301
LICEEX-FLORA OF NORCIIERN EUROPE.
I
celsni
Tribe.
I
Specics and variety.
Qenus.
-
Y
a.
2
*
.. ..
m
3. Lecidea
......
XV. Graphidei
34. Graphis .....
35.Arthonia ...
CVI. Pyrenocarp
3G. Endocarpon ..
37. Verrucaria ...
38. Endococcus
.
'
146. contigua, Fr.. .............
60. form crustulata, Ach. ..
61. var. flavicunda, Ach. ..
147. confluens, Ach. ........... .I
148. lapicida, Fr. ..............
t62. var. cleclinms, Nyl. ....
%3. subform ecrusbcea, Nyl.
t 64.var. ochromela, Ach. ..
,149. polycarpa, Flk.. ...........
'150. lithophila, Ach.. ...........
t65. form ecrustacea,
..
t66. form ocliracea, Ach. ..
t67. vnr. pallido-cinerea,Flk.
151. tessellata, FZk. ............
158. amylacea, Ach. ............
,153. areolata, ScLrer.. ...........
154. nglrea, Smrf. ..............
155. fusco-atra, Ach.. ...........
156. lactea, Flk. ..............
t68. form hypothallinn, Nyt.
157. intumescens. f t k . ..........
158. atro-alba, FZot. ............
159. petraea, Flot. .. ., ..........
?160. excentrica, Ach.. ...........
1161. geminata, N o t . ............
162. dbo-atra, Hffk ..........
69. var. epipolia, Ach. ....
163. disciformis, B.............
t70. var. insignis, hbg. ....
lM. coniops, Whlnb. ..........
t71. form obscurior, NyZ. ..
165. myriocarpa, DC. ..........
166. saxatilis, Schm. ..........
tlC7. xanthococca, Smrf. ........
t72. form ecrustacea, NyZ. ..
168, sanguinaria, Ach. ..........
169. galbula, Earn. ............
170. alpicola, Schrer.. ...........
171. geographicn, Schm. ........
172. ritrinella, Ach. ............
f173. Diapensiz, Th. 8%. ........
t174. Berengeriana, Mass. ........
t175. sarcogynoicles, Korh. ......
170. scripta, Ach. ..............
177. astroidea, Ach. ............
178. variims, Dnu...............
159.ininiatum, Ach.. ...........
180. Eethiobola, Whlnb...........
181. maura, Whhb.
182. epidermidiis, Ach. .........
73. oar. grisea, Schrer. ....
183. gemmifer, Tayl.
Totals
VOL. IS.
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* ..
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.. ..
.. ..
.. ..
.. ..
.. ..
*
*
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*
..
*
*
*
*
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.a
..
.. .. *
., .. *
.. *
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.* *
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.I
............
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...........
-
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d
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I
Torway.
2
-
.,
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-
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4 14
-
-
892
DR. LAUDER LINDSAT OW THC
In 1658 I examined all thc lichens in the followiug public hcrbariq :-
1. The Hookeriaii Herbarium, Kern- ;
2. The Herbarium of the British Museum ;
3. The h i m e a n Herbarium of the Linnean Society ; and
4. The Herbarium of the University of Edinburgh, which includes the Menziesian and the Grevillian Herbaria ;
as a-ell as several large private herbaria, but with very little fruit
as rcgards lichens from Iceland, FarG, or Norway. Those from
Iceland and Far0 were under half a dozen ; while those from Nor-
way did not excced thrce dozen, were mostly contained in the
Hookerian Herbarium, and were the fruit of the collection of the
indeEcttigal~lcSommerfelt (in his ' Itineraria ' of 1826). The Eew
Herbarium contains sundry specimens labelled as presented or
collected by Wahlenberg (BOG), and Acharius (1809). No localities, however, are given. The presumption is that they are mostly,
if not all, Swedish ; but whether or not this be the case, the absence of any note of locality renders it impossible t o cite them for
present purposes of comparison. Of those lichens of undoubted
Norm-egian origin which are t o be found in the Kew Herbarium,
thc mqjority are already enumerated (in my foregoing list). But
there are a fern not therein included, which I hereto append :1. ~ r c c c ~ ~tigigikaaris,
y ~ a
Pers. On pales, ijsterdal (SonzmerjZt,
Un.Itiiz. 1826).
2 . SpkczrophoronfiagiZe, Pers., which I regard as a mere form,
always sterile, of 8. CoruZloides, Pers. Saxicolous, near
Friedrichsvaern.
3. Stereocaulon codloidps, Schreb. '' Norway," in abundant
fruit. Appears t o me only a form of 8.posckale, Lnur.
4. IS. denudatzcm, Fllr. Dovrefjeld (Xrnrf. U.I.).
5. Alectoria ocliroteuca,Ehrh., var. sarmentosa, Ach. Corticolous,
on trunks ofpines near Christiania (8wrf: 77.I.).IIas iiiuch
the aspect of an ochroleucous condition of A.jubnta, L.
G. A. diwergeizs, Acli. Summits of the Dovrefjeld (Xmrf. U.I.),
sterile ; Lapland ( Walilenberg).
7. E v e m i aftcrficracen, Mann. Corticolous,woods near Christiania
(8m$ U.I.) : fruit very large.
8. Cefraria odontella, Ach. Saxicolous, Dovrefjeld (Xmrf. U. I.,
fide Rev. ChurcAilb Babington).
