224 The Irish Naturalist. [October, 



POA COMPRBSSA, LINN., AS AN IRISH PLANT. 



BY J. H. DA VIES. 

 With a postscript by the Editors of Cybele Hibernica. 



Poa compressa, hitherto believed to be extremely rare in 

 Ireland, and for which, in District XII., only one locality is 

 on record, I had the pleasure of gathering in July last both in 

 County Down and County Antrim, namely : — 



Down. — Old wall on the left hand side of the approach to 

 Hillsborough church. (New county record.) 



Antrim. — Old walls at Lisburn. In several places on the 

 walls by the site on which stood Lisburn Castle, and in great 

 abundance on a wall at the rear of the Convent. 



The Lisburn plant is very typical of the species. That at 

 Hillsborough is less so. The nodes of the latter are more 

 numerous, the uppermost knot being much above the middle of 

 the stem, which is less compressed. It may be the form which 

 has been named P. polynoda ; but the slight dissimilarity is of 

 little importance, and is owing probabl} T to the greater dryness 

 of the situation in which it grows. 



In view of its history in Ireland, to meet with the plant here 

 was a surprise to me, and was in a great measure due to my 

 friend Mr. William Foggitt, who gives heed with much interest 

 to the progress of Irish botany, and who in a recent letter 

 expressed an opinion that it had been overlooked, and would 

 be found to be less rare than was supposed. Singularly 

 enough I had the good fortune to find it on the first old wall on 

 which I specially sought it, and again on other w T alls. It may 

 therefore be anticipated that, if kept in mind, it will be found 

 to occur elsewhere in suitable situations. An inconspicuous, 

 and what some might consider an unattractive grass, growing 

 amongst other grasses, may easily escape recognition. That 

 it has been so in the case of this species I have little doubt. 



Of the three districts for which, in the first edition of Cybele 

 Hibernica^ the plant is recorded, the localities for two are dis- 

 credited on supposition of mistaken identification, leaving 

 only one station " North of Ireland — Londonderry only." 

 The second edition passes over without notice Moore and 

 More's doubts as to the stations cited for Districts IV. and V., 



