1923- Lei-. — Iri^h Spliui^iia. 12 1 



I IM S H S P H A c; N A . 



BY WILLIAM A LEE, M.A., PH. I). 



Previous lists uf Irish Spluigiia were published in liic Irish 

 NaturalisI (vols. xxxi. No. 2, xxxii. Nos. j and ()). 1 am 

 now able to furnisli a few additions to the S])]ia,i,ni;i. of 

 County \\'icklow (Division 20), the Result of somewhat 

 extensive i,^atherings in Wieklow in the hilly e.ountr\- dr;i.iiu-d 

 by till' ri\ers Avonmore and Axonbeg, last October. Of 

 these, twv) varieties Jind one form cannot be traced in 

 previous Irish lists, while 12 varieti(>s and 17 fornis a))])ear 

 to be recorded for the hrst time in Division 20. It is 

 appai-ent from this result in a restricted area that we arc 

 still far from a complete catalogue of the Irish Sphagna, 

 and it is much to be regretted that so few workers have 

 taken seriouslv in hand the surve\' of the suitable ground 

 on which the members of the group are likeh' to occur. 

 Quite apart from the strictly scientific hitcrest of this 

 pursuit, there is always the varied beauty of the material 

 which, at certain seasons, offers a charm to the eye and 

 mind excelled b}.' scarcely any small natural objects. When, 

 on some desolate mountain -side, we come upon cushions of 

 Sphagna, showing the crimson of S. quinqucfariiim var. 

 roseuni, or the emerald such as \vc find in S. cuspidaiujii, 

 or the am.ber or chocolate shades conspicuous in other 

 species, we are impresr.ed \vith the contrast between the 

 wild massive mountain and the gentle soothing eiiect rf 

 the Sphagna. Even the stem and leaf forms present so 

 much artistic arrangement <iiid \ariety that a cultun d 

 mind would occupy itself witli great deligkit in detecting 

 the elements which constitute these special manifestations 

 of beaut v. So much also remains to be done in their 

 ecological study that even a few accurate observations 

 contribute to further pi'ogress, especially in regard to 

 altitude and climate. In tliis si)irit a short list is submitted 

 showing the range at which the chief species occur in the 

 area recently visited, so far as represented in these 

 gatherings, and this can be compared with data furnished 

 by other collectors [vide " Collection, Taxonomy and 



