1900] Setchell, — The New England species of Laminaria 115 
of Habenaria dilatata. Still later comes Spiranthes Romanzoffiana, 
The occurrence of this last species is especially noteworthy as being 
one of the extreme southern stations of this plant in New England, 
only a few miles from the Massachusetts line. In the higher portions 
of these swamps Cypripedium acaule grows abundantly. 
Possibly a further examination of these places will yield one or 
two more species of Orchids. At any rate the locality is one of great 
interest not merely to the Orchidologist, but particularly to the student 
of the Cyperaceae and in fact to the plant-enthusiast generally. 
CRITICAL NOTES ON THE NEW ENGLAND SPECIES OF 
LAMINARIA. 
WILLIAM ALBERT SETCHELL. 
THE species of the genus Laminaria have been much studied, es- 
pecially on the western and northern shores of Europe, and much has 
been done to reduce the numerous and puzzling forms within certain 
and recognizable specific limits. While this has been fairly well ac- 
complished for the European species, those of the rest of the world 
are still in need of more study in the laboratory and the field. Par- 
ticularly is this true for the forms inhabiting the coast of New England, 
and the regions adjacent both to the North and to the South. De la 
Pylaie (1824 and 1829) and Harvey (1852) have given accounts of 
the species of this general region, and Farlow (1881) has revised, as 
far as possible, these older accounts, and incorporated the additional 
knowledge up to that time. Farlow states, however, that he must 
necessarily be content “with a superficial account of the perplexing 
forms of this exasperating genus,” since he was unable to make use of 
the notes furnished him on the American forms by European corres- 
pondents. Since then, however, the Scandinavian algologists have 
worked over their species very carefully, and Foslie, in particular, has 
published (1884) a detailed and illustrated account of the Norwegian 
species. The writer intends to follow this account rather closely in 
the notes on the New England species given below. 
The writer began his study of the Zaminariæ in the fall of 1887, 
while a graduate student at Harvard University, the topic being sug- 
gested to him by Professor Farlow. From that time until the fall of 
1895, this with other topics among the Zainariacez, continued to 
