J» 
202 ON HEBEKA CANARIENSIS A3 AN IRISH PLANT. 
varieties of H. Canariensh. It is figured in our Plate, occurs wild in 
Ireland^ and is evidently the plant alluded to by Mackay in liis ^ Plora 
Hibcrnica.' Dr. Moore says of it : 
" The plant known in gardens as the Sharp-leaved Irish Ivy, I do not re- 
member ever seeing myself in a wild state. I, however, saw it lately, growing 
at West Aston, Co. Wicklow, and Mrs. Acton, mother to the present proprietor, 
who has resided there during the last sixty years at least, told me, she remem- 
bers getting it from the late Mr. Hodgens, of Dunganstown, Co. Wicklow, 
about forty years ago, as a rarity he found somewhere in the neighbourhood 
of that place. I consider it to he tlie plant alluded to by the late Dr. Mackay 
in ' i'lora Hibernica,' p. 135, who compares the leaves to those of Passijlora 
ccerulea ! and states it was found by Mr. Hodgens, and also on walls near 
Merrion. The latter place is about four miles from Dublin. I have no doubt 
plenty of additional information will be obtained concerning the plant, after 
the figure in the ' Journal of Botany' is published, but the foregoing are the only 
facts I am able to state at present about it. 
A certain confirmation of H, Canariensis being an indigenous Irish 
plant is afforded by its general geographical distribution. Assuming 
it to belong to the Iberian types of our flora, and acting upon that 
assumption, I procured, through Dr. Welwitsch's kind offices, speci- 
mens of the Sedera growing in Portugal ; and I was delighted to find 
it to be II, Cana7iensis, thus furnishing another proof of the correctness 
of the accepted theory of plant distribution. Specimens from the Eev. 
Mr. Lowe had already enabled me to pronounce the Madeira Ivy S. 
Canariensis; so that the geogi'aphical range is now pretty well ascer- 
tained, the species being found in the Canary Islands, Northern Africa, 
Madeira, Iberian peninsula, and Ireland. 
I have not yet concluded my inquiries into the varieties of H. Helix 
and Canai'iensis ; and should like to test certain characters more fuUy 
before using them for diagnostic purposes. Tor the present, it is suf- 
ficient to say that the characters derived from the stellate hair of 
the pedicels and caljTC (the hair having 8 rays in //. Helix and from 
13 to 15 in H. Canariensis) absolutely distinguish the two species. In 
H, Helix the rays are clearly in a single whorl ; but under very high 
microscopic power it would seem as if in H, Canariensis there were two 
whorls, one placed above the other. But I have not been able to 
satisfy myself on this point, and if there be two whorls, perhaps some 
skilful manipulator may succeed in separating them. 
Hedera Canariensis; foliis iuferioribus cordatis v.3-5-lobatis,floralibus 
cordatis v. ovatis acuminatis, integerrimis v. hinc inde srrosse dcntatis; 
