[ 77 ] 

 THE PLANTS OF WESTMEATH. 



BY H. C I^KVINGK, D.I,. 



The following list of plants, from which all the commoner 

 species have been excluded, fairly represents, I believe, the 

 Flora of the central part of the Co. Westmeath in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the larger lakes, Ennel, Derevaragh, and Owel ; 

 but though I think it unlikely the lists will ever be very largely 

 added to, it can hardly be called a complete enumeration of the 

 rarer plants of the county, as I regret I have not had many 

 opportunities of examining the remaining portion of the 

 county, but I believe the parts most likely to prove botanically 

 interesting have been thoroughly explored. I have availed 

 myself of the kind permission given to me by Mr. Barrington 

 to quote largely from the interesting paper by himself and 

 Mr. Vowell on the "Flora of the Shores of Lough Ree," and 

 have included, in my list, the names of all the rarer plants 

 which they observed in their explorations of that part of the 

 country inside the boundaries of Westmeath. It must, how- 

 ever, be remembered that in their abstract of names of plants, 

 new to district 7 of the " Cybele Hibernica," they have in- 

 cluded those which occur in the Co. Longford as well as those 

 of Westmeath. Mr. Barrington was kind enough to indicate, 

 for my use, most of the Westmeath species ; but there still 

 remain a few, noted as common or frequent round the lake, 

 regarding which some uncertainty exists, and in each doubtful 

 case I have made a separate note. The rock in the tract 

 immediately under notice is the Upper Carboniferous Lime- 

 stone, and the three lakes above mentioned form the prominent 

 feature of the country. Of these L. Ennel, supplied by the 

 River Brosna — 274 feet above the sea-level, and with an area 

 of 3,603 acres — is the largest ; next comes L- Derevaragh — 

 sometimes called Donore Lake— 210 feet above the sea, and 

 having an area of 3,051 acres. At its S.E. end rise three 

 considerable hills, Knock Body, Knock Ross, and Knock 

 Eyon, the top of the last named being 707 feet above the sea. 

 The River Inny, which flows through a series of large bogs 

 from L. Sheelin, enters and leaves the lake at its N.W. end. 

 Lastly L. Owel, 329 feet above the sea, and 2,527 acres in 

 extent, forms the summit-level supply to the Royal Canal, 

 which extends eastwards to Dublin and westwards to the 



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