xl viii INTRODUCTION. 
It will be seen from an examination of the preceding list 
that only thirteen species and two alpine forms of lowland 
plants do not descend below the 500 feet level; while of those 
which so descend, it should be noted that Saxifraga stellaris 
finds its lowest level in Ireland at 450 feet on the west side 
of the Reeks, Sagina subulata descends to less than 100 feet 
near tbe Killarney lakes, and that Cystopteris fragilis is 
known in one or two stations at little above sea level. 
All three plants, however, as well as Sedum Rhodiola, are 
truly alpine in the county, for although the last named 
species is abundant in several places on maritime cliffs and 
headlands, sometimes but a few feet above actual sea level. 
there is a gap of 500-600 feet between these stations and its 
lowest mountain limit. A few more plants such as Empetrum 
nigrum and Juniperus nana which are alpine in parts of Ireland 
descend to sea level in several places in Kerry, while the 
following maritime species, Silene maritima, Armeria maritima 
and Plantago maritima reappear as alpines on the Kerry 
mountains at elevations from 1,000 feet upwards, the first 
and last of these, however, in but single stations. 
Scanty as the Kerry alpine flora undoubtedly is, the great 
extent of the mountain ranges gives ample scope for testing 
the capabilities of the lowland flora to ascend. No other 
county in Ireland possesses so large an area of elevated ground ; 
fully 600 of its 1,853 sq. miles lie above the 500 feet level, of 
these more than 150 exceed 1,000 feet and about 20 sq. miles 
the 2,000 feet level. 
If the 3,414 feet of vertical height in Kerry be divided into 
six zones of 500 feet each with a seventh of 414, it will be 
found that after deducting the alpine species which do not 
descend in the county below 500 feet, the remaining 749 
which form the lowland flora are distributed amongst these 
seven zones as follows :— 
zones 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
0-500 ft. | 501-1000/1001-1500/1501-2000/2001-2500|2501-3000/3001-3414 
749 381 264 173 133 91 48 
To put this list in another aspect, out of ¢ 
which form the lowland flora of men 368 as at sell aie 
fail to ascend above 500 feet ; of the remaining 381, another 
117 fail at or before 1,000, 91 at 1,500, 40 at 2,000, 42 at 2,500 
and 43 at 3,000, leaving 48 lowland plants which are known to 
