XXX INTROHUCTIOK. 



any group of plants characteristic of it, or whicli bear tlie aspect of a 

 special flora. The beautiful Carex Buxbaumii, now on the eve of extinction, 

 has never been found elsewhere in Britain, and in like manner Calama- 

 grostis Hookeri (if, as we believe, distinct from C. stricta) is special to the 

 district. Rosa hibernica, and Orobanche j7<^/-« though discovered here, and 

 at first thought to be limited to the north of Ireland are now found in other 

 parts of the empire ; and there was no bond of connection between them, 

 and they in no wise constituted a local group. 



On geographical considerations it might seem natural that the flora of 

 the north of Ireland should be most nearly related to that of Scotland, and 

 derived from thence : such a supposition is, however, scarcely borne out 

 on closer scrutiny. The flora of this district, it is true, includes some 

 of the Scottish alpines and subalpines, but these are not numerous, and 

 are aU, save one, plants that occur also in Wales, or in the west of Eng- 

 land, and likely to be derived from that quarter along with the bulk of our 

 flora. Hieraeinm ffocetdosum is our only hitherto exclusively Scottish plant, 

 and this is such a very critical form that even this exception may yet 

 disappear. On the other hand the plants of the south and east of England 

 have failed to spread to the north of Ireland, and there is not a single 

 representative of "Watson's Germanic Type of vegetation known to occur 

 here as a native. Here, as elsewhere, the great body of the rank and file 

 of the flora consists of plants of Watson's British Type, which number 

 485 species, or three-fifths of the entire native vegetation of the district. 

 Plants of the English Type, so named by reason of their having their 

 headquarters and greatest development in England, number some 142 

 species, or rather more than one-sixth part of our flora. Some 40 of our 

 plants, or about one twentieth of the whole may be classed as of the 

 Scottish Type ; and the Highland Type claims 25 species, being rather 

 more than one-thirtieth. The Atlantic Type, or group of plants character- 

 istic of the west and southwest of England numbers here only some 18 

 species, being less than one-thirtieth of our plants. 



Of the great groups or Natural Orders of British plants we have a weak 

 representation of Zeguminosce — 26 out of 85 species, and Composiice — 68 

 out of ] 46. ScrophulariacecE, and Labiatce also are under the proper ratio, 

 ■while in OrcJiidacece we have only 15 of the 46 British species, or about 

 one-third. On the other hand Eosacece, and JJmheUiferce have about the 

 same importance as in the British flora, and Primnlacece, Cyperacece, 

 Gratninece, and Filices are in excess of their due. Amentiferce are under 

 represented, there being only 19 out of the 43 British species, which seems 

 strange when we remember that this part of Ireland was, at no rery 

 remote period covered to a great extent with wood. 



