V 931 



Sydero, wherever similar conditions exist. Thus on the Ej de on 

 Nol so just soutli of the village it was found on a steep slope with an 

 eastern exposure towards the ocean. 



5. On Vaago, on the narrow neck near Bosdalafos, between 

 Sorvaagsvatn and the ocean, I noted in addition to the dominant spe- 

 cies, Silene acaulis. Sagina procumbens, Cerastium vulgare, Agrostis vul- 

 garis, Armeria and Poa pratensis. The wind here blows with such force 

 that the clitTs are quite bare witli their sharp edges weathered away. 



The piants common to this association are first and foremost 

 Plantago maritima, accompanied on Sydero by P. coronopus: along 

 with these we have P. lanceolata, Silene acaulis, Armeria, Festuca 

 riibra. Agrostis siolonifera, Leontodon aiitumnale var. Taraxaci, Sa- 

 gina procumbens, etc. They are all perennial species with dwarfed 

 habit; most of them are »spot-bound«, the grasses alone being able 

 to wander. Another feature of the association is wind-pollination, 

 which takes place in the species of Plantago and the grasses; one 

 can imagine that the locality is no pleasant place for insects. The 

 vegetation in some respect resembles that of the salt-marsh, but it 

 differs by the presence of the Plantago-species and the absence of 

 Glyceriae and the larger Carices. Strictly speaking, none of the spe- 

 cies are entirely confined to the coast; Plantago maritima and Ar- 

 meria for example, occurring on the bare rock-plateaux in all parts 

 of the islands. The plant-form assumed on the »Ejder« is quite 

 difFerent, however, from that of the rock-associations, Plantago 

 especially being characterized by its smooth, almost cylindrical, 

 fleshy, short leaves. The remaining species are also widely distri- 

 buted on the Færoes. Some, like Silene acaulis, occur on the rock- 

 plateaux and on grassy slopes, while others belong to the bog-vege- 

 tation, e. g. Leontodon. They all reappear in the vegetation of the 

 coast-cliffs, but they do not as a rule play any conspicuous part 

 there in comparison with other species. 



Mosses are unimportant elements of the coast formations, but 

 we may note in passing the frequency of Pottia Heimii and Ambly- 

 stegium polygamum. 



d. The coast-cliff formation. 

 The numerous steep cliffs are not altogether naked and devoid 

 of vegetation, for piants can always be found in the fissures and 

 crevices which scar the face of the cliffs. If the cavities are 

 large enough to permit the accumulation of some fine-soil, then 

 the piants are often surprisingly luxuriant in their growth. Nor is 



Botany of the Færoes. 60 



