THE CONTINENTAL FLORA OF SOUTH SWEDEN 305 



Only the frequency of the species would be changed if human influences 

 passed off. 



When the aforementioned large Hogsby os comes down from the hilly country 

 of Ostra harad on to the plain of the county of Kalmar in the southern part of 

 the parishes of Virserum and Fagelfors and becomes more continuous, it spreads 

 out and forms an extended gravel-field. In the latter are embedded a large number 

 of smaller os-cavities, forming little more or less fiUed-up lake-basins. Here there 

 are in several places rather steep southerly slopes, facing the cavities. Such a 

 southerly slope just to the east of the village of Ramsebo in the parish of Vir- 

 serum I have examined closely (i6. VII. 1920). The slope was covered witii 

 sparsely growing young pines, birches and oaks. The ground vegetation con- 

 sisted chiefly of mealberry scrub, forming thick carpets and solitary herbs and 

 grasses. Here and there Arctostaphylos was absent or formed a less complete 

 covering and gave room for a herbaceous hillside vegetation. The experimental 

 areas in Table 7 may give some idea of the composition of the vegetation. 

 Besides the species belonging to those experimental areas the following were 

 noted down from the slope: Arabis thaliana, Calamintha acinos, Centaurea jacea, 

 Clinopodium vulgare, Dianthus deltoides, Draba verna, Helianthemum chamaecistus 

 Herniaria glabra, Jasione montana, Galium verum, Lotus corniculatus, Polygona- 

 tum odoratum, Potentilla argentea, Scleranthus perennis, Sedum acre, and Thesiuni 

 alpinum. 



Here, of course, the vegetation has been influenced by human action. A high- 

 road passes along above the slope, separated from it only by a fence, and the 

 forest has, of course, been cut every now and then. The influence of grazing 

 cattle, on the other hand, would seem to be inconsiderable, as neither the slope 

 itself nor the swampy ground that begins immediately below it, have any parti- 

 cular attraction to cattle. 1 should like to regard the occurrence of the species 

 enumerated on the slope as chiefly original. The species were able to exist 

 here, even before the hand of man interfered, thanks to the exposed position. 



It has been mentioned above that southerly exposed sand or gravel slopes run 

 along the Ema River in the valley between Malilla and Vetlanda. The slopes 

 facing the course of the river are well exposed. In column ix of Table 2. 

 Appendix II a detailed analysis has been given of the vegetation on such a 

 slope. The Ema valley is well known through a number of pecuHar plant occur- 

 rences: Dracocephalum Ruyschiana (Plate 13 and 4), which formerly, at any rate, 

 existed at Vetlanda and at Germunderyd in Alsheda, Brachypodium pinnatum 

 (Alsheda), Oxytropis campestris (p. 299 and Plate 3), Potentilla arenaria (Plate 3 

 and 6), leucopolitana (Malilla) and rupestris (p. 326), Pulnionaria angustifolia (Plate 

 3 and 4), Pulsatilla pratensis (Plate 3 and p. 333). In most cases these occur- 

 rences are found to exist on the southerly exposed slopes facing the river. 



