THE SUBDIVISION OF lEELAND Ixiii 



ground, due to its low-lying and fertile nature. For instance, the 



Wood Anemone, the Holly, the Golden Eod, Cow- wheat, and many 



similar plants are still unrecorded from the county. One species — 



Poa palustris — has its only Irish station in the division. 



Bare or characteristic plants : — 



Hypericum hirsutum, 4. Festuca unigiumis, 5. 



Senecio erucifolius, 5. Poa palustris, 1. 



Atriplex farinosa, 5. 



23. Westmeath. 



Central. Area 708 square miles. A diversified and interesting 

 county. Though it forms the very centre of the Central Plain, and 

 is composed of an uninterrupted sheet of Carboniferous limestone, 

 it is nevertheless much more undulating than the counties which 

 surround it. In the north and centre a number of hills attain to 

 heights of 500 to 849 feet. In the west the ground is lower. The 

 centre is further diversified by a group of large lakes — Loughs 

 Lene, Deravaragh, Iron, Owel, and Ennel, interspersed with lakelets. 

 This part of the county is finely wooded, and is distinctly pic- 

 turesque. The western boundary is formed by the Shannon, and 

 by its great lake-like expansion of Lough Eee, with sinuous 

 shores and numerous islands. In the extreme north the county 

 fronts Lough Sheelin, The only considerable river is the winding 

 and sluggish Inny, which flows through the NW. portion to the 

 Shannon. Bog, marsh, and esker are well represented. The Koyal 

 Canal passes right across the county. Over 99 per cent, of the 

 surface is under 500 feet elevation. Grass occupies 65 per cent., 

 crops 19, bog 8. The thorough work done during several years in 

 the centre by the late Mr. Levinge has greatly enriched the county 

 flora. The west (Lough Eee) is also interesting and well known ; 

 the remainder of the county almost unexplored. 



Flora 572 species : a characteristic Central Plain flora, with 

 some very rare bog plants, and the Shannon group appearing in 

 the west. The rarest species are : — 



Pyrola rotundifolia, 1 ; Teucrium Scordium, 7; 



Carex paradoxa, 1 ; Chara tomentosa, 5 ; 



Chara denudata, 1 ; Nitella tenuissima, 2 ; 



of which the first three are confined to this division. 



