SKETCH OF THE FLORA OF THE PROVINCES 37 
hills and in the districts westward with their higher rain- 
fall. The alpine region comprises the Grampians and the 
mountains forming the watershed between East Inverness 
and West Ross and part of West Inverness. There is not 
much difference in the fiora of the various parts of the 
Grampians further than due to the larger amount of 
granite in the Cairngorm range, and the well - known 
richness of the Breadalbane range in all classes of alpine 
plants, to which must be added the presence of a partially 
Atlantic flora at its extreme western limit, and of a few 
Atlantic species at the eastern part of the Grampians, 
but apparently absent from the centre of the range. ‘The 
East Inverness watershed, as limited above, is close to 
the west coast, and, as far as it has been examined, is 
largely of a Western type. 
The cultivated region, as elsewhere, is poor in species. 
The ravines running through it have in general a rather 
richer flora than is seen in the East Lowlands, but it is 
only above this region that the much greater richness of 
the flora is marked. The subalpine region extends to 
about 2000 ft.; above this the alpine region reaches to 
3500-4000 ft. Proximity to a high alpine region always 
gives richness to the subalpine flora, due in part, perhaps, 
to the greater rainfall in such a region. On the subalpine 
moors remote from the higher hills, the number and 
quantity of species is not great, and is much poorer than 
in the wetter West Highlands. A feature of the East 
Highlands which is almost absent from the West High- 
lands is the presence of subalpine woods of native Scots 
pine. On the decaying logs and stumps of these are found 
a few species, as Sphenolobus Hellervanus, which are 
absent or rare on the west side of the country. The alpine 
region of the Grampians is rich in species, several being 
found only in this district. The presence of much glacier 
drift at high altitudes allows of the presence of moist 
retentive soil favourable to the growth of hepatics. In wet 
ground between 2000 and 3000 ft. Lophozia bantryensis 
in quantity, Harpanthus Flotowianus, Sphenolobus 
politus, Scapania wliginosa, S. paludosu, and Haplozia 
cordifolia in large masses, are characteristic species. 
On moist soil near the summits are several small species of 
