Scottish Heaths 115 



2000 feet); heath-grasses (Festuca oiina, Agrostis spp., 

 Deschampsia flexuosa, Anihoxanthum odoratuni) come 

 quickly on sandy humus, Xardus striata on moister humous 

 soils; -svhile Juncus squarrosus, Scirpus cieipito»iis and 

 Eriophorum vaginatum foUow the wetter peaty soils, 

 generally accompanied by Erica Tetralix. 



Several associates of the Highland Calluna heath are 

 chara-cteristic, although their occurrence is generally 

 rather sparse ; they iuclude Gemsta anglica, Lycopodium 

 clavatum, Trientalis europsea, Antennaria dioica, ITelam- 

 pyrum pratense var. montanum, lAstera cordata, and 

 Pyrola media. Juniperus communis occurs abundantly 

 in some districts, generally along stream valleys, but in 

 other localities it is quite rare. Seedlings of birch and 

 mountain ash (Pyriis Aucuparia) have been observed all 

 over the heaths in many districts (E. Smith). The 

 bi-acken {Pteris aqiiiliiia) occurs to some extent on steeper 

 slopes, but it rarely a^umes the dominance it has on 

 many English heaths. J^lex europieus and Cytisits sco- 

 parius are sometimes plentiful near roads, but they belong 

 more to the grassland type. Various other plants may 

 occur on the SciMtish as on the Enghsh heaths, but they 

 are neither so characteristic nor so generally distributed 

 as the species mentioned, and are generally to be regarded 

 as reHcts of or invaders from some other association. 



The following is a generahsed list of the more charac- 

 teristic species from four stations near Blair Atholl in the 

 Tay valley, Perthshire (E. Smith). 



Dominant. 

 Callnna vulgaris 

 Locally sub-dominant. 



Vaecininm ilvrtillus Arctostaphylos UTa-ursi 



Y. Yitis-Idffia Erica Tetralix 



Empetrum nigrum 

 Locally abundant. 



Erica cinerea Hypniuu spp. 



Kardus stricta 



8—2 



