1898.] Impressio7is 0/ A chill. 141 



Fi.owe:ring Pi^ants, &c. 



AcHii,!,, at Easter, is a barren wilderness so far as the higher 

 forms of vegetation are concerned. The bleak moors, storm- 

 swept shores and mountain-sides, are alike almost devoid of 

 spring vegetation so early in the year. A bank of Gorse here 

 and there, the yellow stars of the Colt's-foot by the shore, the 

 Marsh Violet and Dog Violet peeping from the bog-banks> 

 and the Mediterranean Heath in full flower on the bogs over 

 by lyough Nambrack, were almost the only blossoms that we 

 saw. I noted altogether about 120 species, but the more 

 interesting of these have mostly been already recorded from 

 Achill. On the sandy wastes by the shore, Draba verna and 

 Saxifraga tridactylites, both exceedingly minute, were in 

 bloom. Ra7iu7iculus Le7ior77ta?idi, which is abundant every- 

 where, and replaces R. hederaceus, may be also added to the 

 list of spring flowers. The quartzite cliffs along by the 

 Cathedral Rocks were draped with Asple7im7ii 77iari7i7mi and 

 Saxifraga 7i7nb7vsa ; the latter is found in every possible 

 situation all over the island. The high undulating moors 

 that stretch behind the huge precipices of Minawn are 

 clothed with a close carpet formed largely of the Bear-berry 

 and the Cow-berry — a lovely sight — with here and there a 

 stunted Juniper. The only lake-plant seen was the common 

 Shore-weed, Littordla. Trees there are none, and the tallest 

 shrubs — the Bog-myrtle and a small Willow, probably S. 

 7'epens — were only a couple of feet high. The cliffs of Slieve- 

 more yielded Saxifraga stellaris and Sed7i7n Rhodiola in plenty, 

 and Vacci7iiu77i Vitis-IdcEa was observed near the summit. 

 Hy77ie7tophyllu7n I2i7ibridge7ise grew in several places about 

 Slievemore, and the abundance of its ally, H. JVilso7ii, was 

 quite remarkable. On the seaward (northern) face of the 

 mountain it forms a constant component of the turf which 

 covers the slope, growing among the short Heather and 

 Sphao7i2i77i quite unprotected or unshaded, and filling the 

 deep crevices of the rocks with a luxuriant pale-green carpet. 

 Lastrea cemula is comm.on on the island, growing chiefly on 

 roadside banks, and Os77iu7ida was several times observed in 

 similar situations. 



The botany of Achill has not yet been thoroughly explored. 

 Indeed, the mountain flora alone appears to have received 



A4 



