THE HIERACIA FROM THE FÆROES 



BY 



H. DAHLSTEDT. 



S orne time alter his return home from a botanical journey lo tlie 

 Færoes in 1895, Mr. H. G. Si m mons sent the Hieracia he had 

 gathered there to me for determination and description. Al that 

 time I was prevented from investigating them scienlilicallv, and I 

 was obliged lo eontent myself with a cursory examination, which, 

 however, proved Ihe galherings to he of so mueli interest that when 

 Mr. C. H. Ostenfeld some years later asked me to investigate the 

 Hieracia gathered in the Færoes by himself, Mr. J. Hartz and Prof. 

 E. Wa rining during the summers of 1895, 1896 and 1897, but 

 inostly in the latter year, it was with very great interest thai I took 

 up the work. The gatherings proved lo work in well with each 

 olher, partly because each of them contained different forms, and 

 partly because some of the forms were idenlical though they had 

 been gathered from different localities. The gatherings are, moreover, 

 represenlalive of almost the whole area of the group of istands. An 

 unexpecledly rich knowledge of the Hieracium-ftora has thereby been 

 allained, especially when we bear in mind thai previously no 

 scientific knowledge of the Hieracium-fiora of these islands had 

 existed. The number of the distinct forms is certainly not large 

 (21 species and 2 varieties) in proportion to the numerous forms 

 which occur in the surrounding countries, but they are notwith- 

 standing of great interest on account of the insight they give us 

 when considered in relation to the neighbouring floral districts. 

 Xow that attention has been drawn to the Hieracium-i\ora of these 

 islands il will unquestionably prove to be much richer Ihan we 

 have been led to believe, judging from the previous linds. As is 

 well known, the genus Hieracium is perhaps at the present time, 

 the European plant-genus which is richest in forms, and in full 



