SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT. 85 



a small form of JV. gracilis. In 1892 C. J.euudata was 

 discovered by the late H. C. Levinge in West Meath, 

 and this was figured in the " Xotes ' in 1895, and 



O 3 



in the same year in the ( Irish Naturalist ' an account 



c/ 



was given of the distribution of the Charophyta in 

 Ireland as then known. In 1898 the British list 

 received an extremely interesting addition by the 

 discovery by G. R. B.-W. near Helston of N. liyalina. 

 This was figured the same year, in the last instalment 

 of 'the " Xotes," as was also G. aspem subsp. 

 desmacantha, which latter we have thought worthy 

 of separate specific rank. In 1901, Mr. R. Lloyd 

 Praeger, in his ' Irish Topographical Botany,' pub- 

 lished a much extended list of records of Irish 

 species. 



Thirty-eight years ago, prior to the appearance 

 of the " Review," practically nothing had been done 

 towards working out the distribution of these plants 

 in the British Isles. In that little work the known 

 records were brought together, with many additions, 

 and since then the number of county and vice-county 

 records has greatly increased, thanks to the co-opera- 

 tion of numerous friends and correspondents. In 

 many cases the increase has been three- and four-fold, 

 while species thought to be extremely local, e. g. 

 T. glomerata and C. aculeolata have proved to be 

 widely distributed, and C. contraria, which in 1880 

 was not known to be British, has now (Ireland 

 included) the considerable census total of 58. 



Though many blanks will probably be filled in, it 

 may fairly be claimed that the main distribution of 

 most of the species has been ascertained. That inde- 

 fatigable botanist, Mr. Arthur Bennett, through his 

 large circle of correspondents, has done more than 

 anyone else to bring about this result as regards 

 England and Scotland, while Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger 

 has managed in a comparatively short time to work 

 wonders in getting together records for the Irish 

 counties. 



