20 Altitude of Habitats of Plants in Cumberland, 



Art. VI. On the Altitude of the Habitats of Plants in Cumber- 

 landf with Localities of the rarer Mountain Species. By Mr. 

 Hkwett Watson. 



Often as the county of Cumberland has been traversed 

 by botanists, we are, nevertheless, yet very imperfectly ac- 

 quainted with the stations of its rarer plants ; and there is, 

 perhaps, not another county of England in regard to the 

 botanical productions of which there are so many errors in 

 print. Under these circumstances, I need scarcely apologise 

 for submitting some observations and discoveries, made during 

 a month's residence at Keswick, in May and June of 1833. 

 This county is so constantly visited by the students in every 

 department of natural history, that there will doubtless be 

 some, among the readers of this Magazine, to whom the fol- 

 lowing notices will be useful. My attention was principally 

 directed towards the influence of height in changing the vege- 

 table productions ; and, taking the highest stations at which 

 particular species were observed, they may be arranged in 

 steps of 500 ft., as follows ; but Scawfell Pikes, the highest 

 hill of the county, being only 3166 ft., the first step in our 

 descent will be a shorter one. The names accord with those 

 of Hooker's British Flora. 



1. Between 3000 ft. and 3160 ft. — O'xalis Acetosella, Ceras- 

 tium viscosum, ^Saxifraga stellaris, Galium saxatile. Campanula 

 rotundif5lia, FacciniumMyrtillus and Fitis idae^a, Thymus ^er- 

 pyllum, /2iimex Acet5sa, ^Salix herbacea, JE'mpetrum nigrum, 

 Carex rigida, jFestiica ovina, Lycopodium iSelago, Crypto- 

 gramma crispa. 



2. Between 2500 ft. and 3000 ft. — jRanunculus acris, Caltha 

 palustris, Cardamine pratensis, Fiola canina, V. palustris, 

 Pyrus aucuparia (the highest arborescent species, and the 

 specimens of it only stunted bushes), Tormentilla officinalis, 

 Gfeum rivale, Alchemilla alpina, Rhodiola rosea, Chrysosple- 

 nium oppositifolium, ioTieracium murorum, Siktxce. Armeria, 

 Jiiniperus communis, Luzula [Luciola Smith'] campestris, 

 L. maxima, Juncus squarrosus, Eriophorum vaginatum, Carex 

 pilulifera, Anthoxanthum odoratum. 



3. Between 2000 ft. and 2500 ft. — i^aniinculus Flammula, 

 ^nembne nemorosa, Thalictrum alpinum, Cochlearia(danica?), 

 Stellaria uligin6sa, Silene acatilis, JRubus saxatilis, Epilobium 

 fllsinif^lium, *Saxifraga oppositifolia, Valeriana officinalis, Cal- 

 liina vulgaris, Solidagovirgaurea, ^chillae'« Ptarmica, /ip^rgia 

 autumnalis, Pingukula vulgaris, Juncus effiisus, Eleocharis 

 pauciflbra, Eriophorum angustifolium, Carex binervis, C. cses- 

 pit5sa, Polypc^dium Phegopteris, ^lechnum boreale. 



