The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1942, Page 50
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JOHS. GRONTVED
to such places (cp. C.H.O., 1899, p. 343). Near the hot springs at
Hveravellir I myself saw Ophioglossum growing in abundance on the
warm soil near the sulphur fumaroles. Other plants which may be found
in the neighbourhood of the solfataras are, according to Ostenfeld, loc.
cit., the following:
Agrostis stolonifera Plantago major f. pygmaea
Sagina procumbens Stellaria media
Cerastium caespitosum
4. The Swamp Vegetation (flói vegetation).
Swamps and moors are widely distributed over Iceland, both in the
lowlands and in the central highland. According to their water content
these areas may be divided into two main groups or divisions: flói and
mýri. (Stefánsson, 1895, p. 181; Helgi Jónsson, 1895 b, p. 43—49;
Id. 1900, p. 20; Thoroddsen, 1914, p. 323; Molholm Hansen, 1930,
p. 111 ; Steindórsson, 1936, p. 442).
In the flói (pl. flóar) the soil is “rotten”, and more or less loosely
coherent, so that cattle thrust their legs through. The usually stagnant
ground-water reaches the surface and at times overflows it. The surface
is as a rule level, without knolls, but water-channels and swampy holes
often occur.
The most frequent species in the flói vegetation are:
Eriophorum angustifolium Carex Lyngbyei
„ Scheuchzeri „ inflata
Carex Goodenoughii „ chordorrhiza
„ limosa Equisetum fluviatile
Of other, more or less frequently occurring species the following
may be mentioned:
Carex saxatilis
„ rariflora
Scirpus palustris
„ pauciflorus
Calamagrostis neglecta
Polygonum viviparum
Menyanthes trifoliata
Salix glauca
Comarum palustre
As an example of the flói vegetation in the central highland the
species-list from Gránunes at Svartá, ca. 450 m s. m. (12.VIII.1934)
may be given:
Dominating species:
Eriophorum angustifolium Calamagrostis neglecta
„ Scheuchzeri Carex rariflora