Carex aquatilis, Wahlb. and its Bfitish Forms. 49 



So lately as 1870 the species had only been found in four 

 counties of Scotland : we now have it from twenty, as well as 

 from Cheviot and Cardigan. 



It certainly was a surprise when Mr. S. A. Stewart first sent 

 me Irish specimens named as ''acuta v, gracilis.'" I at once 

 saw that they belonged to aquatilis, but desiring a better 

 opinion than my own, I sent them to Dr. Almquist of Stock- 

 holm, who returned them marked as ''aqzcatilisWohiy Still 

 more was I suprised when Mr. Scully sent the same species 

 from Kerr}^ indeed, I have tried to see if it could not be 

 separated from it. 



Why C. aqtiatilis does not occur in Denmark, and along the 

 Baltic Provinces of Germany, is to me a puzzle. It seems 

 quite rare in Russia, ''Ingria" = Ingermanland — the pro- 

 vince in which St. Petersburgh is situated. Cardigan and 

 Kerry are much to the south of this, as well as the station of 

 lyivonia, on the Bay of Riga. 



At present I wish to more particularly notice the Irish 

 forms, leaving the Scotch ones for more extended notice here- 

 after. So far as what may be the type-form, all our plants 

 seem smaller than the original plant of Wahlenberg; this 

 being so, it seems rather odd to have a var. elatior, but this 

 must be left for the present. So far as Britain is concerned, I 

 have seen specimens of the following: — 



C. aquatilis var. cuspidata, I^^st. in Vet. Atcad. Handl. 1822, p. 339. 



Among var. elatior on the Wick river in Caithness; in this the 

 glumes are very long, and cuspidate. 

 C. aquatilis var. elatior, Bab.! Man. Brit. Botany, ed. i, 1843, P- 341- 

 Var. watsoni, Syme! Etig. Botany, vol. x., p. 113, 1870. 



In many counties of Scotland, though careful comparison of 

 some is yet needed. 



In Ireland in Antrim! R. lyloyd Praeger. Roscommon! S. A. 

 Stewart. 



Mr. Scully's Kerry specimens are, so far as size is concerned, 

 about half-way between this and the Clova table-land specimens; 

 the spikes, however, are as stout as in this, not thin and inter- 

 rupted at the base as in the Clova plant. 

 C. aquatilis var. viresceiis, Anderssen in CyperacecB Scandinavia, 1849, 

 p. 46. 



Perthshire ! Dr. B. White. Characterised by its very short (half 

 the length of the fruit) and obtuse glumes, and regularly-arranged 

 spikes. I cannot distinguish from this {the Scottish specimens 

 were verified by Dr. Almquist) the plant gathered by Mr. H. C. 

 Hart at Doochary Bridge, Count}'^ Donegal, in 1886. 

 C. aquatilis var. epigeios, Lcestadius, 1822. Mid-Perth ! Dr. B. White. 

 Dr. Almquist has written against this ")8 tpigcios Lsest. f videtur." 



A plant in habit somewhat like this, w^as gathered by Mr. R. M, 

 Barrington at Temple Island, Inner Lough Ree, County West- 

 meath, in 1885, but it has the fruit distinctly ribbed or nerved. It 

 was named by Dr. I^ange of Copenhagen '■'Carex turfosa Fries f. 

 elongata.''^ 



Among ni}^ numerous Scotch specimens are some which 

 resemble the var. yfaz'zVa;/^ Nylander, "Spicel. Fl. Fennicae," 

 but I have seen no specimens of Nylander's plant. Besides 



