1911.-12] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 39 



The vegetation of the snow-flush begins with cryptogam-. 

 and these frequently remain as the dominant vegetation. 

 The Swiss botanists give the place of pioneer to one of 

 the Hepatica?. Anthelia Juro.tzko.no. This plant lies close 

 to the surface, and in the fresh, moist condition forms a 

 bluish-green carpet. In summer it is often seen in the 

 dry condition as a dark-brown or black mat. which with 

 the lens appears as a tangle of shoots, about 1 mm. thick, 

 closely beset with minute leaves, the whole recalling in 

 miniature a mat of low-growing matted Co.lluno. As 

 pointed out by Professor Schroter. the mat (in August) 

 was dark but with a greyish coating which in his book 

 (5) is ascribed to a thin covering of filaments of funcji. 

 This is also recorded by Heeg (8), who states that the roots 

 are permeated by fungal filaments and may rank as 

 mycorhiza such as have been described for other 

 Hepatica? < 9 >. 



Specimens taken from a typical snow -flush on Ben 

 Lawers in August last, along with others from similar 

 habitats in Sutherland, supplied by Dr. Crampton, were 

 submitted to Mr. Symers M. Macvicar. who reports that 

 they belong to the genus Anthelia, but as the specimens 

 are sterile it is unsafe to say whether the species is 

 A. Juratzko.no.. or A. julacea, or a mixture. 1 Mr. Macvicar 

 (10) states that A. Jwratzkana ascends to the summits of 

 the highest hills in Scotland (4300 feet on Ben Nevis), and 

 that it rarely descends below 1900 feet. In a recent letter 

 he also suggests that the snow-tlush association is probably 

 what he has named the MarsupeUa association [(10) p. 7J ? 

 and he points out that Arnell and Jensen have observed 

 and described the occurrence of Anthelia and associated 

 Hepatica? in Scandinavia. C. Schroter (5) cites a letter in 

 which W. Arnell says that Anthelia Juro.tzko.no riouri-hes 

 best on soils periodically flooded by snow-water, and it 

 also occurs on the banks of streamlets, and more sparingly 

 on bare soil ; also that the species becomes more abundant 

 in Scandinavia the higher one goes, and that it is abundant 



1 Anthelia Juratzkana (Limpr.), Spruce, in C. Schroter (5) : .4. 

 julacea. Dura., var. davuligera, Xees.. in Brockmann-Jerosch 4 

 Juratzkana (Limpr.), Trevis J Sw. >. in S. M. Macvicar (10). 



A. julacea (L.), Dum., is the only other Scottish sp 



