The Annals of Scottish Natural History (Volume 13) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1904. Excerpt: ... city, which is being levelled up with the refuse from shops, streets, railway stations, stables, demolished buildings, etc. Grasses and Crucifers are its main features. No. 5 lies within the Leith Dock gates, is about a mile long, and varying from a few yards to one-third of a mile broad. It consists of ground which has been reclaimed from the sea during recent years, and which is lying waste and vacant, while it is being levelled up to prepare it for the buildings, timber stacks, and railway lines which will cover it when the new Imperial Dock is opened for trade. All the refuse from roads, quays, ships, railway waggons, etc., within the Dock gates, and perhaps a good deal from without, has for years been emptied into the hollows of this large area, and the number of alien plants which have sprung up in it is enormous. All those in the list, with the exception of about a score, were gathered here. Crucifers, Grasses, and plants of the Pea-flower family were the most prominent and plentiful, Sisymbrium altissimum, L. (S. Pannonicum, Jacq.), S. Irio, L., Erysimum cheiranthoides, L., Melilotus indica, All., and Matricaria discoidea, DC, being very abundant. The numbers, 1 to 5, attached to the species indicate the localities (mentioned above) in which they occur, and their relative abundance is expressed, as suggested by Professor Trail, by the Greek letters thus: a = once found; /8 = twice or thrice, but rare; 7 = neither rare nor frequent; 8 = frequent; e = abundant. The sign + indicates that there is a shadow (only) of doubt as to the plant's identity, owing to the specimen being immature, over-mature, starved, or without fruit. RANUNCULACE.E. Ranunculus arvensis, . 5, (3. Ranunculus parviflorus, L. 5, a. R. muricatus, . 5, /3. R. sceleratus, ...