42 
REVIEWS. 
Feb., 1891. 
JUMcfos. 
Catalogue of Canadian Plants. Part V., Acrogens. By John Macoun, 
M.A., F.L.S., F.R.S.C. Montreal: William Foster Brown and 
Co. 1890. 25 cents. Pp. iv.—179. 
This concludes Yol. II. of this valuable work, the first 45 pages being 
devoted to an enumeration of the Ferns and Fern Allies, with a full 
account of their geographical distribution through the Dominion of 
Canada; and, as in the preceding portions of this work, the treatment 
throughout is excellent, and characteristic of the scientific acumen and 
indefatigable zeal of the author. In turning over the pages of the Cata¬ 
logue the first thing that strikes one is the strong relationship that 
exists between the flora of Canada and that of Europe. This is more 
apparent in the higher Cryptogams than in the Flowering plants. 
The same Ferns, Horse-tails, and Club Mosses make their home there 
as with us. In the Equisetaceae, or Horse-tails, 13 species and 2 varie¬ 
ties are recorded, 10 of which are native also of Europe. Many of 
these are widely spread over the Dominion, but the Great Horse-tail, 
K. Telmateia, seems to be found only on the Pacific slopes. 
Of Ferns, 60 species and 10 varieties are recorded, many of which 
are also European. The Adder’s-tongue, Ophioglossum vulgatum, occurs 
in grassy meadows, and is widely spread. The Moonwort, Botrychium 
Lunaria , ranges from Quebec to British Columbia, and high north¬ 
ward, with other European species, as B. simplex, B. lanceolatum, and 
B. virginianum , the latter having a wide range north-east and north¬ 
ward almost to the Arctic Circle. The common Polypody, Polypodium 
vulgare, is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and far north. The 
Brake Fern, Pteris aquilina, has a range equally wide; whilst the Hard 
Fern, Lomaria, spicant , is confined to the coast of British Columbia, 
being abundant there in rich, cool woods. Of the Spleenworts, 
Asplenium viride, A. Trichomanes, and A. Filix-Jcemina have a wide 
range; but the Rue Fern, A. Ruta-muraria, appears to be absent both 
from Canada and the United States. The Hart’s-tongue, Scolopend- 
rium vulgare , is one of the rarest of American ferns, only three 
stations being known in Canada. The Beech Fern, Phegopteris polypo- 
diodes, and Oak Fern, P. Dryopteris, are both wide in their range ; but 
the Limestone Fern, P. Robertianum, and the Alpine Lady Fern, 
P. alpestris, are more rare, the latter ascending to an altitude of 7,000 
feet above sea level. Of the Shield Ferns, the Marsh Shield Fern, 
Aspidium Thelypteris, is common in swamps from Nova Scotia to Lake 
Winnepeg ; and they also find more or less abundant over a wide area 
A. Oreopteris, A. cristatum , A. Filix-mas, A. rigidum, A. spinulosum, A. 
dilatatum, A. Lonchitis, and A. aculeatum. The Bladder Ferns are 
represented by Cystopteris fragilis, which is universally distributed 
throughout Canada ; and the beautiful Cystopteris montana , which is a 
rare fern, found in low, dense woods, usually near creeks, being 
recorded from Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, and the Rocky Mountains. 
The beautiful genus Woodsia has three European representatives, 
