An Early Record for Gaudinia fragilis (L.) BeauvAuthor(s): M. J. P. ScannellSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 17, No. 12 (Oct., 1973), p. 425Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25537692 .

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425

and the Ulster Museum. Twenty-seven people participated from all parts of Ireland and these

ranged from professional scientists, interested amateurs, teachers to sixth formers. Instruction was given in field methods and in distribution. The course proved popular and it is hoped to repeat the course next year.

MARY CRICHTON. Irish Biological Records Centre, An Foras Forbartha, St. Martin's House,

Waterloo Road, Dublin 4.

BOTANICAL NOTES

ALECTOR1A CAPILLAR1S IN IRELAND

Alectoria capillaris (Ach.) Cromb. (syn. A. implexa auct. angl., non (Hoffm.) Nyl.) was reported from Northern Ireland by Fenton (Irish Naturalists' Journal, 16: 113, 1969) but his specimens, originally named as 'A. implexd by the late Dr A. H. Magnusson, proved to be A. subcana (Nyl. ex Stiz.) Gyeln. and were included under that species by Hawksworth

(Lichenologist 5: 181-261, 1972). A. capillaris can, however, now be correctly added to the Irish list on the basis of a collection from an old oak tree by a bridge in rhef valley at

Lismore, Co. Cork (H 5) made by Mr P. W. James on 27th February 1965, which has

recently come to light. The specimens are well developed, to 12 cm long, and preserved in the herbarium of the British Museum (Natural History), London (BM). This record is

of considerable geographical interest as the nearest station for this species to the Cork

locality is in Perthshire, apart from a nineteenth century unlocalized specimen from *

Yorkshire'. A. capillaris behaves as an 'old woodland indicator' species in Britain indicating that the Lismore locality has probably been continuously forested for many centuries and that the species is almost certainly relict here.

D. L. HAWKSWORTH and P. W. JAMES. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AF.

British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD.

ORTHODONTIUM LINEARE SCHWAEGR. IN COUNTY ANTRIM Orthodontium lineare Schwaegr. is a small acrocarpous moss whose characteristic

habitat is rotten wood or peaty banks according to E. V. Watson 1970 (British Mosses &

Liverworts, 2nd edition, Cambridge). The plant is reported to be spreading extensively in Great Britain, where it was first observed in 1920, but has been recorded hitherto in' N.

Ireland only from Co. Tyrone and Co. Armagh by J. W. and R. D. Fitzgerald. In March 1973 I collected a specimen from a rotten tree trunk in the woods on

Cavehill, Belfast, grid ref. J 3279 (H 39). It was associated with Lepidozia reptans (L.) Dum. and Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. This is the first record for this county, but it seems

probable that the plant is present in similar situations elsewhere in N. Ireland, and suitable habitats should be examined.

I am grateful to Mr E. C. Wallace for confirming my determination of the Cavehill

material which is now housed in the Ulster Museum (herb. BEL). P. HACKNEY.

Department of Botany, Ulster Museum.

AN EARLY RECORD FOR GAUDINIA FRAGIUS (L.) BEAUV.

The Mediterranean adventive grass, Gaudinia fragilis has been recorded from four

botanic divisions of Ireland since 1964, West Cork (H3), Mid-Cork (H4), Limerick (H8) and Clare (H9). The records mostly represented in herbarium (DBN), have been fully documented in the Irish Naturalists' Journal To complete the documentation in fchis Journal the record for Dublin (H 21) is given.

"Ringsend. 3/7/1906. Dr Pethybridge. comm. Miss M. Knowles."

The specimen was located in Herbarium Kew by D. McClintock in the course of a

review of the distribution of the grass in the British Isles (Watsonia, 9: 144, 1972). This collection is then the first record for Gaudinia fragilis in Ireland and not the Toormore

(West Cork) gathering as had been indicated (Scannell, Irish Naturalists' Journal, 14: 215-216.

1964). Dr. George Pethybridge, who collected the Ringsend material, lectured in the Royal

College of Science, Dublin, for some years and was later attached to the Department of

Agriculture and Head of the Seeds Division. With Praeger he carried out a survey of the

vegetation of the district lying south of Dublin, which was published in 1905.

M. J. P. SCAINNELL.

Herbarium, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.

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