The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1914, Page 121

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
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which are snowless during suramer. C)n tliese wind-blown roek-
summits the plants generally encounter very unfavourable conditions,
therefore many of the summits are quite bare of vegetation; on others
a few lichen-crusts are seen on stones, or small Grimmia-cushions
in clefts; and again on others a few scattered phanerogams are found.
So far as is known, there are almost no notes regarding the plants
on the mountain summils of Iceland, as the latter are rarely ascended
by botanists, but geologists, on the other hand, are obliged to
climb the mountains. I shall therefore take the opportunity here
of inserting some fragmentary notes from my diarv regarding the
planls I found on the mountain-summits, with the heights measured.
These notes were not intended for publication; I had put them down
in my diary for my own information, but although tliey are frag-
mentary, they may be useful in showing that there is nothing spe-
cially characteristic in the vegetation of the mountain-summits. On
the north-western peninsula: Kikafell near Brjámslækur (560 me-
tres), Grimmias, Salix herbacea, S. phijlicifolia, Arabis petrœa, Arme-
ria maritima, Ranunculus glacialis, Silene acaulis, all in flower July
22, 1886. Vattarfjall (401 metres), Papaver nudicaule, Silene acaulis,
Armeria maritima. Bæjarfell near Steingrimsfjord (316 metres),
Silene acanlis, Armeria maritima, Cerastium alpinum, Polygonum vivi-
parum, Empetrum nigrum, Saxifraga cœspitosa. Drangaháls (315
metres), Salix herbacea, Polggonum viviparum, Oxyria digyna, Rho-
diola rosea. Dalsheidi near Snæfjallaströnd (660 metres), mosses,
Silene acaulis, Salix herbacea, Gnaphalium supinum, Sibbatdia pro-
cumbens. Klofningsheidi (606 inetres), Grimmias, Salix herbacea,
Ranunculus glacialis, R. pygmœus. Uxaskard near Látrar (EyjaQord)
(518 metres), Oxyria digyna, Salix herbacea, Armeria maritima, Ra-
nunculus glaciatis. Hafursey near Myrdalsjökull (587 metres), Grim-
mias, Salix herbacea, Silene acaulis, Polygonum viviparum. Lod-
mundur (1097 metres), NE. of Hekla, Grimmias, lichens, Salix
herbacea, Silene acaulis, Cerastium alpinum, Saxifraga cœspitosa, Ca-
rex rigida. Skálafell near 01fus (578 metres), Salix herbacea, Cassiope
hypnoides, Armeria maritima. Arabis petrœa. On the plateau towards
the west: Thristapafell near Eiriksjökull (714 metres), Salix glauca,
Armeria maritima, Cerastium alpinum, Silene acaulis, Salix herbacea.
Strútur (921 metres), on the summit no plants, but 130 metres
further downwards, Arabis alpina, A. petrœa, Saxifraga hirculus, S.
hypnoides, S. oppositifolia, Pedicularis flammea. Botnssulur (1108
metres), only some lichens and Grimmias and Salix herbacea and