9. P7r~tys.matrisfe,;CVeb. Saxicolous, 011 dpine roclw, Island of
OtterG (A'iiWJ 7: I.).
LICIIEN-FLORA O F NORTHERN EUROPE.
398
10. -Vqhronza arcticum, L. Alps of Lapland (Xolaizder, in Z e r bnrizmz, British Museum).
11. Umbilicaria nrctica, Smrf. Saxicolous, on alpine rocks, Island
of Ottero, Nordland (Xmv$ U. I.).
12. Pannnria triptophylla, Ach. Corticolous, near Christiania
(Ism$ L? I;).
13. 8yimmnria cvassa, DC. Terricolous, Christiania (Smrf. U.I.).
14. Lecanora varia, Ach., vor. syntmicta, Ach. Corticolous, on
pales, Guldbrandsdal (XmrJ: U. L).
15. L.fuscmta, Schrad., var. sinopica, Sm. (E. Bot. t. 1776). Saxicolous, most abundant on ferruginous roclrs ; on aluminous
and ferruginous slate, near Christiania (Smrf. U. I.).
1 G . Lecidea globifera, Ach. Kongsvold alld other parts of the
Dovrefjeld.
17. L. cupvea, Smrf. Sneehltten (Smrf. U. I.).
I S . L. arcficn, Smrf. On the highest mountains of Nordland
(&w$ U. Z).
19. L. cal-neoyallida, Nyl. Corticolous, Nordland (Ismrf. U. I.).
Comparing my present list of Icelandic Lichens with that which
I published in 1861, and which enumerates a111 lichens collected in
Iceland by various botanists up to that; date, the most striking
result is, that, as rcgards the number of species and varieties, the
former is fully as large as the latter ; in other words, my week's
collection around Reykjavik equals the collections of all previous
botanists in all other parts of the island. Such a result merely
indicates the great imperfection of our present knowledge of the
Lichen-flora of Iceland. My own collection amounts to 83 species
(including well-marked varieties and forms) : the list gives in my
' Flora' of 1861 enumerates 52. The latter includes 52 lichens
which were not found by myself, and which fall to be added t o my
list of 53. This gives 135 as a total of the'lichen-flora of Iceland,
so far as it is at present known with any degree of exactitude.
This, however, is probably far short of the real total, many species,
varieties, and forms remaining to be added by the research of
future travellers 1.
* I have since found the following species and wrieties (which are not inrluded in the above-mentioned enumerations of Icelandic Lichcns) rcsorded in
Fries's Lich. Arctoi [wide foot-notes, p. 3661 :1. Lqtqgium muscicoZum, Sw., Vahl.
2. Nezwopogon meluxanthus, doh. [Lichen subphurews, Fl. Isl.], Vahl.
3. A!cctorinjtibnfu, L., var. chalybeiformis, L., Steenstrop.
4. A. ochroleisca, Ehrh., var. cincinnafrr,Fr., Steenstrnp.
2D2
396
DR. LAUDFll LIHDShY ON TIIE
The following are the lichens not found by myself, but recorded
in my ' Flora ' as having been collected by the numerous botanical
travellers who have during the last century visited Iceland :1. Collema nigrescens, Ach.
2. Sphmophoron fragile, Pers.
3. Stereocaulon tomentosum, Laur., and var. incrzutatum, F11~
4. l'hamnolia vermicularis, L. (Vahl).
5. Usnen barbata, Fr., var. hirta, L.
6. Alectoria jubatn, L.
7. A. oe~roleuca,Ehrh., and var. sarmentosa, Acli.
8. Euernia furfiiracea, Mann.
9. E. przcnastri, L.
10. Ramalina calicaris, Ach., and vnrs. frnxinea, L,and furinacea, L.
11. Plat?pnn I"a?dzcnense, L.
12. Nephromium tomentosum, Hem.
13. Peltigera aphthosa, Hffm. [Steenstrup].
14. P. venosa, Hffm.
15. P. rufescens, Hffm.
16. Solorina saccata, L. [Steenstrup].
17. 8. crocea, L.
18. Sticta pzdmonacea, Ach.
19, N. scrobiculnta, Scop.
20. Parnaelia physodes, L.
21. P. olivacea, L.
22, P. stygia,L.
23. Physcia candelaria, Ach.
24. P. ciliaris, L.
25. Ugnbilicariapusttdata, Hem.
5. Ranzalina polyvwrphn, Acli., Valii.
6. limbilicaria arctica, Ach., Morck.
7. Parnaetia encaiista, Sw., Steenstrup.
The P. arctica mentioned, on Dr. Nylander's authority, at p. 379 does not
occur in Tli. Fries's L. Arct. Probably the lichen referred to really belongs
either to P.encausta or P. nlpicola, Th. Fr. L. Arct. 57.
8. Physciu obscura, Ehrh., Steenstrup.
9. Pnnnaria prcetermissa, Nyl. Scand. 124 & 290 [P.Icpidiotn, I h . Fr. L.
Arct. 741.
10. Lecidea decipiens, Ehrh., Steenstrup.
11. L. fusco-btea, Dicks.~[Caloplaca,Th. F'r, L. Arct. 1211, V&1.
12. Urceolariu scrziposa, Ach.
This number added to 135 gives 147 as tho preaenC total recorclecl Lichenflora of Iccland.
LICHEX-FLORA OF NOETHERN EUROPE.
