lOZ 



The Irish Naturalist, 



September, 



Carex filiformis L.— Last year I drew attention (/. A^., 

 xxix., 98) to the occurrence of this lowland sedge in quantity 

 among mountain plants on the Garron Plateau in Antrim. 

 A similar habitat in Down may now be added. The plant 

 grows thinly over several acres of flat very wet bog (probably 

 the site of a glacial lake) at the head of the valley of the 

 Rowan-tree River, a branch of the Rocky River, above 

 Hilltown. The elevation is about 1,000 feet. None of the 

 interesting concomitants of the plant in its Antrim stations, 

 such as Carex pauciflora, C. irrigua, C. limosa, is present. 

 In its Down station it is accom.panied by Molinia coerulea, 

 Menyanthes trifoliata, Carex rostrata, etc. 



Equisetum hyemale L. — In 1899 ^ recorded and figured 

 (/. A'., vii., 117) a form of this Horsetail in which several 

 alternate lateral cones were developed, one from each of 

 the uppermost nodes, and I set down the abnormality as 

 due to the destruction (by grazing animals) of the terminal 

 cone, and consequent production of laterals as is so frequent 

 in E. palustre. I refound the station, by the Rocky River 

 near Hilltown (I had forgotten all about it) in June last 

 and found a large colony with hundreds of stems, most of 

 which bore lateral cones. Examination showed I was wrong 

 in attributing the abnormality to injur}^. Some stems of 

 which the terminal cone was not yet mature lateral cones 

 were already being produced ; other stems bore a withered 

 terminal cone and mature laterals ; in the majority the 

 terminal cone had fallen off, apparently naturally, while 

 the laterals were full-grown. It seems the usual course 

 of events is that the terminal cone is produced first, and 

 after it has faded, apparently frequently in the following 

 season, the crop of laterals is produced. The lateral cones 

 are mostly four or five in number, occupying the uppermost 

 four or five nodes. They are mostly alternate, sometimes 

 opposite, sometimes a pair springs from one point. The}^ 

 are all much smaller than the terminal cone, and are borne 

 on very short slender stalks. 



Equisetum litorale Kiihlw. — A second Mourne station 

 was found for this rare hybrid Horsetail — in and about 

 the mill-dam by the Leitrim River half a mile S.E. of 

 Hilltown. It was the form (var. elatius Milde) which I have 

 already recorded {I.N., xxvi., 141) from Rocky River. 



