110 Excursion of the Scottish Alpine Botanical Cluh. 



Excursion of tlie Scottish Alpine Botanical Cliib to the 

 Braemar Highlands, loitli the Ascents of Zochiagar, 

 C'orry Ceann-moar^ and Ben Macdhui, in August 1883. 

 B}'^ Charles Stuart, M.D. Edin. Communicated by 

 W. B. Boyd, Esq. 



(Eead 12tli June 1884.) 



{Abstract.) 



Excursion to Locltnagar, August 3, 1883. — At Glen Callater 

 Lodge we got ourselves into light marching order, and ordered 

 the conveyances to meet the party at 6.30 p.m. The Lochnagar 

 range extends for 15 miles from Glen Cluny to Ballater, 

 farther down the Dee. It comprises Glen Maol, 3502 ; Cairn 

 Taggart, 3560 ; Lochnagar, 3789, and many other heights, the 

 whole being second in altitude to the Cairngorm range. There is 

 a track from the keeper's cottage to the summit of Lochnagar; 

 but as this path is obscure in some parts, and as the summit is 

 not visible from our starting-point, we now take our bearings. 

 Climbing the grassy bank above the cottage, we found Meum 

 atliamanticum (Bald-Money), an umbelliferous plant of an aromatic 

 character, much used by the Highlanders for chewing. By the 

 side of the jDath, the bear-berr}^, Arhatus Uva-ursi, was in profusion, 

 with its small pink bells. We gathered an alpine form of Lotus 

 corniculatus, which differed somewhat from lowland specimens, Carex 

 aqnafitis and C. 2)auciflora. The Dwarf Birch, Betida nana, a desir- 

 able plant, disclosed itself in boggy ground among the heather. 

 A little higher up, we picked several of the downy alpine wUlows 

 Salix Lapponum, S. myrsinites, S. ai'huscula, the small tree willow 

 which sometimes wiU grow on the rock border, when carefully 

 transplanted. Proceeding upwards, the trailing Azalea [Loiseteuria 

 procuml>ens of some] was creeping among the crumbling granite, 

 but flowerless. This plant is never found under 2000 feet, so our 

 elevation was considerable. Our route now skirted the shoulder of 

 Cairn Taggart, and brought us into a valley, where we crossed a 

 brawling burn which flows into Loch Muic. Here were great beds 

 of Trientalis europcea, European chickweed, winter green, in 

 beautiful flower. This pretty plant grows everywhere about 

 Braemar, but was long out of flower in the lower regions. In the 

 mountains the beautiful white corollas were tinged with pink, and 

 were very attractive. Beside it the low wheat Mdampyrum 

 jyratense var. rnontannrn, was carpeting the ground. After passing 

 over a table-land of some size, a steepish slope had to be surmounted, 



