanea, t. 485.—Quercus, t. 371.-Corylus, t. 338.Carpinus, t. 234.