T9Q7- Praegkr. — The Flora of Inishturk. 123 



Populus tremula, L. — Somewhat widely spread in rocky ?nd bushy 

 places over the south aud west of the island, seldom rising three feet 

 in height. 



Juniperus nana. AYilld.— Here and there on the western heaths, 

 rare, and very stunted and prostrate. 



^Allium Babingtonii, Borrer.— Twice seen on borders of fields near 

 the harbour. 



J uncus effusus, L. — The form with spreading stems was severa 

 times observed. 



Sparganium affine, Sclmizk — Frequent in the western lakelets and 

 pools. S. minimum is more widely distributed, but rarer. 



Carcx limosa, L. — Plentiful in the wet marsh around Lough Coola- 

 knick, growing with very stunted C. paniculata. 



D-eschampsia caespitosa, Beauv., var. Previfolia (Parnell).— A 

 curious grass, of which a few specimens were seen in a wet marsh at 

 the west end of the island. It grew in small tufts 6-7 inches high, 

 with a comparatively small panicle of a golden-brown colour, rising 

 about 30 inches. In naming it as above, Mr. Bennett remarks: — 

 *' But a query comes in here. There is an Aim caspritosa var. brevi/olia, 

 Hartm., Hanb. Sk. EL, ed. 2, p. 25, 1S32 = A. Hartmanniana, Nyman, 

 Consp. FL Europe p. S07, 1SS2. This is a plant found in Norway, 

 Sweden, and the Faroes, and by the description in Anderson's 

 Scan. Gram, cannot be our brevifolia (although Ascherson and Graebner, 

 in their Flor. Syn. M. Europe put it so). That being so, there seems 

 to be no name for our plant. The nearest seemingly is var. latifolia, 

 Bischoff, in Koch's Syn., Ed. 2. It might be called var. lavis — I 

 cannot find this under i(Cspitosa. I think our plant may be A. 

 arspiiosa 5. rigida, Opiz, Scznaw, 37, 1852 ; but there is no description 

 to this, so it is a nomen nudum?'' 



Festuca ovina, L- — The viviparous mountain form occurs at sea- 

 level. 



Asplenium Ruta-muraria, L- — On the walls of the ruined watch- 

 tower. The presence on Inishturk of certain plants of special 

 habitat is interesting. Here, more than 600 feet over the Atlantic, 

 in a desperately exposed position, this fern has found its way to the 

 only suitable mortar-built wall on the island. Again, there are not 

 ten square yards of sand above spring-tide level on the whole island, 

 yet Armaria peplotdes has discovered that single spot. It looks as if 

 the arrangements for seed-dispersal in these aud some other plants 

 w r ere singularly efficient, 



Ophioglossum vulgatum, L. — Seen only in a very dwarf state at 

 the cam on the hill west of the harbour (588 feet). Botrythium 

 Lunaria is common, and was seen four times. 



Isoetes iacustris, L. — Plentiful and fine in Lough Namucka. 



Nitella opaca, Ag. (?).— Sparingly in Lough Namucka. "This or 

 N. flexilis— probably N. opaca" — H. &J. Groves. 



