1923 Praeger -SivitzerJand and Ireland. 99 



also to a number of " Atlantic Type " plants of wide range 

 in western Europe, but which do not grow so far eastward 

 as Switzerland. These include some of our most abundant 

 and showy spec'es, such as the Purple Heather {Erica 

 cinerea) and Common Gorse {Ulex europceus). I sometimes 

 think that we do not quite appreciate the unique beauty 

 of these two plants in our landscape. The famous alpine 

 meadows present a far greater variety of colour and form 

 in their flowers, but for sheer overwhelming mass of colour 

 our Gorse and Heather are unsurpassed in Europe, and 

 so far as I know, in the world. What is more surprising 

 is that even in its own special domain of alpine plants we 

 can occasionally beat Switzerland, for nowhere there, so 

 far as my knowledge goes, will we find such sheets of Moun- 

 tain Avens (Dryas octopetala), Spring Gentian (G. verna) 

 and Bearberry {Ardostaphylos Uva-ursi) as in the Burren 

 of Glare. 



Apart from its position, which is favourable to large 

 immigration, the variety of conditions offered by Switzer- 

 land as compared with Ireland easily accounts for a flora 

 much larger than the Irish one, concentrated on an area 

 only half as large. The deep Swiss valleys, such as those 

 of the Rhone and Rhine, while cold in winter — often colder 

 than the slopes overlooking them, I am inforrned — are 

 generally hot and dry, and their flora is thermophytic and 

 xero phytic. As we saw these valleys, the shade temperature 

 ran up each day to 80 ^F or 90" F, and the hot rocks held 

 a rich flora of succulent and other sun-loving plants which 

 were shrivelling in the glare. Rising from the valle3's the 

 forest zone, composed of native trees, extends far up the 

 hill-sides — Beech and other deciduous types below. Spruce, 

 Larch, Scotch Fir, or Alpine Pine {P. Cembra) above, 

 harbouring a rich woodland flora, and dying out at 5,000 

 to 7,000 feet into old gnarled single trees or a scrub of 

 Mountain Pine or Alder (.4. viridis). Above this stretches 

 the grassy alpine zone, extending right up to the perennial 

 snows, and gay with a glorious variety of lovely plants. 

 In Ireland the hot valley zone is missing : the forest zone — 

 which in our country normally descends to sea-level — is 

 -almost obliterated below by agriculture, and curtailed 



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