INTRODUCTION. 



IT is far from being a fact that the Marine Algal Flora and 

 Marine Algal Vegetation of Iceland can be regarded as sufficiently 

 known; this does not apply in the same degree, however, to all 

 parts of the coast. East Iceland, South Iceland and South-west 

 Iceland are better known in this respect than North-w r est Iceland 

 and North Iceland. Also, as is very natural, the littoral vegetation 

 is better known than the sublittoral, as it is easier of access and 

 may be investigated directly on the spot, while, as regards the sub- 

 littoral vegetation , one has to be content with what is obtained 

 from dredgings. 



Very little has previously been written with regard to the marine 

 algal vegetation of Iceland. Strom felt, who travelled in Iceland 

 in the summer of 1883, has treated the algal flora exhaustively (see 

 Jonsson, 31) in his valuable work "Om Algevegetationen vid Is- 

 lands kuster" (70) and has given a critical review^ of the older lite- 

 rature of the marine algal flora of Iceland; but, on the other hand, 

 he has dealt very briefly with the marine algal vegetation. He fol- 

 lows Kj ell man in dividing the vegetation in question into a litto- 

 ral and a sublittoral vegetation. Stromfelt found the littoral vege- 

 tation poorly developed in many places he records, however, 

 a luxuriant littoral vegetation from Reykjavik, Eyrarbakki and 

 Eskifjor5ur. The sublittoral vegetation is mentioned even more 

 briefly, and is emphasized as being more uniform than the littoral 

 as regards its distribution and the species which compose it. Strom- 

 felt does not make any definite statement regarding the elittoral 

 vegetation, owing to his not having dredged in sufficiently deep 

 \vater, but he considers it improbable that any vegetation worthy 

 of notice occurs at that depth, as he did not find any rich vegeta- 

 tion at a greater depth than 10 12 fathoms. 



The reason why Stromfelt found the littoral vegetation on the 

 north coast so poorly developed may be two-fold: it may result 



The Botany of Iceland. I. \ 



