The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1930, Qupperneq 106

96
H. M0LHOLM HANSKN
extending like green or brownish-green bands down the greyish
slopes were, where the soil was damp, overgrown with grass and
cyperaceous plants, others, on the other hand, had a dwarfish heath
vegetation where as usual Empetrum was dominant in company
with Vaccinium uliginosum and Salix herbacea. In the greater de-
pressions this heath vegetation was very abundant. In such a de-
pression I observed: Empetrum, Vaccinium uliginosum and Myrtillus,
Salix herbacea and glauca, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Leontodon au-
tumnatis, Phleum atpinum, Rumex acetosa, Coeloglossum viride, Aira
/lexuosa and several others.”
“On small flat, sometimes almost horizontal, ledges far up
Ihe mountain, c. 1500—2000' above the sea, but nolably in the
cup-shaped depressions and smaller round vallej^s where the snow
remains until far into the early summer, and a layer of humus has
gradually formed on the rocky bottom, the dwarf willow becomes
entirely dominant. This small very hardy dwarfish growth in such
localities forms a dense “half-inch wood” whicli covers large areas
of the barren rocky ground like oases.” Of flowering plants I
noted the following in a large area of dwarf willows: Salix glauca
(few and small specimens), Poa alpina, Aira alpina, Thalictrum al-
pinum, Cerastium alpinum, Thymus serpyllum, Erigeron alpinus,
Luzula spicata, L. arcuata, Galium silvestre, Oxyria digyna, Armeria
maritima, Phleum alpinum, Polygonum viviparum, Festuca rubra, Ra-
nunculus acer, Gnaphalium supinum, Rumex acetosa, Carex lagopina,
C. rigida. Further Alchemilla vulgaris and Sibbaldia were intermixed
with the dwarf willow covering, but these plants also formed dense
growths on damp spots rich in humus. The common heath plants
Dryas, Empetrum, and Juncus trifidns occurred in very small quan-
tity. But this composition of the species varies somewhat according
to the varying degree of moisture of the soil. Thus, on a cold and
damp slope with a north-eastern exposure, w’here tlie turf was
chiefly formed of Salix herbacea, in addition to many of the above-
mentioned plants I noted the following: Cerastium irigynum, Ra-
nunculus pygmæus (in several places these tw’o latter species are
found as associates), Saxifraga stellaris, Veronica alpina, Epilobium
alpinum, all in quantity; further Taraxacum officinale, Equisetum
variegatum, and Alchemilla alpina.”
On pp. 194—195: “the three latter (Gnaphalium norvegicum,
G.supinum, and Sibbaldia procumbens) occurred here and there in
small depressions and grooves in such (juantity that tliey formed