395
u.polyphylla, L. [Steenstrup], and var. deusta, Ach.
U. vellea, Ach.
U. hirszita, Ach.
Pannaria triptop7,7~ylla,Ach.
Placodiam mworurn, Hffm., and vars. obliteratzcnz, Pers.
(Lecanora bbulata, Smrf.), and miniaturn, Hffm.
31. Psoronia hypnorum, Hffni.
32. Urceolaria scruposa, Ach.
33. Lecanora calcarea, Ach.
34. L. tartarea, Ach.
35. L.ventosa, Ach.
36. L. sulphurea, Ach.
37. L. verrueosa, Laur. [Steenstrup].
38. Lecidea fusco-ntra, Ach.
30. A. decolorans, Fllr.
40. L. atro-alba, Flot.
41. L. sanguinaria, Ach.
42. L. arctica, Smrf.
43. Endocarpon miniatuna, Ach.
46. E. ?Lepaticuna, Ach.
45. Verrucaria tephroides, Ach.”
Though not found by myself in Iceland, about 4.5 per cent. of
the foregoing lichens occur in nip Norwegian collection. Of the
total of 83 species and varieties collected by myself, 53 (or 63 per
cent.) are not mentioned in my ‘ Flora,’ and are presumably, therefore, new to the Lichen-flora of Iceland, though they are for the
most part more or less common in Scandinavia and Northern
Europe generally.
The only lists of Fiiriiese lichens with which I am acquainted are
those of Laxidti- and Sir Walter Trerelyau:. The whole df the
lichens enumerated by Landt amount only to 2 i ; some of these are
merely varieties of other species ; all are classed under the old
a,nd comprehensive genus Lichen. The following were not found
by myself, though they occur in Landt’s catalogue :1. Nostoc comnaune, Vauch. (Trcinella Nostoc, E. Bot. t. 461).
2. Xphmrophoron coralloides, Pers.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
* 45 species (including cases where thc type is relircsentecl only by avariety).
-7 varieties and forms in addition to tiic type.
52 total.
t ‘A Description of the Fir6 Islands,’ 1810, p. 194.
$ “ On the Vegetation and Temperature of the Fir6 Ialauda,” Ediib. Kow
Philosoph. Journ. vol. xviii. [1835] p. 154.
396
DR. LAUDER LINDSAY O N THE
fragile, Pers.
Stereocaulom paschale, Laur
5 . Alectoria jzcbata, L., var. chalybeiformis, L.
6. Evernia furfuracea, Maun.
7. Ramalina caticaris, Ach., and var. farinacea, L. Both saxiwlous *.
8. Peltigera aphthosa, HEm.
9. P , cawina, Hffm. Old corn-fields. “ Yarasipa ” of the Firtiese.
10. Umbilicaria proboscidea, DC. Abundant on the road between Leynum and Kollefjord, Stromti. This is an interesting example of a subalpine lichen occurring at a low
elevation in an insular position.
11. Spzcanaaria gelida, L. (Lichen Hecle, Gum.). “ High up
on the hills, on small loose stones.”
12. Parmelia sadatilis, h h . , var. omphalodes, L.
13. P.physodes, L.
14. P. encausta, Sm.
15. P. olivacea, L.
16. Physcia cilia&, L.
17. P. stelliris, L.
18. Lecanora calcarea, Ach. Avariety, I think, ofthu conimon
L. cinerea, L.
19. Lecidea geographica, L.
Sir Walter Trevelyan’s list, again, contains a further number nf
seventeen species which occur neither in my collection nor in
Landt’s enumeration, viz. :1. ColbenaafEaccidum, Ach.
2. C’.syongioswm (probably LicWcn spongiosz~s,Sm. Eng. Bot.
‘
t. 1374,which is a \ariety of Sblorina saccafa, L., Nyl.
Scalld. 92).
3. Leptogiwn lacertm, h.
4. l’hananolia vernaicularis, L. The occurxence of this Alpine
lichen at a comparatively low level and in an insular position is noteworthy.
5. Usnea barbata, Fr.,vnr. I~irta,L.
6. Rmnalina calicnris, Ach., var. fastigiata, P.ers.
7. Peltigera polydactyla, Hffm.
8. P. venosa, Hffm.
3
* The forms here mentioned are much more probably R.scopulorum or R.
polymorpha j but it is obviously impossible to determine such a point without
acccss to the authcnticatcd liclicns reforrcd to b7 Lqndt,
LICHEN-FLORA O F NORTHXRN EUBOl’E.
507
9. 8olorina crocea, L.
10. Parnaelia lmaatn, L.
11. Physcia aquilc~,Ach.
12. Uhbilicaria cylinclricn, L.
13. Pamaria nauscorum, Ach.
14. Leciclea fusco-lzcten, Diclis.
15. L. co@?icens, Ach., pr. p.
16. L. viritlescens, Ach.
17. Endocarpon naiiaiatunz, Ach.
It has to be remarked, in regard to the lists quaked from Landt
and Sir W. C. Trevelyan, that inasmuch as the names assigned
by these authors depended on external or naked-eye characters
done, without microscopical examination and reference to the
nature of the spores, it is impossible to guarantee the accuracy
of the modern synonymy offered. This has been already illus.
trated in the case of what was called by the earlier lichenologists
Colle?na sponyiosum; and it may be further illustrated by such
names as Pannaria muscorunt, Lecideu, con$uens, L. viridescem, and
L.fusco-ktea in Sir W. C. Trevelyxn’s list, which may have been
really different (though allied) lichens, and each of which may
have included more than one species. I n the absence of microscopical examination it is impossible to distinguish from each
other many of the lower or crustaceous lichens, which have very
similar external characters ; from which it follows Ohat lists drawn
up without reference to the characters of the spores at least, are
certain to omit many species that would otherwise be inkludecl ;
in other words, they are inadequate or imperfect representntivce
of the special Lichen-flora they are designed to illustrate.
