Between 1821 and 1948 Himantoglossum hircinum was found in different years in 5 different places in the Netherlands, which is the northern limit of its continental range. The author considered the finds as natural but not lasting, and assumed the possibility of a new find. In 1980 the species was found again on the slope of a dike in Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen (province of Zeeland) in the southwestern part of the country; in 1981 there was a second find in the dunes near Katwijk (province of Zuid-Holland) in the western coastal part of the Netherlands.