Vegetation Committee's Excursion to Ireland. 259 
nana, Pteris aquilina, Ceterach officinanmi, Scolopendrium vulgare 
(abundant in the limestone fissures), Asplenium Ruta-muraria, A. 
Trichomanes. Of markedly “calcifuge” species were Calluna 
vulgaris, Molinia ccerulea, and Carex binervis. It will be seen 
that this is a very queer mixture of plants. The close association 
of plants typical of calcareous and non-calcareous soils respectively 
has been called a limestone heath. 1 These low-lying limestone 
pastures are also interesting as containing such a generally montane 
species as Dryas octopetala, and Plantago maritima , characteristic 
of muddy salt marshes, hut also found on certain British mountains. 
The plateau on the top of Slieve Carran (1,075 feet) presented 
the same geological formation and the same type of vegetation. 
Much of it was pure Calluna-heath with Pteris aquilina, the stiff 
erect form of Potentilla silvestris, Campanula rotundifolia, Galium 
verum and Rubus saxatilis. Besides these were Alchemilla filicaulis, 
Dryas octopetala, Rosa spinosissima, Scabiosa succisa, Primula acaulis, 
Euphrasia salisburgensis, in places great quantities of Dryas 
octopetala, and on the summit-cairn Saxifraga hypnoides (agg.) and 
Arenaria verna. 
The slopes of the hills were largely calcareous pasture, that is, 
pasture without the heath plants. 
Woodland on the Carboniferous Limestone. 
At the base of the Slieve Carran Cliffs a very fine thick hazel- 
scrub was met with. The bushes were fifteen to twenty feet in 
height, and, casting deep shade, sheltered a genuine woodland 
vegetation on the stiff marly soil with good mild humus. Associated 
with the hazel were Hawthorn, Ash, Holly, Mountain Ash, Birch, 
Wych Elm, Euonymus europceus, Viburnum Opulus, and Rosa canina 
(agg.) The hazel was, however, everywhere dominant, the other 
trees being present in small quantity. The woodland plants included 
Oxalis acetosella (sub-dominant), Viola silvatica (agg.), Geum 
urbanum, Glechoma hederacea, Lysimachia nemorum, Scabiosa succisa, 
Angelica silvestris, Sanicula europcea, Circcea lutetiana, Veronica 
montana, Carex silvatica, and Epipactis latifolia (agg.) The last 
named has usually been considered to be E. atro-rubens, but it was 
suggested that it was more probably E. violacea, or perhaps E. 
media. Finely developed mosses ( Hypnum spp), Polystichum 
angulare, Pteris aquilina, Ophioglossum vulgatum were also present. 
Several other limestone valleys in the neighbourhood support 
considerable areas of hazel scrub, but these were not examined. 
Garryland Wood (near Gort) was examined in some detail. At 
first there was some suspicion that it was mainly a planted wood, 
but on further examination it appeared that in parts at least it was 
a semi-natural wood. Parts of the wood were bordered by lime¬ 
stone pavement, with Juniperus nana, Rosa spinosissima, Primus 
spinosa, etc. On the edge of the wood were hazel, holly, and yew, 
with Rosa spinosissima, R. arvensis, Geranium sanguineum, Fragaria 
vesca, Spircea Filipendula, Melampyrum pratense, Brachypodium 
silvaticum, with a little Calluna and Galium verum. 
1 C. E. Moss. Vegetation of the Bath and Bridgewater District, 
Royal Geogr. Soc., 1906. 
