322 The Irish Naturalist December, 



Festuca rigida at Banbridge, Co. Down. 



For the County Down this grass seems to have been reported only 

 from the coast. It also occurs, in some plenty, on a wall-top near the 

 Banbridge railway station, where it was noticed last summer. 



J. H. Davies. 

 Lisburn. 



Milium effusum in Co. Dublin. 



In June last I noticed Milium effusum growing sparingly in the grounds 

 of Bushy Park, Terenure. I reported this to Mr. Colgan, who replied 

 that he had no note of the plant in Co. Dublin even as a casual, and 

 supposed that it must be regarded as such at Bush}' Park. The grass grows 

 very sparingly among some old laurels, and while various ornamental 

 plants, such as Symphytum tuberosum and Hypericum Androsmnum flourish 

 in the neighbourhood, native species also grow which often accompany 

 Milium in wild ground, such as Luzula maxima and Ranunculus Auricomus. 

 I felt inclined rather to regard Milium here as a relic of the time when 

 wilder conditions prevailed in Co. Dublin. The plant is frequent in the 

 adjoining portion of Wicklow, and might well have formerly flourished 

 in South Dublin. The precipitous banks overlooking the Dodder in 

 Bush}' Park have probably always been wooded, and would form a refuge 

 for the plant, Direct evidence of introduction there is none ; no shrubs 

 or herbs have been brought from outside into that part of the demesne 

 for a long period, and the habitat is just such as might lead one to 

 expect Milium. The fact that the undergrowth in this part of the woods 

 is now mown down every summer would tend to keep down the plant. 

 To endeaA'Our to throw some additional light on the problem, I examined 

 the Dodder banks more carefully. Epipactis latifolia, w'hich turned up 

 sparingly further down stream in Bushy Park — a wood plant very rare in 

 Dublin — strengthened the case for the occurrence of remnants of an old 

 wood flora here. But the matter was to my mind set at rest by the dis- 

 covery of a second patch of Milium — though a still smaller one— on the 

 precipitous wooded bank that overlooks the Dodder between Rath- 

 farnham bridge and Rathgar bridge. Here the plant grew among thorns 

 with Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromus asper^ and B. giganteus. A few plants 

 of Epipactis latifolia grew not far away, and Orobanche Hederce occurred 

 frequently. This bank is now much intersected with little paths ; its 

 vegetation is trampled by boys and loungers, and its more interesting 

 native plants are clearly on the way to extinction. Miss M. Knowles 

 tells me that from the opposite side of the mill-race that runs along the 

 foot of this bank she noticed Milium here a few years ago. There must 

 have been more of it then than now, as the only patch I found could 

 not have been seen from the other side of the mill-race. The sugges- 

 tion may be made that this grass is introduced in both stations above 

 mentioned: but credulity has its limits, and the limit of mine would be 

 reached if asked to believe that a plant which has many stations within 

 twenty miles, and which is quite likely to occur, and of whose occur- 

 rence except as a native in this country I have no record, should be 

 '* casual " in two suitable habitats a mile apart. 