The liclicns I collected about Thorshavii niiiount to ...... 26
Tha additional iiuinber contained in Landt’s list is ...... 21
I n d in Sir Waltcr Trovelyan’s .................................
17
-
Giving a total of ..............................
64
There can be no doubt, however, that this total by no means
represcnts adequately the Lichen-flora of Fiiro. Tho 1ist.s of
Landt and Trevelyan are disproportionately small as regards thc
very lichens which are sure to predominate in such a countrythat is, crustaceous, minute and obscure species, liable t o be overlooked, and requiring careful microscopical examination for their
discrimination and determination. As in the parallel case of Iceland, I have no hesitation in affirming that large additions remain
to be made to the FBroese Lichen-flora, especially in the direction
30s
DE. LAUUER LIXDj3hY ON THE
just indicated ; and I may go further and venture to predict that
when we possess a full and accurate knowledge, on the one hand,
of the Lichens of Iceland and Faro, and, on the other, of those of
Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, there will be found to be a
close resemblance or alliance between them.
Of my Thorshavn collection there are twenty lichens not mentioned by Landt, and fifteen not enumerated by Trevelyan.
As was to be expected, there is a close correspondence or resemblaiice between the Lichen-floras of Iceland, Faro, and Norway on the one hand, and of Britain on the other. It would undoubtedly be. much closer, however, between that of Scotlandwith its outlying islands the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetlandand of these more northern islands or countries, had we the proper
meaiis of forming a comparison. But no separate, recent, full
and accurate list of the lichens either of Scotland, Norway, Iceland,
or Fir0 has yet been publidzed. Of the whole list of my collections in Iceland, Fiiro, and Korway, upwards of two-thirds are
British. The British Lichen-flora is considerably poorer than
that of the Scandinavian peninsula, if we can depend on comparisons based on data furnished by works so dserent as Mudd’s
‘ Manual ’ (1861), as representing Britain, and Nylander’s ‘Lichenes Scandinavise ’ (lSGl), as representing Sweden and Nor.
way *.
But in order to an accurate comparison, the lists of Scandinav i m and British lichens would require to be drawn up by the same
author j for no two lichenologists take the same views of species
and varieties, some regarding as species what others consider only
varieties or forms. Hence in the hands of two different authors
the same lichens will be w r y differently stated numerically ;from
which it follows that we cannot safely contrast statistical data of
such a character drawn from one work with those of another.
Proportionally or comparatively the British should be richer
* But in neither work, and more especially in Nylander’s, are the species and
the dominant varieties distinguished or catalogued in such a way as to render it
possible for a reader to number them accurately. While Nylander himself
(Scand. p. 7) states the whole Scandinavian lichens at only 446 species, I6nd
the number scparatcly catalogued apparently as species in his ‘Lichenes Scandin a v k ’ to be upwards of 570, or about 130 more than his own enumeration,
which is presumably the more correct j the varieties or forms he enumerates,
moreover, amount to upwards of 360,-which gives a total of 930. A similar
calculation froin Mudd‘s ‘ Manual’ gives about 500 species and upwards of 280
raricties or forms, or a total of 78O,-that is, less than the Scandinavian list by
160. But I repcat I do not consider these statistics at all to be relied upon.
LICIIES-FLORA OF NORTHERN EUROPE.
399
than the Scandinavian Lichen-flora. The reasons or causes of
this anticipated superior richness are to be found in the iiiore
southern latitude of Britain, in the greater variety of its geological constitution and physical configuration, as well as of its arboreal vegetation. Contrasting, however, Scotland alone and
Norway, I am not sure that the balance would be in favour of the
former. My general impression, from alpine excursions especially
in both countries, and in thc absence of precisc data for dctermination, is that the alpine Lichen-flora of Korway is richer tlian
that of Scotland. It is unprofitable, however, to discuss such a
question until the possession of accurate lists of the lichens both
of Scotland and Norway enables 11s to do so with some precision*.
Meanwhile the affinities between the alpine and subalpine Lichen-floras of Scotland and Koraay me most interesting. The
researches of Scottish lichenologists during the last fifteen years
have brought to light a considerable iiuinher of more or less rare
and interesting species which are common to the alps of Scotland
and Norway ; and this number is constantly being added to. The
experience of the past twenty years warrants us in saying that
while certain Norwegian alpine lichens remain yet to be cliscovered
in the highlands and islands of Scotland, there are also certaiii
Scotch alpine forms which are yet probably to be found on the
Norwegian alps, as Nglandert points out in regard, e. y., to lGeryucaria scotinosporn, Nyl., and ?l verrucoso-areolata, Schm. Neither country can yet be said to be thoroughly explored in regard
t o the lichens of thc less known and more remote districts.
