Aha. The plot thickens.

Stace (New Flora of the British Isles, 2nd edn, 1997) reckons H. algeriensis
Hibberd, which he says is _not_ the same as H. canariensis Willd., but _is_
the same as some others' H. canariensis, is a distinct species and can be
separated from H. helix on the colour and form of the hairs on leaves and
young stems, and then from H. colchica on the number of rays on the hairs.
He gives 2n=48 for H. helix ssp. helix, 2n=96 for H. helix ssp. hibernica,
2n=96 for H. algeriensis, and 2n=192 for H. colchica.

Clement and Foster (Alien Plants of the British Isles, 1994) reckon that H.
algeriensis Hibberd and H. canariensis Willd. _are_ for the same plant,
which should be H. helix ssp. canariensis (Willd.) Cout., but as theirs is
simply a catalogue they don't give diagnostics.

I don't have Flora Europaea to hand, unfortunately. (Or perhaps
fortunately - it might give me another story :-)

IPNI gets you first usage, but isn't much good on relating these
nomenclatures, unfortunately.

"Iris Cohen" wrote in message
...
Does it have a serious answer as well?

Hedera algeriensis is apparently a horticultural name, & is considered a
synonym of Hedera helix. Hedera canariensis was reported from the Canary
Islands, but it was published almost 200 years ago, & may also be a
horticultural variant. IPNI fainted at that point, so I couldn't get any
more
information.

Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)