FOOT (F. J.) — BOTANICAL NOTE8. 197 



Orchis mono. — The green-winged Meadow Orchis grows in great 

 plenty, generally on the eskers in the counties of Roscommon and 

 Galway, in the neighbourhood of Athlone and Ballinasloe. 



Orchis mascula, 0. pyramidalis, 0. maculata, Gymnadenia conopsea, 

 are all plentifully distributed through the midland counties in suitable 

 localities. 



Habenaria bifolia and H. clorantha are rather local plants. They 

 are plentiful on the southern shores of Lough Ennel, county of West- 

 meath. 



Habenaria viridis is ^generally distributed through the midland 

 counties. 



Ophrys apt/era I was fortunate enough to meet with the Bee 



Orchis growing rather sparingly on the south-east shore of Lough 

 Ennel. I have not heard hitherto of its being recorded so far inland. 



Hydrocharn morsus-ranee. — Plentiful in watery ditches about Mul- 

 lingar. 



Anacharis alsinastrum — Now too abundant in our canals, and fast 

 spreading into the Shannon and other rivers communicating with them. 

 It has to be dredged out of the canals to prevent its obstructing the 

 navigation, and is then in many places used as manure. I have fre- 

 quently searched for the male flowers, but without success. 



Sagittaria sagittifolia. — In the Grand Canal, west of Longford ; and 

 Lough Key, county of Roscommon. 



FILICES FERNS. 



Grammitis ceterach is decidedly of local occurrence in the midland 

 counties. I found the variety sinuatum growing freely on an old wall 

 near Ballinasloe along with Cystopteris fragilis. 



Polypodium vulgare, var. sernilacerum On a limestone rock on 



Carberry Island, Lough Bee, near Athlone. 



Cystopteris fragilis Near Ballinasloe, and also west of Woodlawn, 



county of Galway ; very abundant in several parts of the county of Bos- 

 common, both on roadsides and in chinks in the limestone rock ; on 

 roadside south-west of Ballymore, county of Westmeath. 



Polystichum angulare, P. aculeatum, P. lobatum. — All abundant in 

 shady hedges. Near Aughrim, county of Galway, the variety lonchi- 

 tioides is very plentiful and well marked, some plants at a first glance 

 looking extremely like P. lonchitis. 



Lastrea oreopteris. — There are few localities in the midland counties 

 suited for the growth of the Mountain Tern ; I have, however, met with 

 it lately growing sparingly on Slievebawn Hill, county of Eoscommon, 

 on the Old Bed conglomerate, and on Silurian shales. 



Lastrea fcenisecii. — Bree's Fern occurs plentifully at the edges of bogs 

 and in shady places on siliceous or earthy soils. It seems to avoid a 

 pure limestone soil. 



