A Field Full of Hypericum humifusumAuthor(s): R. Ll. PraegerSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 8, No. 9 (Jan., 1946), p. 339Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25533423 .

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Januaby, 1946.] The Irish Natubalis.ts' Joubnal. 339

BOTANICAL NOTES.

A FIELD FULL OF HYPERICUM HUMIFUSUM.

This little St. John's-wont is widely distributed in Ireland where lime is abserut, but mostly occurs in moderate or small quantity. In

a flat fleld of stubble (oats) between Hie river and hotel at Glenmalure in Co. Wicklow last pctoher the plant was present in remarkable

quamtaty. Several sample counts showed from 20 ito 40 planrts on each

square foot. That would give say a million and a quarter plants to ithe acre. The presence of the oat stubble showed that they were, like

the oats, first-year plants ; many were now flowering. The previous history of the fleld was not discovered, but 'the seeds "must, have been in the soil in extraordinary numbers.

Dublin. R. LL. PRAEGER.

A HYBRID SEDGE NEW TO THE BRITISH ISLES.

Last year I was asked to help in gathering a representative collec tion of Sedges for Mr. E. Nelmes of Kew, who had asked for Irish

material for co>m.parison. So while holidaying in Wicklow I took a

trip to Magherabeg, where I knew I could find several acres of Carex vesicaria. I waded into the marsh and gathered half a dozen

spikes at random. I mounted one for myself, and sent the rest to Mr. Nelmes.

Last September Mr. Nelmes wiote that most of the material sent was C. vesicaria ; but two stems with more slender spikes proved to have the utricles shortly hairy. These he has identified as

' C. hirta x

vesicaria (C. Grossii Fiek.) "

recorded by Kukenthal for West Prussia only (no date). By a curious chance, .the specimen I retained is also at the hybrid.

The station is a brackish marsh fin wet weather a pond) behind the sand-dunes, between the mouth of the Three Mile Water and the

Rockfleld Hotel. It is mot going to he easy to re-ftnd the hybrid ; for I wandered all over the marsh that day and cannot be sure wliere I gathered the specimens.

28 Grosvenor Place, Rathgar, Dublin. .7. P. BRUNKER.

ROYAL FERN AT KIRKISTON BOG, CO. DOWN.

Recently, while browsing through the evergreen Irish Naturalist, I encountered an article by Dr. Praeger, "-Botanizing in the Ards" (Z.N. XII, pp. 254-65, 1903), in which he stated that Templeton's

Kirkiston Bog record of Osmunda re galls had not been verified since the original find. He added that the fern

" had probahly been

destroyed by the drainage and total reclamation of the bog." I do not know when the bog was reclaimed, but the fern lingered on until -the middle of the last w-ar (c. BIG), for I remember very well being

shown a fine clump by my uncle, the late John M'Cleery, who was greatly interested in ferns. I was a small child at the time, and <lhe beautiful big fern made a great impression on me.

This may perhaps be worth putting on record, if only to show the accuracy of Templeton's work.

Bromborough, Cheshire. NORA FISHER McMILLAN.

OUR LIBRARY TABLE.

Nature Study Talks for Youngsters, by Arthur J. Mee, M.A., B.Sc, 104 pp., text illustrations, 8/6 net. Worcester, Ltttlebury & Co., Ltd.

Parentis and teachers of young folk will And in this book thai which they may have been searching for in, vain. Here many nature stories and problems are explained in the simplest possible way, partly by direct statement and partly through discussion, as given by the

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