The Flora of Ireland. 203 



some details as to the climatical condition of Ireland; 

 the mean annual temperature of the whole island is stated 

 to be above 50° Fahr., being about the same as that 

 for the south of England. But this moist and equable 

 climate, and the comparatively low range of temperature 

 does not give rise to such a diversity of forms as 

 occurs in a like area in Great Britain. And though the 

 ripening of corn and fruit is later and more uncertain in 

 Ireland than in England, and wheat often a precarious crop, 

 yet, on the other hand, many plants thrive and flourish there 

 which would be killed by the cold dry frost of an English 

 winter. 



We regret to find that in the work before us no attention 

 has been given to the physical features of the island in their 

 relation to the distribution of plants ; and the reader is simply 

 informed in a few lines of the general character of the surface 

 of the country. 



Lists are given, enumerating the species which belong to 

 the several types of vegetation in Great Britain, thus : — 



I. Of the Hibernian type, Helianthemum guttatum, Saxi- 

 f raff a Geum, S. hirsuta, 81 umbrosa, Erica mediterranea, E. 

 Mackiana, Arbutus unedo, Dabeocia polifolia, and Pinguecula 

 grandiflora, ally the flora of the SW. and W. of Ireland, to 

 that of the West and South of Europe, and range, under an 

 exceptional climate, to a higher northern latitude than on the 

 continent. With these are associated Erica ciliaris, Sib- 

 thorpia europoea, Euphorbia hyberna, Simethis bicolor, Adiantum 

 capillus-veneris, and Trichomanes radicans, which occur also in 

 Britain. 



Sipiranthes gemmipara, Sisyrhinchium a.nceps, Naias flexilis, 

 and Eriocaidon septangulare, the latter being also British, 

 " point to a former connection with North America." 



In addition to the above-mentioned species, which occur in 

 Ireland, but not in Great Britain, the following make up 

 a total of 22 : — Arenaria ciliata, ? Saxifraga Andrewsii, ? 8. 

 Mrta,- ? 8. affinis, Inula salicina, Neotinea intacta, Potamo- 

 geton longifolius, P. sparganiifolius, Oarex Buxbaumii, and 

 Asplenium acutum. 



II. Of the plants classed by Mr. Watson under his Atlantic 

 type, 41 out of the 70 are also Irish. 



III. Of the species belonging to the Germanic type of 

 vegetation, 18 only out of 127 have been found wild in Ireland. 

 The majority of these are confined to the eastern counties, but 

 Monotropa Hypopitys, Astragalus Hypoglottis, Teitcrium scor- 

 dium, and Bromus erectus, occur also in the west; Orchis pyra- 

 midalis being distributed sparingly over a large portion of the 

 island. 



