1901. - 29 



BOTANICAL FIELD-WORK IN I9OO. 



BY R. ^OYD PRAKGKR, B.E. 



The last of the five seasons' field-work devoted to the 

 collection of material for "Irish Topographical Botany" was 

 extensive and varied. Before its commencement I drew up 

 somewhat elaborate comparative tables showing the strength 

 or weakness of the floras of the various county-divisions, and 

 the final season was devoted to working up those divisions 

 which most required further exploration. Nearly fifty days 

 were spent in the field, and few of the Irish counties lay 

 beyond the range of the summer's excursions. 



The season was late, and June 9 was' the first date on which 

 I ventured afield. On that day, I worked across the western 

 side of Meath, from Athboy to Hill of Down. Ranunculus 

 Aurico??ius near the former place, and Orchis Morio at the 

 latter, were the best additions to the Meath list. The upper 

 reaches of the Boyne, which I followed for some miles, 

 proved uninteresting. Next day I examined the gorge of 

 Poulaphouca, on both the Kildare and Wicklow sides. The 

 most remarkable feature of the flora of this lovely spot is the 

 group of strongly calcicole plants which grow on the slate 

 rocks (Ordovician) of the gorge, no limestone being present, 

 nor within several miles. Arabis kirsuta, Geranium colum- 

 binum, G. lucidum, Carlina vulgaris, A vena pubesce?is, all grow 

 abundantly, and mixed with them we find an equally 

 characteristic calcifuge group — Lepidium hirtum, Cytisus 

 scoparius, Jasione montana, Digitalis purpurea. Two Hawk- 

 weeds, not yet named, grow here, and again at the pretty fall 

 above Ballymore, though no species^of the genus is in record 

 from these places. In the hotel grounds at Poulaphouca 

 Poa nemoralis (recorded by Dr. Scully) is particularly 

 abundant. From Ballymore I returned by road to Blessington, 

 finding Trifolium filiforme abundantly on a dry-built fence by 

 the way — its second station in Kildare. With it was Lamium 

 hybtidutn, new to the county. 



On June 13 I disembarked at Drumhawnagh in Co. Cavan. 

 Matricaria discoidea, on the railway there, represented the 

 first station in Ulster of this ruthless invader, and Linaria 

 viscida, which grew with it, was also new to the northern 



