The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1912, Page 15

INTRODUCTION.
It is far from being a fact that the Marine Algal Flora and
Marine Algal Vegetation of Iceland can be regarded as sufficiently
known; this does not apply in the same degree, however, to all
parts of the coast. East Iceland, South Iceland and South-west
Iceland are better known in this respect than North-west Iceland
and North Iceland. Also, as is very natural, the littoral vegetation
is better known than the sublittoral, as it is easier of access and
may be investigated directly on the spot, while, as regards the sub-
littoral vegetation, one has to be content with what is obtained
from dredgings.
Very little has previously been written with regard to the marine
algal vegetation of Iceland. Strömfelt, who travelled in Iceland
in the summer of 1883, has treated the algal flora exhaustively (see
Jónsson, 31) in his valuable work “Om Algevegetationen vid Is-
lands kuster” (70) and has given a critical review of the older lite-
rature of the marine algal flora of Iceland; but, on the other hand,
he has dealt very briefly with the marine algal vegetation. He fol-
lows Kjellman in dividing the vegetation in question into a litto-
ral and a sublittoral vegetation. Strömfelt found the littoral vege-
tation poorly developed in many places — he records, however,
a luxuriant littoral vegetation from Reykjavík, Eyrarbakki and
Eskifjörður. The sublittoral vegetation is mentioned even more
briefly, and is emphasized as being more uniform than the littoral
as regards its distribution and the species which compose it. Ström-
felt does not make any definite statement regarding the elittoral
vegetation, owing to his not having dredged in sufficiently deep
water, but he considers it improbable that any vegetation worthy
of notice occurs at that depth, as he did not find any rich vegeta-
tion at a greater depth fhan 10—12 fathoms.
The reason why Strömfelt found the littoral vegetation on the
north coast so poorly developed may be two-fold: it may result
The Botany of Iceland. I. \