As of much interest to the lichenologists of‘both countries, I
wnture to append a list of the principal lichens which are common to the alpine districts of Scotland and Norway, all of which,
* The ‘Edinbui*gli Cabinct Library,’ volume on “ Iceland, Grccnland, and
Firti ” (1840, p. g77), gives the following comparative numerical stittement of
the Lichen-flora of
No. of species.
Scotland ...........................
260
Fiiro ..............................
50
Iceland ...........................
60
Greenland ........................
59
--from which it would appear that the Scottish stand to Icelandic lichens in
the proportion of morc than 4 to 1, and to the Faroese of more than 5 to 1.
Such st.atistics, however, are comparativelyvalueless, becausc the data on which
they are founded (the nnmes of the lichens described by botanists prior to the
application of the microscope to the study of their spores) cannot be TFlicd on.
t Lich. Scand. p. 270.
400
DR. LAUDER ZINDSAY ON THE
however, I do iiot profess myself t o have found either on the Scottish or Norwegian mountains :-
* iiidicates the more alpine forms.
1. Leptoyium trenaelloides, Ach.
2. Caliciuin trichiab, Ach.
3. Coniocybe furfwracea, Ach.
4. Baomnyces pbcophyllus, Ach.
6 . Stereocaulon paschab, Laur., and form corcclloirles,Nyl.
"6. S. tomentoszcm, Law., and "vars. alpinum, Laur., and *botryosum, Law.
7. 8. denudatunt, Flk.
8. 8.condensatum, Hffm., and var. cereolinum, Ach.
9. S. nanum, Ach.
"10. Thamnolia vernlaicularis, L.
"11. Alectoria ochroleuca, Ehrh., and pvar. sarmentosa, Ach.
812. A. bicolor, Ehrh.
13. Cetraria Islandica, L., and Tar. crispa, Ach.
"14. Platysma aivale, L.
"15. P. czccwllatm, HEm.
"16. P. Paltlunmse, L.
17. P.jzcniperimawns, L.
18. P.srepincolum, Hffm.
*19. P. triste, Web.
20. Nephromium lcm'yatwn, Ach.
21. Peltigera horizontalis, Hffiii.
22. P.venosa, I-Iffin.
"23. Solorina crocea, L.
24. S. saccata, L.
25. Stictina scro6iciclata, Scop.
26. 8.ficliyinosa, Diulis.
27. S. sylvatica, L.
28. 8. limbata, Sm.
29. Ricasolia ?ierbacea, Hucla.
30. R. glonziclifera, Lightf.
31. Parmeliopsis ambipa, Wdf.
32. P. aleurites, Ach.
33. P. placorodia, Ach.
34. Parmelia pertusa, Schanlr.
"35. P. encnusta, Ach., and %ar. enledfaeta, Ach.
"36. P. stygicr, L.
48'7. l? Lnntn, L.
3s. 1'. conspei~sa,hull.
LICHEN-FLORA O F NORTIIERN EUROPE.
401
39. I-'. Mougeottii, Schar.
40. Physcia speciosa, Hffni.
41. U7nbilicar ia cy lindr ica, L
4%.U.proboscidca, DC.
.
"43. U. erosa, Hffm.
"4%. U. hypcrborea, Hffm., and -K.var.ciretica, Acli
43. 77. po7yphylla, L.
46. 5: polyr9*hizn,I;.
47. Pannapin rubiginosct, Thunb.
-k48. P.leucolcpis, Ach.
49. Coccocnrpiaplumbea, Lightf.
50. Xquanaaria gebida, L.
51. Placodizcm elegans, DC.
52. Lecanora cevina, Ehrh., and var. stillicidiorunz, (Ed.
53. L. albella, Pers.
%4. L. tartarea, Ach., and var. frkida, Sm.
"55. L.oculata, Dicks.
*56. L. verrucosa, Laur.
"57. L. pelobofrya, Whlnb.
58. L.fuscnta, S c h d . , and vars. sinopica, Sm., and smccragdula,
Whlnb.
*59. L. frzcstulosa, Dicks. and Sm. E.Bot.
60. L. sophocles, Ach., var. confragosa, Ach.
61. Pertusaria bioplaca, A'ch.
W 2 . P.ylonzerata, Ach.
"63. P. bryontha, Ach.
64. Lecidea biirida, Ach.
65. L. globifera, Ach.
%6. L. decipieiis, Ach.
67. L. candida, Acli.
6s. L.citrinellcc, Ach.
"69. L.galbula, Barn.
70. L. scabrosa, Ach.
"71. L.armeniaca, DU.
V 2 . L. pezizoidea, bch.
73. L. Dilleniana, A&.
74. L. albo-atra, Hfni., and var. m n b ~ u adch.
,
75. L. sabuletorum, Flk., and var. 'inonfana, Ny1.
*76. L. arctica, Sinrf.
77. L. lacgubui, Smrf.
78. L. tenebrosa, R o t .
Wl. L. corncincc, Ach.
402
DR. LSUDEB LINDSAY ON THE
SO. L. 6adio-ah, Plk.
81. L. OCclerii, Ach.
*82. L. parasema, Ach., var. latypea, Ach.
(L.coniops, Ach.
pr*P.).
