Trf . ,T 



PEOF. C. C. BABINGTON ON THE FLORA OF ICELAND. 327 



This appears to be the B. alha of Zoega, which, he says, formed 

 a wood at Laugervatn. He states that the trees were mostly 

 decumbent, and had stems 4 ells long, and 4 inches thick. 



I have failed in identifying my plant with those of other 

 authors. It is often mistaken for J5. alpestris (Fr.), or B. hu- 

 milis (Schr.); but the shape of its leaves and of the scales of its 

 catkins is different from what it is in those plants. B, alpesfris 

 (Pr.), JS. Jiumilis of his Herb- Norm. v. 60, has: — '*foliis sub- 

 rotundis obtuse serratis, amentis terminalibus erectis pedunculo 

 amentum subaequante, squamis digitato-trifidis laciniis distantibua 

 porrectis subsequalibus." B. humilis (Schrank), Fries, Herb. 

 Norm- xiii, 72, has : — ^' foliis subrotundo-ovatis (saipc basi sub- 

 cordatis) acute crenato-serratis, amentis terminalibus erectis bre- 

 viter pedxmculatis pedunculo multo longioribus, squamis digitato- 

 trifidis laciniis divergentibus suba^qualibus/' 



My plant may be described as follows : 



B. foliis rhomboideo-ovatis irregulariter acute crenato-serratis basi 

 cuneatis integris, petioUs pubeseentibus, amentis terminalibus erectis 

 pedunculatis pedunculo amentum subaequante, squamis trifidis la- 

 ciniis ciliatis latis apice rotundatis intermedio lateralibus paululum 

 incurnbentibuSy nucibus obovatis ala cinctis latitudinem nucis aiquante 

 apicemque pilosam vix attingente. 



264. B. GLUTiNOSA, Fries. — G. 



JS. alha of all the lists. 



Thingvellir, B. Granfell, S. Fnijoska-dalr, Nortbar-dalr, &c., B. G. 

 SkagaQord, Sy. ! 



As far as I can learn, there is only one kind of Birch-tree in 

 Iceland; for the preceding species are shrubs. It is usually 

 called B. alba^ because the older botanists did not distinguish 

 -B. glutinosa from the Linnsean species. I saw one small tree 

 of B. glutinosa in the Almannagja, and obtained specimens of 

 the leaves from it ; nor have I seen any other. 



The Birch was formerly much more abundant than it is at 

 present. Horrebow states that the wood in Fnijoskadalr was 

 four miles long and half a mile wide at about the middle of the 

 eighteenth century. Gliemann states that in 1824 only stumps 

 and decaying stems remained there, and that some of these 

 stumps were of considerable thickness. This fine w^ood was de- 

 stroyed by the improvident conduct of the people. Henderson" 

 states that he saw, in 1814, the remains of this forest on the east 

 side of the river, consisting of numerous stumps of Bircli trees, 



