Greinar (Vísindafélag Íslendinga) - 01.01.1935, Blaðsíða 63

61
southerly. This copse is not continuous, but grows in
rather big clumps with glades between. These glades
are slopes grown with a mixture of heather and grass-
land vegetation, yet more of the latter kind, especially
at the bottom of the hill. In some places in hollows there
are patches of swamp. These swamps are especially of
the type calied hallamýri (H. Mölholm Hansen, 1930),
Equisetum palustre-association. A few scattered birch-
shrubs grow in the swamp.
As elsewhere in Skaftártunga and in more places in
South-Iceland on mountain-slopes, the soil is cut through
by glens and ravines. Most of these are without vege-
tation, but on the other hand there are others where
the birch has gained a footing, especially in the side
facing south. The other side of the glen is then frequent-
ly entirely devoid of vegetation. In some places in the
glens there are pretty clusters of herbs. The most con-
spicuous are Brunella vulgaris, Alchemilla minor, Ra-
nunculus acer, Geranium silvaticum, Rubus saxatilis,
Spiræa ulmaria, and Fragaria vesca. The birch grows
especially in less pronounced hollows on the slope, where
probably the snow covering is deepest in winter, but on
the whole the district has not a heavy snowfall. In all
exposed places, as for instance ridges between glens and
hollows, there is no trace of forest. Near the bottom
°f the slope the clusters of forest become smaller and
more scattered until the birch may be said to disappear
entirely on the level ground on the banks of the river
Tungufljót. Near the river there is a wind-eroded tract,
which however does not reach quite up to the copse.
The whole of the copse is small and stunted, as it is
entirely unsheltered and within the reach of sheep. Most
of it will be between 50 and 100 cm. high. Yet there are
a few taller trees especially where the birch grows in
glens or hollows. The tallest tree which I measured was
175 cm., and the circumference where the trunk was
thickest was 15 cm. Another tree was 150 cm. tall with
a trunk of 15 cm. These were taller than the surrounding