83. L. oxyspora, Tul.
84. Normandina latevirens, Tarn. & Borr.
85. Emdocarpon rufescens, Ach.
86. E.miniattint, Ach., and var. ezyloczcm, Ach.
87. Vrrrucaria teplwoicles, Ach.
88. V; pyrenophora, Ach.
69. V. margncea, Whlnb., and var. hydrelc, Ach.
90. V; zmBri~ia,Whlnb.
Contrasting Iceland, Fdrii, and Norway with each other and
Ivitli Scotland, there are certain striking diversilics as regards
their geological formation and physical coilfiguration, as 1vcl1 as
the presence or absence of arboreal vegetation, which dcmaud attention as bearing materially on the character of their respcctive
Lichen-floras.
Iceland is composed of comparatively rccent volcanic rocks, overlain or not by a sterile ,scanty soil, the result of their disintcgration. In this respect it cannot fairly be compared with any nearer
sonthern country than the volcanic districts of Frauce, Italy, and
Sicily. Reykjavik is seated in the midst of what is virtually a
stony desert, the soil being made up of fragments of all sizes of
dolerite, tmchyte, and lava. The inetropolitan district, indeed, is
stated by the natives to bc thc most barren in the island. Looked
at from any distance it has a brown or bltlclrish-brown colour, a i d
a blcdr sterile aspect *. There is too little greensward or phznogamous vegetation to become a featurc in the landscape. This
is the character of a great portion at least of the islaud,-the bare
lava, or the brown stoily soil resulting from its partial disintegration, being generally less or more devoid of the higher vegetation.
There are occasional or exceptional oases in this brown desert,
e. g. around farmhouses, the banks of rivers, streams, and lakes,
in marsh-lands, and in the vicinity of hot and other springs. But
these exceptions scarcely affect the Lichen-flora of tho country.
There is, however, a coiisidcrable variety of configuration in the
country ; niid the mountains, many of which arc covered \T ith
perennial snows feeding large glaciers, reach a Iieiglit of iiezrly
6000 fcet. There are, however, 110 forcsts, and aliiiost no arboreal
*
‘Flora of Iceland,’ p. 24.
LTCIIEK-FLORA OF KOBTIIEXN EUROPE.
403
or fruticose vegetation”. Undoubtedly this is one of the main
causes of the paucity of the lichcns of Iceland. It would be
natural to suppose that the rugged, hard, recent lava would be one
of the last supports of a lichenose, or higher, vegetation. But that
such is not altogether or necessarily the case was long ago noticed
by Sir Charles Lye11 in regard to Etns, Vesuvius, and the Canary
Islands alike ; and similar observations have been made by other
travellers in other volcanic countries. Sir Charles describes Lichens as the first characteristic vegetation of modern lavas, especially species of Xtereocazclon, which are sometimes so plentiful as
t o whiten the lava j and he remarks, ‘‘ The natural growth, even of
a cryptogamous vegetation, although restricted to limited areas,
on lava of such recent date is worthy of notice, and seems to give
promise of an early fertility for the future”?. I have already referred to the apparent parallelism which exists between the deserts
of Iceland and the “ Tundras ’’ of Lapland, especially what Baer
describes as the “ Plechtentundra ” (whereon lichens are the dominant forins of vegetation), which is brown, dry, and arid, as
compared with the “ Moostundra ” (whereon mosses predominate
over other forms of regetable life), which is coinparatively moist
and green. On these North-Russian deserts Fellman also refers
to the paucity of Lichen-species though not of individuals-a.
paucity which he attributes, apparently with justice, to tlic absencc
of forests. The lichen-vegetation of these treeless wastes, as doscribed by Fellman$-and which consists of species of Olndoiaia,
Xtereocaulon, Platysma, aud Cetraria, covering whole tracts of
country-resembles that (of many parts at least) of Iceland.
The Far6 Islands are trappean, and are comparable-pond their
geological constitutiorl and physical configuration-with certain
of the Scottish Islands, such as Mull and Skye, and certain districts
of the Scottish mainland, such as Arthur’B Seat and the Braid Hills
near Edinburgh, or the Sidlaw and Ochil Hills near Perth §. Their
Lichen-flora is more allied to that of Iceland than of Norway.
When we possess a full list of the lichens of the FPro group, on
the one hand, and the Shetland Islands, on the other, there will
* The csceptions consist mainly of patches of stunted birch bushes in some
parts of the country.
t Memoir on “The Lams of Mount Etns,” Philosoph. Transact. part 2 for
1858,p. 726.
2 li Voyage botanique dans la Laponie orientale,” by M. N. I. Pellman, Bull.
cle la SOC. Botan. de France, Nov. 27, 1863.
§ Thc greatest elevation in Ftiro is the hill called Blattarctind, which is about
2900 feet high,
404
DR. LAUDER LINDSAY ON THE
probably be found to exist a close general resemblance of their
respective Lichen-floras.
Norway consists mainly of metamorphic slates, generally largely
micaceous, associated with granites. In respect of its geological
structure and superficial configurat ion it resembles the Grampian
and trans-Grampian region of Scotland. I t s mountains exceed in
height those of Iceland by upwards of 2000 feet,-Skagstolstind,
the greatest elevation not only in Norway but in Scandinavia,
being 8670 feet ; while Orsefa, the highest of the Icelandic Alps,
is 5927. The Norwegian, like the Icelaudic, Alps are capped with
perennial snows, which feed magnificent glaciers. I n the month
of August (1857) I found SneehPtten and the Hadangcnfjeld
capped with snow ; and they are said t o be always more or less so.
I n the month of June (18GO) there was a copious covering of
snow on Snsfell, and a scanty mantle on Eyafj:ill,z j n Iceland.
