87. FiLicES. 251 



1373*. WOODSIA HYPERBOREA, Br. 



Ai'ea *.:jf^**A(.7*jti)t.;j4*jjf^l5. 



South limit in Caernarvon. 



North limit in Perth. 



Estimate of provinces 2. Estimate of counties 2. 



Latitude 53 — 57. Highland ij^e of distribution. 



Arctic region. Midarctic zone. 



Descends to 800 yards, less or more. 



Ascends to 900 yards, more or less. 



Range of mean annual temperature, say 40 — 38. 



Native. Rupestral. More scarce than the preceding 

 species ; Perth and Caernarvon being the only two coun- 

 ties sufficiently authenticated for the present species. 

 The names of " Mr. Brand, Mr. Watson " are cited in the 

 British Flora, for the occurrence of "Woodsia hyperborea 

 on the Clova Mountains. It was Mr. Watson (the writer 

 of tliis work, then a very young botanist) who showed the 

 station to Mr. Brand in 1831 ; and his specimens, picked 

 in that year, and again in 1844 in the same locality, are 

 undoubtedly W. ilvensis ; although pronounced to be W. 

 hyperborea by an older botanist in 1831. The indicated 

 altitudes are little better than rough guesses, scarcely de- 

 serving to be called estimates, and very far from the 

 precision of measurements or calculations. Opinions 

 have differed much, as to the existence of two s^Decies of 

 Woodsia in Britain. Dr. Robert Brown informed me 

 that he had seen additional grounds for supposing their 

 distinctness since Ms paper on the genus was printed in 

 the Linnean Transactions, where he expressed a sort of 

 equally balanced uncertaint)' on the point. The numerous 

 specimens in the herbarium of Sir W. J. Hooker, received 



