Rit Landbúnaðardeildar : B-flokkur - 01.05.1947, Blaðsíða 14

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of these studies, and in this connection it might be of some interest to give
a short account of the main possibilities of the origin of the Icelandic
flora.
When Iceland was invaded by man about 1100 — 1200 years ago it was
covered with a rich vegetation of trees and shrubs, according to the
íslendingabók by Ari Þorgilsson. In the moors at present one may
observe relatively large stems of Betula, which have grown long before the
first arrival of man to the island, and the few analyses of pollen in moors
made by Thorarinsson (1941, 1943, 1944) and Áskelsson (1938) have
shown that a rich vegetation of Graminae, Cijperaceae, Betulaceae, Caryo-
phyllaceae and other families of higher plants was found on the island
long before it was colonized by man.
The first visitors to Iceland were a few Irish monks, who, according to
Dicuilus (825, cf. Nordal, 1942), came to the island in the beginning of
the 8th century. As Irish monks also colonized the Faeroes the possibility
of their having imported some sheep to Iceland is not excluded (cf. Óla,
1946). Of course, sorne seeds of grass and weeds might have been im-
ported to Iceland from Ireland at that time. This suggestion, however, is
not founded on any observations of weeds and grasses in the neighbour-
hood of the caverns of Irish monks in Iceland, but possibly a pollen
analytical research work on the soil in the caverns and their close vicinity
would give some positive results.
The real settlers of Iceland were Norsemen with Irish thralls (cf.
Nordal, 1942). They certainly have imported some hay froin western
Norway, Scotland, Shetland and Ireland, when they caine over the Ocean
for the first time, and later on soine hay has been imported from Norway
and Scotland (cf. Lindroth, 1931). Of course, seeds of grass species and
weeds imported in the hay may germinate in the neighbourhood of the
abodes.
After the colonization of Iceland took place, vegetation in the neigh-
bourhood of cultivated areas shifted, according to pollen analysis per-
formed by Thorarinsson (1944). Mainly pollen of Carijophyllaceae,
Polyyonaceae and Gramineae became frequent. As yet, however, pollen
analyses have not been performed on a large scale in Iceland, and it is
consequently impossible to give a complete account of the flora of Iceland
just before the colonization took place on the basis of scientific studies
of rnoors or cultivated areas just before and after the first human beings
invaded the island. Combined studies on the basis of tephrochronology
and pollen analysis certainly would contribute very valuable results, as,
e. g'., to the apophytic and anthropochorous flora of lceland and the time
of the invasion of the different species.