4 Pi-oceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



1. Behish Type: " Specie? ividely spread througli S.il.y. Britain." 

 — To this type belongs the mass of oiir common plants. From the 

 definition of the type ve should expect to find plants of this group 

 largely represented and ividely spread in Ireland. According to our 

 Standard list, the number of Irish plants of purely British type is 377; 

 the list for Great Britain adds but a very few to this number — namely, 

 one species, Avma pratemis, unknown in Ireland, and two or three 

 others whose claims to native rani: in Ireland are doubtful or inad- 

 missible. If we include in the list all plants of qualified British type,, 

 the number of Irish absentees is increased to eight, which will be 

 found listed in " Cybele Hibemica," p. xlii; most of these are of 

 British-English type, or have, in other words, a southern tendency in 

 Grreat Britain. 



As examples of typical "British" plants, TTatson selects the- 

 f olio wing : — 



Alnus glutinosa. Cnicus palustiis. 



Betula alba. Plantago lanceolata. 



Corvlixs Arellana. Polygonum aviculare. 



Lonicera Periclyinenum. ITrtica dioica. 



Hedera Helix. Juncus effasus. 



Calluna vulgaris. Carex panicea. 



Eanunculus acris. Poa annua. 



Cerastium triviale. Festuca ovina. 



Trifolium repens. Anthoxanthum odoratum. 



Stellaria media. Pteris Aqmlioa. 



Lotus comiculatus. Polypodium vulgare. 

 Bellis perennis. 



All of these occur in every Irish county-division. 



Of the distribution of the 377 typical British type plants in Ireland^ 

 I have made a somewhat minute analysis, to discover if i'he varying 

 conditions of soil and climate produce any increase or diminution in 

 their numbers in north or south, east or west. There is no indication 

 of the kind. It appears that the number of species present in the 

 forty divisions ranges from 85 to 99 per cent, of the Irish total — a very 

 small amount of variation. On mapping their distribution, the result 

 is found to correspond so remarkably with map IT. of "Irish Topo- 

 graphical Botany," which shows the extent to which the fl.ora of each, 

 division is at present known, that there can be no doubt that, in the- 

 majority of cases, the absences are only apparent, and that, as a group, 

 these 377 species will eventually prove to be as evenly spread in 

 Ireland as in. Great Britain. The only portions of the country to 

 which a comparison within such narrow limits can be safely applied 



