RARE PLANTS IN BRITAIN. 
43 
I pass over too all the many species of rare Hieracia, which 
require. a better botanist than I am rightly to distinguish and 
name ; nor shall I delay on such rare and beautiful treasures as 
Erigeron alpinum, vrey sparsely distributed on Ben Lawers, nor 
even on Draba rupestris, which appears to be fairly well estab- 
lished in a very limited area near the summit ; and which is only 
known to occur in Britain on another of the Breadalbane range, 
on Cairngorm, and on Ben Hope in Sutherland. But I ask 
your attention to the Saxifrages. There is, of course, fair 
abundance of Saxifraga stellaris, hypnoides, and oppositifolia — 
these are all frequent mountain denizens — but on Ben Lawers 
you will find fair abundance of S. nivalis (with very sparing 
British distribution), and near the summit S. rivularis (said to 
grow sparingly on the Braemar mountains), and S. cernua (exclu- 
sively confined to this habitat). Their limited area of distribu- 
tion on this mountain is most remarkable. S. ccrnua is confined 
to one rocky ravine close to the summit, where you may also 
gather Myosotis suaveolens ( alpestris ) in fair abundance. Here 
it is fairly at home, and shows no symptoms of decadence, 
if it can but escape the greedy hands of ruthless depredators. 
S. rivularis is still more coy. It is only to be found very 
sparingly upon some low rocks looking down into the corrie, 
very easily overlooked, and lately found with much difficulty 
by one who, like myself, knows the mountain fairly intimately. 
Another treasure of the rocks on the opposite side of the 
corrie is Woodsia alpina. I had the pleasure of discovering a 
fine plant of this rare fern in company with Rev. Dr. Pagan, 
Minister of Bothwell, a good botanist and excellent companion 
in such rambles, many years ago. I had another search over 
this side of the mountain a few years since with him and 
another botanical friend. We were eminently successful. First, 
after a vain joint search for our big plant of Woodsia in the 
old locality, Dr. Pagan discovered some young plants of it, 
evidently seedlings from the old parent, close down at the base 
of the rocks. Presently the third member of our party hit upon 
Gentiana nivalis growing sparingly in the grass along the same 
rocky ledges. This was, I believe, literally a discovery. It is 
reported from a mountain in the same range, a little to the west ; 
and also from Canlochan Glen, in the Clova district. But to 
these spots in Britain it rigidly confines itself. After this, as I 
was wandering aloof from my companions, I came upon a large 
patch of a fern — happily out of the spoiler’s reach — that I did 
not for the moment recognise. It proved to be Cystopteris 
montana, known to have existed on Ben Lawers and its neigh- 
bouring eminences, but supposed to be extinct. Thanks to the 
stalwart young Pagans, furnished with stronger heads and surer 
feet than I have, I possess a few dried fronds from this locality 
in my herbarium. 
J. Mitchixson (Bishop). 
(To be continued.) 