But at the same time there was a slight coyering on our own
Grainpians, hills of only 1000 to 1800 feet, and about 8 degrees
further south ; while Snsfell is 4600 and Eyafjalla 5686 feet *.
Norway lies considerably to the south of Iceland, though the
Dovrefjeld region is nearly in the same latitude as the Far%.,
B u t the main cause of the much greater richness of its Lichenflora is to.be found in the abundance of its forests and the variety
of its arboreal vegetation. Not only the lowland and alpine valleys, but fi-equently the Alps themselves (up t o at least 3000 fcet)
are covered by dense forests. On the flanks of the Alps these
consist mostly of such trees as Scotch fir, spruce, larch, and birch.
I n the alpine valleys, the lesser rowan, alder, juniper, willow, and
dwarf birch abound?. And in lowland districts, such as the ricinitF of Christiania, the Conifere, Betulacem, and Xalicacem are replaced by the ash, sycamorc, and other more southern trees. The
forest-trees, especially in the valleys of the interior, support large
quantities of species of such Lichen-genera as Usnea, Ramaliraa,
Alectoria, Platysma, Parmelia, Physcia, Lecalzora, and Lecidea ;
while certain Oeraphidea or other groups or genera also occur
which are apparently unknown in Iceland and Fiiro. I n the fir-
* Vide,in regard to the physical geography of Iceland, the paper, 011 the
((Eruption of Kbtlugj5,” already quoted (wide p. 368). Where not otherwiise
specified, heights of Icelandic mountains are those given in English feet by
Keith Johnston in his ‘ Physical Atlas,’ 1848.
t About Jerkin, juniper, dwarf birch (Retula mafia, L,), and willows Occur.
The Scotch fir and birch climb nearly to the plateau of the Dovref3eld (3000
fcct) ; and the nlpinc valleys of the samr monntain-range abound in alder.
405
TJCIIES-FLOBA OF NORTIIERN EGEOPE.
moods of Norn-ny I found, speaking generally, the same lichens
as in those of Scotland ; a d on the same species of tree I usually
found the same species of lichen in the two countries. The
cracked bark of old birch trees was generally infested with forms
of Usnea Zlarbata, Pamnelia saxatiEs and olivncea, Physcia pnrietina,
puberulenta, and stellaris, and Perrucaria epidermidis. On the
ash (about Christiania) occurred chiefly Parnielia tiliacea and
olivncea, Platysnaa g Zffiucum, Physcia parieiina, puherzclenta, and
stellaris, Lecanora su6f u s c a and aurantiaca, and Lecidea parasenla.
On the sycamore (also in the lowlands) the same lichens were
met with as on the ash. On the alder, which is very common,
and grows t o considerable size on the sand and mud banks or
hillocks of Eidsvold, on the Mjiisen Lake, were seen Craphis
scr+ta, and Lecidea parasema and disciformis.
Scotland, however, in addition to a more southerly latitude, has
a more varied geological basis than Iceland, Fiirii, and Norway
put together ; its arboreal vegetation is also much more diversified,
while it is perhaps as abuudant as that of Norway. It may therefore possess a more varied and richer Lichen-flora than these three
more northern countries put together". But at present, as already
shown, there are not materials for determining this.
My list of Icelandic, Faroese, and Norwegian lichens is much
too meagre and from too limited areas to enable me to deduce, or
warrant me in deducing general conclusionsregarding the characteristics of the Lichen-flora of, or the distribution of species in,
those portions of Northern Europe. My data are sufficient,
however, to indicate meanwhile the following facts of interest,Viz.
the comparative abundance of certain families or genera, and the
comparative paucity or the absence of certain others. Especially
abundant are the groupsNo. of
species.
I. Lecidee, terricolous, muscico1ous, 8nd saxicolous .... 67
.
2. Lecanorce, terricolous, iuiiscicoIous, and snxicolons . 57
3. Umbilicariq especially in Norway ................ 14
4. P l a t p t a t a , especially terricolous, muscicolous, and
corticolous
9
..................................
Total lichens collected .............. 256
*The only doubt that can exist, indeed, is in regard t o thc lichens of Xcotland as compared with tliosc nf NorwaF (as already stntcd, page 399).
406
DR. L.iUDER LTNDS LT ON TIIE
As markedly deficient are tbcTribes.
......
TI. Colbemacei.. ......
III. Pyrenocavyei .....
IV. Parmelei .......
I. Graphid&..
Genera.
No. of
species.
........
1. Graphis
1
2. Artkonia
2
3. Colbina ........ 1
4. Zndocarpon.. .... 1
5 . Verrucnria ...... 4
6. Stictina ........ 1
7. Sticta .......... 1
There are also certain peculiarities of geographical or topographical distribution which are worthy of note.
In Iceland I found Platysma rtivab overspreading in large
masses the deserts to the south-east of the Cemetery at Reykjavik,
growing frequently where no phaenogams and no other cryptogams
could vegetate, usually associated with tufts or masses of Cetraria
aczrleata. Both lichens were sterile and dwarfish, however. Cetraria Islandica and Cladonia rangifrina, which one would 6 prior;
have expected t o luxuriate in such a locality, occurred sparingly,
the former especially usually intermixed with Rhacomitrizcm lanuginosum, Bridel-a moss so abundant in Iceland that it occupies
very much the place of Cladonia rangiferina in other countries".
