^912. Vraugek.- -Flora of the Bias/ccfs. 163 



It will be seen that Tory best compares with the Great 

 Blasket as regards the extent of its flora. Tory is also 

 exceedingly bare and wind-swept, and the turf -cutters have 

 destroyed most of the original vegetation-surface ; but it is 

 well supplied with lakes and marshes. Inishturk has a flora 

 half as large again as that of the Great Blasket, owing to its 

 diversified surface, and consequent greater shelter and 

 variety of habitat. 



To my mind a very interesting feature of the Blasket 

 flora as compared with that of the other western Irish 

 islands is the replacement of Senecio aquaticus as the domi- 

 nant Ragweed by 5. Jacobaea. This is a clear indication 

 of the much drier soil conditions prevailing there — a fact 

 also borne out by the occurrence of Carex arcnaria and 

 Psanima arcnaria along the cUff -edges, and indeed by the 

 whole facies of the flora. 



On the mainland of the Dingle peninsula, when going to 

 and from the Blaskets, one or two plants were noticed which 

 appear worthy of mention. 



Lavatera arborea L. — On sea -stacks at Dunquin ; native, I have no 



doubt. 

 Orobanche rubra Smith. — Sparingly on dry banks, growing on Tliymus, 



between the quay at Dunquin and Dunmore Head. New to Co. 



Kerry. 



*0. minor Sutt. — Observed in three stages of naturahzation. Between 

 Dingle and Ventry it grew abundantly in clover in a newly laid- 

 down field of meadow hay ; close to the chapel a mile S.W. of Ventry, 

 in a grass field evidently laid down several years, it was still abundant. 

 By the roadside near the fine promontory fort of Dunbeg, in a pasture 

 which did not seem to have been disturbed for ten or perhaps twenty 

 years, it grew sparingly, and the specimens were small. Clover was 

 absent, and the plant was parasitic on Lotus corniculatiis or Anthyllis 

 Vulncraria, or both. It had the appearance in this station of being 

 ver}^ near extinction. New to Co. Kerry. 



*Matricaria discoidea DC. — It was quite a relief not to find this invader on 

 the Blaskets. On the mainland I saw it at Castlegregory and abun- 

 dantly at Deelis. I think still unrecorded from Co. Kerry, but Mr. 

 Stelfox tells me he sent Dr. Scully a note of it from Anascaul two 

 years ago. 



National Library, Dublin. 



A3 



