Alder Buckthorn Frangula alnus Miller and Other Scarce Plants in Co. Down (H38)Author(s): Ian RippeySource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 23, No. 5/6 (Jan. - Apr., 1990), pp. 223-224Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25539471 .

Accessed: 10/06/2014 02:54

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The IrishNaturalists' Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 185.44.79.83 on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 02:54:59 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 23 No. 5/6 1990 223

species have been thought to become naturalized in this part of Ireland: e.g. Myrtus apiculata H. B. & K., (see Webb D. A. 1979 Three trees naturalized in Ireland. Ir. Nat. J. 19: 369).

The plants at Bantry (2 plants at WOO 1475) and Castletownberehaven (1 plant at V700470) occur in roadside ditches and seem to be well established. In Glengarriff (V920475) a solitary large plant

was seen at the edge of a wooded area growing amongst Blechnum spicant (L.) Roth, and Pteridium

aquilinum L. Close to this I found a single small plant which appears to have spread by seed (due to its distance from any rhizomatous material) and established, although no seedlings were seen. A further

curiosity, this time of quasi-naturalization, is seen in Glengarriff where Gunnera appears to be

spreading out into fields and wastelands from cultivated rhizomes in parks and gardens. One further record of Gunnera was made at Carrick, Co Donegal, in August 1989. A stand was recorded along the banks of the Glen River (G590820), where the colony spreads along a waterlogged ditch for about 100m. All of these records are for sites away from human interference so that they are unlikely to have

been planted, but this does not rule out vegetative propagation from discarded rhizomes. On the basis of these observations and in the absence of any earlier records of this species in these

areas, G. tinctoria appears to be increasing its range in Ireland. Despite this there is little information for extensive eastward colonization and this may be related in part to a preference for high rainfall habitats in which low temperatures are rare (Osborne, B.A. 1988 Photosxnthetica 22: 168-178; 1989

Photosynthetica 22: 77-88) Further information, however, is required on the time scales over which the naturalized colonies

have been formed and whether they represent transient or permanent populations.

Department of Botany, University College Dublin, Dublin 4 GARRET J, CAMPBELL and BRUCE A. OSBORNE

DENSE-FLOWERED OR IRISH ORCHID NEOTINEA MACULATA (DESF.) STEARN IN CO FERMANAGH (H33)

On 27 May 1989 I visited the southern slopes of Belmore Mountain (HI440) 10km WSW of Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh (H33) with Alan Hill and other members of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. In an area of rocky limestone grassland I noticed a single orchid which we identified as Neotinea

maculata (Desf.) Steam. The following day this discovery was reported to Robert Northridge, who is

preparing a flora of Co Fermanagh. We re-visited the site along with Ian Rippey and confirmed the

identification. Later Ian Rippey reported that he had photographed a similar plant in June 1986 on another limestone site further S in the county. Subsequent inspection of this photograph by Robert

Northridge confirmed that plant to be N. maculata.

110 Crawfordsburn Road, Newtownards BT23 4UJ JOHN C. L. PHILLIPS

ALDER BUCKTHORN FRANGULA ALNUS MILLER AND OTHER SCARCE PLANTS IN CO DOWN (H38)

On 31 August 1989, I found a small bush (elm high) of the alder buckthorn Frangula alnus Miller at a small cut-over peat bog at Drumawhy, Newtownards (J547757), Co Down. There were a

few ripe black berries on it. I have visited the bog occasionally since 1985 and believe that the bush has

only recently established there, perhaps from a bird-sown seed. According to Mr Neville McKee, reed

buntings Emberiza schoeniclus L., are very fond of the berries.

The only previous records for Co Down are "side of a lake (Bow Lake) in the townland of

Crevetenan (Creevytenant) near Ballynahinch, and plenty among other shrubs in a bog near

Ballygowan Bridge": Templeton (see Praeger, R.Ll. and Megaw, W. R. 1938 A Flora of the

north-east of Ireland. (2nd edition) Quota Press, Belfast). John Templeton botanized from about 1793

to 1825. In Northern Ireland it is now virtually confined to two localities in the Birches area of North

Armagh, and one locality on the shore of Lough Neagh nr Antrim, although mere are older records for

several other parts of the Lough Neagh area in Cos Tyrone and Londonderry and also other points on

the Antrim shore (Harron, J. 1986 Flora of Lough Neagh. Irish Naturalists' Journal, Belfast and

Coleraine).

