Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1968, Page 117

Gróðrarleivdir (sáð) av dvørgabjørk
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Methods. The boring was made with the Livingstone
sampler wich a piston modified by H. Krog, D.G.U. (Deevey
Jr.). The tubes were closed immediately after uptaking and
samples first taken out at D.G.U. The samples were boiled
2 minutes in 10% KOH and sieved. Because of large amount
of minerogenic matters they were boiled in HF for a quarter.
Áfter 1 min. acetolysis treatment they were finally mounted
in silicone oil, unstained.
The diagram. Pl. 1 only covers tthe lowermost 30 cm of the
profile. The diagram registers a development from naked gra-
velly and stony ground oharacterized by amazingly higih
percentages for Sedum and also by the occurrence of Oxyria,
Plantago maritima, Sagina, Lycopodium selago — to a more
closed oommunity with grasses and sedges.
The occurrence of Urtica dioica pollengrains shows that this
plant is native to the Faroes. It has no doubt been growing at
birdcolonies. Rostrup (1870) reports a findings of the species
at ibirdcliffs in Nólsoy. To day U. dioica is only found at
inhabited places.
Scattered pollengrains and spores of the following plants
have also been found: Artemisia, Botrydhium, Gampanula,
Cerastium type, Ghenopodiace, Cystopteris, cfr. Epilobium,
cfr. Galium, Hypericum, Koenigia, Saxifraga oppositifolia, S.
cfr. stellaris, Polypodium, Selaginella, Thaliictrum.
Betula. We shall however concentrate upon the Betula
question. Botanists and geologists in the last century (e. g. Hel-
land 1880, Geikie 1882) were interested in the wood remains
in the Faroese peatbogs. In 1903 Warming summarizes the
results briefly and clearly: no birdh remains have been found
m the Faroese peatbogs while Juniperus wood is very common.
In 1922—23 K. Jessen is investigatinig the peatbogs of the
Faroe Islands. Concerning Betula Jessen (1925) writes:1) »By
) Translated from Danish.