40 A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A FLORA OF BRECONSHIRE. 



old red sandstone to be seen in England or Wales. Silurian rocks 

 occupy the extreme north of Brecoushire. The coal and iron 

 tract comprises a narrow district along the whole southern side of 

 the county. The western side is distinguished by greywacke 

 slates. The transition rocks are singularly devoid of limestone. 

 The county, in its general character, is distinguished by its ex- 

 tensive valleys and continuous and lofty mountain tracts. Only 

 about two-thirds of it are under cultivation ; the southern portion 

 is especially wild and elevated. A semicircular range of moun- 

 tains, compiising the Black Mountain group on the east, the 

 Brecon Beacons towards the south-west, and Mount Capellante 

 and the Brecoushire Van towards the west, attain altitudes of from 

 2500 feet or thereabouts to 2862 feet, while a long barren chain, 

 called Mynydd Epynt, stretches across the county in a north- 

 easterly direction, between Trecastle and Builth. The annual 

 rainfall is large, especially in the mountain regions ; it may be 

 averaged, throughout the county, at about forty inches. The 

 rivers are very numerous, each large stream possessing many 

 tributaries. 



The almost tropical heat, at the time of my visit, forbad much 

 mountain work; moreover, the extraordinary drought had rendered 

 the hills comparatively bare. For the most part, therefore, my 

 excursions were made in the basins of the Tawe, Taff-Vechan, 

 Khymney, Usk, Llynvi, Wye, and Irvon rivers, and around Llan- 

 gorse Lake. 



The flora of Brecoushire is semi-montane in character, but, in 

 consequence of the inland position of the county, the uniformity 

 of soil, and the large tracts forming elevated moors or mountain 

 ranges where the sm-face is still in a state of nature, the flora is by 

 no means rich or varied. Many plants, frequent in most parts of 

 England, seem here to be scarce or absent, points to which I have 

 drawn attention in the following list. It is not unlikely that 

 hereafter the flowering plants and ferns of the county may be 

 brought up to about 670 ; that number, however, is small for a 

 county 35 miles in length, with a breadth of 20 miles, and a surface 

 presenting such great variations in altitude. 



The most interesting ground to the botanist is to be found on 

 the Brecon Beacons, in the Black Mountain district, the neighbour- 

 hood of Pen-y-wyllt, the shores of Llangorse Lake, and the 

 Khymney Valley, Among the rarer plants of the Brecon Beacons 

 are Thaiictrum moiitanmn, Caltha minor, Cerastium alpestre, Alsine 

 verna, Sediim lihuiiiola, S. Forsterianum, Saxifnuja oppositifolia, 

 Hi/i)i('no]/hijUum Wilsoni, and Asplenium viride. In the Black 

 Mountain district are found Meconopsis Camhrica, Viola lutea, 

 Geranium st/lraticuni, Fi/nis rajdcola, Saxifruga Hpunhemica, S. hyp- 

 noides, ]\lyrrhis odorata, Hicraciwn prena}itJwides, Vacciniiim Vitis- 

 idfca, (Jystopteris dentata, rolypodium rheyopteria, P. Dryopteris, 

 P. Piohertianum, and Lycopodiiiiii aljiimiiii. 



I have collected in this paper all the records known to me of 

 Brecoushire plants, hoping that thereby some little additional light 

 may be thrown on plant distribution over the extensive inland 