This content downloaded from 185.44.79.83 on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 02:54:59 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

224 ir. Nat. J. Vol. 23 No. 5/61990

On 4 August 1989, I found several patches of the bog St John's wort Hypericum elodes L. in

flower towards the southern edge of a cut-over bog at Derryleckagh, Newry (J 120253). On revisiting

it on 13 August, most had ceased flowering, but there were a few leaf rosettes of the bog thistle

Cirsium dissectum (L.) Hill Growing in the same area were a few plants of royal fern Osmunda

regalis L., gipsy wort Lycopus europaeus L., marsh lousewort Pedicularis palustris L. and bog

pimpernel Anagallis tenella L. with common bladderwort Utricularia vulgaris L. Bog St. John's wort

and bog thistle have been recorded in a number of places in both S and N Down, but most of the

records are quite old and both have probably declined since the publication of A Flora of the north-east

of Ireland. By the edge of the nearby oak/hazel wood were 3 bushes of spindle Euonymus europaeus

L., another plant scarce in Co Down woods.

13 Enniscrone Park, Portadown, Co Armagh BT63 5DQ IAN RIPPEY

POTENTILLA ERECTA (L.) RAUSCH. SUBSP STRICTISSIMA IN IRELAND

Richards (A. J. 1973 Watsonia 9: 301-317) reported the occurrence of a "distinct genotype of

Potentilla erecta from dwarf-shrub heaths usually above 500m altitude in the British Isles." The plants were "apparently identicar with Potentilla strictissima Zimm. from the Alps and were named as

Potentilla erecta (L.) Rausch. subsp strictissima (Zimm.) A. J. Richards. This subsp differs from

typical subsp erecta in being "stiffly erect, usually exceeding 150mm in maximum length. Stem

leaves coarsely and acutely serrate to base, usually exceeding 20mm in length; radical leaves coarsely and obtusely serrate, leaflets oblong-lanceolate to obovate; stipules long, usually exceeding 10mm,

divided almost to base. Peduncles exceeding 20mm in fruit, erect, stiff. Flowers sparse, exceeding 1 Imm in diameter; petals exceeding 4.5mm in length" (Richards op. cit.).

Richards (op. cit.) noted two biological divisions (H12 and H29) for subsp strictissima in Ireland, and these appear in the Census Catalogue of the Flora of Ireland (Scannell & Synnott 1987

Stationery Office, Dublin). During field work for the BSBI Monitoring Scheme, two further sites were discovered which prompted a review of herbarium material in BEL, DBN and TCD during which more material came to light. Details of all the specimens, critically determined by Professor A.

J. Richards with one exception, are given below:

HI, South Kerry. Glencar, South Kerry. 24 June 1951. D. A. Webb. TCD.

H3, West Cork. SE side of the Healy Pass, Caha Mountains. 3 July 1988: large plants on cliffs. TCGR and N. Taylor. DBN.

H12, Wexford. Between Mount Saint Benedict, Gorey and Craanford. 27 June 1952. A. H. G.

Alston. BM. (Richards (op. cit.); note the place names have been corrected) HI4, Laois. Mountrath. 3 July 1947. N. L. Bor. TCD.

H20, Wicklow. Fassaroe, Bray. 21 May 1864. Ex. herb. R. M. Barrington. (AJR notes, "very small

material"). DBN.

H21, Dublin. Howth. May 1867. Rev. H. G. Carroll. DBN.

H23, Westmeath. Knockdrin. June 1890. H.C Levinge. DBN.

H25, Roscommon. Dry bank, site of Corkip Lough. 2 July 1899. R.Ll. Praeger. DBN. H26, East Mayo, Islet, Lough Carra. July 1902. R.Ll. Praeger. DBN. H27, West Mayo. Annagh Lough (= Loughnakerog) and rocks, Lough Nakerogue East, Achill. 29

July 1902. R.Ll. Praeger. DBN. Westport Road from Castlebar. 26 June 1931. C Pearson. TCD.

Edge of bog, Cluddan, Oweniny River Valley. 23 August 1988. TCGR. DBN. H28, Sligo. Benbulbin, above Moneylahan, 29 July 1989. TCGR, Field record. H29, Leitrim. Glenade cliffs. 18 August 1913. W. C Barton, BM. (Richards loc. cit.). H36, Tyrone. Killywoolaghan Moss. 6 June 1938. F. H. W. Kerr. BEL. Ballynagilly. 11 June 1966. B. E. Scott. BEL.

H37, Armagh. Brackagh, Derrytrasnagh. September 1929. J. M. White. BEL. H38, Down. Cotton Moss, Down. 11 July 1902. R.Ll. Praeger. DBN. Rose Farm near Campbell College, Belfast. July 1913. S. A. Bennett. BEL. H39, Antrim. Derryaghy. 1814. Rev. W, M. Hind. TCD.,

The present known vice-county distribution for Ireland is thus 1,3,12,14,20,21,23,25-29,36 39. Interestingly, as in northern Scotland, many of the localities are at

relatively low altitude. The plant, although not common, is probably widespread and should be looked for elsewhere.

This content downloaded from 185.44.79.83 on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 02:54:59 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions