570 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



THE BOTANY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



In A. C. Watson's classification of plants according to 

 localities, the chief plants recorded for his Province XVIII., 

 which includes with the Outer Hebrides both Orkney and 

 Shetland, are given in his Cybele Britannica. No exhaus- 

 tive list has been made of plants in the Outer Hebrides. 

 Those given here are the flowering plants common to the 

 Hebrides. In the area of 1,000 square miles of the Outer 

 Hebrides, 317 species of such plants have been recorded. 



Of those that may be said to belong especially to the 

 Outer Hebrides, we have five representatives of the Natural 

 Order of Composites, viz. : Aster Tripolium or the Sea- 

 starwort ; Crepis vireus or the Smooth Hawksbeard 

 Hieracium vulgatum or Common Hawksweed ; Senecit 

 Sylvaticus or Mountain Ragwort, and Tanacetum vulgart 

 or Common Tansy. 



The Crowfoots or Natural Order Ranunculacea^ are 

 represented by the Ranunculus Sceleratus or Celery-leaved 

 Crowfoot or buttercup. The Natural Order Haloraginaceae 

 by Myriophyllum alterniflorum or Alternate-leaved water 

 Milfoil. The Natural Order Lentibulariaceae by Utricu- 

 laria Minor or lesser Bladder-wort The Natural Order 

 Boraginaceae or Borage-worts by Lithospernium arvense 01 

 Common Gromsell or Bastard Alkanet, and by Echiu\ 

 vulgare or Viper's bugloss. The Geraniums by Eroding 

 cicutarium or Hemlock stork's bill. The Birches 01 

 Natural Order Betulaceae by Alnus glutinosa or Commo: 

 Alder. The Natural Order of the Labiates by Scutellarit 

 galericulata or Common Skull-cap. The lily or Natural 

 Order Liliaceae by Hyacinthus^ Non-Scripta^ or Bluebell or 

 Wild Hyacinth. The Sedges or Natural Order Cyperaceae 

 by Carex pipulifera or Round-headed Sedge, and the Felices 

 or Ferns by Asplenium ruta muraria or Well rue fern. 



If the floral area up to North Lat. 59 degrees with the 

 annual mean temperature of 46 degrees be taken, the 

 number of species will be found to decrease as we go 

 north. Again the species common to the Northern or 

 Alpine regions will be found to decrease as we go south 



