LICHENOLOGICAL MEMORABILIA.— No. 2. 

 By the Rev. W. A. Leighton, B.A., F.L.S., F.B.S.Ed. 



The Lichens of Bettws-y-Coed, North Wales. 



A fortnight's sojourn, in the month of June, 1872, amongst the 

 magnificent and romantic rocks and woods surrounding Bettws-y- 

 Coed, in the valley of the Conway, is, in itself, a thing long to be 

 treasured in the memory ; but to the lichenist, who finds those 

 rocks and woods abounding with rare and beautiful lichens, it is 

 11 a beauty and a joy for ever." 



As a general rule, mere lists of localities of plants are scarcely 

 advisable, but the knowledge of lichens, and of their distribution over 

 the British Isles, is as yet so incomplete and imperfect, that a devi- 

 ation from this rule may be possibly pardoned. Assuming this, I 

 proceed to enumerate the lichens which I observed and collected 

 in this circumscribed nook of lovely scenery. 



The Collemacei, curiously enough in so damp a locality, seem to 

 be comparatively rare, Collema fiaccidum, Ach., barren as usual, 

 but abundant ; a few plants of Collema nigrescens, L., sterile ; Lep- 

 togium lacerum, (Ach.), sterile ; and a single specimen of the rare 

 Leptogium Burgessii, (Lightf.) in fine fruit, being all their repre- 

 sentatives. Caliciumhyperellum, Ach., was the only representative 

 of the Caliciei, though I think I also observed the barren thallus 

 of Coniocybe furfuracea, Ach. Cladonia squamosa, Hffm., and 

 Cladonia digitata, Hffm., var. macilenta, Hffm., f. carcata, Ach., 

 occurred in surpassing beauty and luxuriance on the trunks of 

 trees, at the Conway Falls, together with well-fruited Usnea bar- 

 bata f. hirta, Fr. ; and Cladonia cervicomis, Schjer., in equal luxu- 

 riance on the rocks above the Gwydir woods. Stereocaulon nanum, 

 Ach., very fine, and abundant, but sterile as usual. Ramalinafari- 

 nacea, (L.), large and abundant but sterile, and Ramalina fastigiata, 

 Fr., finely fruited. A single specimen in jruit !! of Cetraria 

 aculeata, Fr., was gathered on the rocks. Nephromiinn lusitanicum, 

 Schjer., was most abundant, in fine fructification in all the woods, 

 especially in the Gwydir woods, where the trees were clothed with 

 it. Peltigera horizontalis, (L.), and P. scutata, (Dicks.), were not 

 unfrequcnt, the latter sterile. Stictina limbata, (Sm.), Stictina fuli- 

 ginosa, (Dicks.), and Stictina scrobiculata, (Scop.), and Sticta pul- 

 monacea, Ach., very fine and luxuriant, but always sterile, were 

 abundant, and Ricasolia hetevirens, (Lightf.), in fine fructification, 

 but partial. Of Parmelia, the following were noticed : caperata, 

 (L.), olivacea, (L.), physodes, (L.), and its variety labrosa, Ach., 

 clothing the young trees, one specimen in fruit, perlata, (L.),fuligi- 

 nosa, DuB.,corticole in fruit, conspersa, Ehrh., and its form Mou- 

 geotii, Sch.er., sa.ratilis, (L.), corticole form in good fruit, and its 

 variety omphalodes, (L.), also in fruit, Borreri^ f. olivacea, Lbight., 

 and ttliavca, (Am.). Umbilicaria pvlyph<jlla, (L.), f. lacera, 



