THE FLORA OF SAEK. 



BY MR. G. DERRICK, 



The great attraction of Sark is the coast scenery, grander 

 and more varied than that of either of the other islands ; so, 

 visitors immediately on landing hurry to the Creux Terrible, 

 the Coupee, or the Gouliot Caves. But even in doing this, 

 if they have any knowledge of wild plants, and have observed 

 those of Guernsey, they will receive the impression that those 

 they see in Sark are very similar to the ones noticed in the 

 high parishes and on the cliffs of the larger island, though the 

 abundance of Chrysanthemum segetum (Corn Marigold) and 

 Lotus (Birds'-foot Trefoils), especially Lotus corniculatus, 

 marks a certain dissimilarity. 



Early in the year primroses are even more numerous and 

 finer than in Guernsey, and many monstrosities have been 

 gathered : the corolla of one had sixteen segments, plants with 

 five or six heads growing on a common stem are not unusual ; 

 blue-bells carpet large areas in the furze-brakes ; on the 

 cliffs and rocky coasts sea-campion (Lychnis maritima) and 

 thrift (Armeria maritima) are as conspicuous as in similar 

 situations in Guernsey, while large areas are covered with 

 furze, which is the common fuel of the cottagers. 



The island is naturally divided into two parts, Great and 

 Little Sark, connected by the Coupee, but botanically it is 

 quite unnecessary to notice this division. As far as its flora 

 is concerned it falls into two districts : 1st. The surface of the 

 plateau, slightly varied as it is by a few valleys ; and 2nd. 

 The cliffs and rocky coasts ; botanically the whole might 

 almost be a portion of the plateau of Guernsey. 



As Sark was colonized by settlers from Jersey, and 

 for a long period was intimately connected with that island, 

 one might have looked for special affinities with the Jersey 

 flora, but no such connection can be traced from an examina- 

 tion of the existing plants. No special Jersey plants are 

 found in Sark ; e.g., Stellaria holostea, Narcissus pseudo-nar- 

 cissus, so plentiful in Jersey, do not occur in Sark, though 

 there are many localities suitable for them ; the special plants 



