Synopsis of Canadian Ferns and Filicoid Plants. 289 



Nat. Ord. EQUISETACE^. 

 Equisetum. 



The Equiseta having been described in a previous paper, it will be 

 sufficient to give here a mere list of the species, with some additional 

 notes obtained since the former paper was written. 



E. sylvaticum. Linn. Newfoundland and New Brunswick, Hook. Fl. 

 Bor, Am. 



E. sylvaticum, (3. capillare. Much branched ; branches very long, 

 straight, and exceedingly slender (capillary). Farmers ville. 

 E. umbrosum, Willd. Belmont. 



E. arvense, Linn. West from London, W. Saunders. The rhizome 

 bears large spherical pill-like nodules, which are, however, more con- 

 spicuous in var. /3. granulatum. 



E. arvense, (3. granulatum. 



E. Telmateja, Ehrhart. Shores of Lake Ontario, Beck. 



E. limosum, Fries — The great value of this species and of E. arveiue 

 as fodder plants, is confirmed. On the western prairies horses are said 

 to get " rolling fat" on Equisetum in ten days; and experienced travel- 

 lers tell me, that their horses always go faster next day after resting at 

 night on Equisetum pasture. The horses do not take to it at first ; but 

 after having a bit of Equisetum put occasionally into their mouths, they 

 soon acquire a liking for it, and prefer it to all other herbage. Near 

 Komoka, W. Saunders. 



E. hyemale, Linn. Lake Huron, Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. ; St Joachim, 

 M. I'Abbe Provancher ; London, W. S. 



E. rohustum, Braun. Stems much thicker than in E. hyemale, the 

 lidges with one line of tubercles ; sheaths shorter than broad, with a 

 black band at base, and a less distinct one at the margin ; teeth about 

 forty, three-keeled. E. rohustum, Braun, A. Gray. Grenadier Pond, 

 on the Humber River near Toronto, 3d June 1862. It is difficult to 

 decide whether this and other forms are really distinct from E. hyemale ; 

 certainly that species varies in size, in roughness, and other characters. 

 In rohustum the teeth are twice as many as in hyemale, but even this is 

 perhaps not a constant character, 



E. variegatum, Weber and Mohr, ; St Joachim, M. L'Abbe Pro- 

 vancher. 



E. scirpoides, Michaux. 



E. scirpoides, (3. minor. 



E. palustre, Linn. — Canada, from Lake Huron, Dr Todd, Mr Cleg- 

 horn, Mrs Perceval, to the shores of the Arctic Sea, Dr Richardson, 

 Drummond, Sir John Franklin, Captain Back." — Hook. Fl, Bor, .A.mer, 

 Professor A. Gray speaks of " the European E. palustre," " attributed 

 to this country (the N. American States) by Pursh, probably incor- 

 rectly." Dr Hooker indicates its existence, without doubt, in Arctic West 

 America and Arctic East America. The name of the plant has occa- 

 sionally appeared in Canadian lists, but I have as yet seen no Canadian 

 specimen. It remains for Canadian or Hudson's Bay botanists to trace 

 its southern limit on the American Continent. In Europe and Asia it 

 has no tendency to Arctic limitation. 