The Umbilicarie are rare about Reykjavik (Reykjavik Observatory
56 feet Danish above sea-level) t. I found the apothecia of almost
all the crustaceous lichens collected more or less deformed; and
this peculiarity may be common in Iceland, as it is generally in
alpine countries.
At Christiansand, in the extreme south of Norway, about parallel
of latitude 5S0 (which passes through the south of SutherlandBhire), and on granite, at the sea-level, the Unzbilicarim (U.
pustutata and spodocl~roa)grow in profusion and to a great size. On
the other hand, on the Dovrefjeld and Haalangenfjeld, where
rather they would have been expected to luxuriate, I found them
very small in size, and very few both as regards species and individualsz. In other words, they appeared to reach their masimum
development in the extreme south and at the sea-level, decreasing
........
* The same moss, with its ally R.canescens, Hedw., often attaining a length
of 1foot, covers the Fiiroese hills, according to Sir Walter Trevelyan.
t A Danish foot is equal to 12; English inches ; so that it is a fraction larger ;
but the difference is so slight that it may for such purposes a8 the present be
practically disregarded.
About Jerkin they are not coinmon ; and on the Baalangenfjeld I found
them small and disappearing.
LICHEN-FLORA OF SORTIIERN EUROPE.
407
in size and number as we proceed northward and ascend the
Alps. In this country we are in the habit of regarding the Umbilicaiia? as alpine lichens, which are to be looked for the more
highly developed and more extensivelj. diffused the higher we
ascend. I have, however, in Scotland met with several species at
or near the sea-level-for instance, in Skye and on various Perthshire and other moors, which localities cannot be considered in
any sense even subalpine or montane. Similar remarks apply to
the variety omnphalodes of Pavmelia saxatilis. Lecide'engeographica
occurs on boulders at the sea-level around Christiansand. I have
met with it at very low levels also in Scotland, but generally on
boulders (originally from the Highlaud mountains) of gneiss, micaslate or quartzite. On such boulders (erratic blocks from the
Grampians) in the lowlands of Perth, within 300 to 500 feet of
the sea-level,I have found other lichens which are generally found
only in our Highlands. But a still more striking instance of the
counexion between lichens and the lithological character of their
basis of growth or support is t o be found in the huge erratics of
the great North German plain, originally Scandinavian, which
support subalpine lichens totally alien to the general character of
the Lichen-flora of the Baltic countries. Placodiium elegaias,
another of these cosmopolite lichens, more or less common almost
everywhere, I found from the coast up to Sneehiitten. In some
of the forests of the interior clothing the hills and valleys, and
consisting mostly of Scotch fir and birch, there were sometimes
few of the higher corticolous licheus : frequently no Usnem or Ramaline.
The parts of Iceland and Norway which I visited were south
of the arctic circle ; so that geographically no part of my collections is entitled to the appellation arctic or subarctic. I n a list,
however, which includes so many abilzs species and not a few
cosmopolites, we should expect a considerable proportion at least
to occur also in arctic regions. Contrasting my list with that
given by my friend the Rev. W. A. Leighton, in the Society's
Journal, of the Lichens collected by Sir John Richardson", it
appears that about 60, i.e. 2343 per cent., or nearly one-fourth
of my Icelandic, Fiiroese and Norwegian lichens occur also in
Arctic America. This, however, is regarding arctic America as
beginning not at the arctic circle but at parallel of lat. SO0, which
* Notes on Lichens collected by Sir John Richardson in Arctic America,"
Journal of the Linnean Society, (Botany) vol. ix. p, 184.
LINN. PR0C.-BOTANY, VOL. IS.
2E
408
DR. LLUDCR LCNDS.L’\- 05
TEE
in Europe passes through Southern Norway, and includes moat
of the localities of my collections*. While Sir John Richardson’s
collections include genuine alpines such as :1. I’hamnolia uermicttlaris, L.
2. Alectoria ochroleuca, Ehrh.
3. Platysma cucullatwn, Hffn.
4. Parmelia stygia, Ach.
5. P.lanata, L.
6. Umbilicaria erosa, Hffm.
7. U.vellea, Ach.
8. Lecanora oreina, Ach.
9. L.verrucosa, Laur.
10. L. fulvo-lutea, Nyl.
it also includes such common lowland forms, albeit they are
cosmopolites, or very widely distributed over the globe, BS :11. Usnea barbata, Fr , and its vars. hirta, L., plicata, L., and
ceratina, A&.
12. Evernia prunastm’, Ach.
13. Ramalina calicaris, Fr., and Tar. farinacea, L.
14. Peltigera cmina, HBn.
15. Parmelia saxatilis, Ach.
16. P. olivacea, Ach.
17. Physcia pulverulenta, Fr.
1s. P. cmia, Hffm.
19. P. obscecra, Fr.
20. 8quamaria saxicola, Pollich.
21. Placodium elegans, DC.
22. Lecanora vitellina, Ach.
23. L. glaarconta, Ach.
24. Lecidea geographica, Sch .
25. L.disc formis, Fr.
26. Terrzccaria epidermidis, Ach.
If me substitute the more arctic collections of Dr. Walker, from
latitude 7 2 O in Greenland and America?, for those of Sir John
Richardson, the number of lichens which also occur in my Ice-
* The presence of trees and shrubs in the regions visited by Sir John gives
them a great advantage over treeless cotmtries, like Iceland and FLro, as regards
t h e comparative richness of their lichenose vegetation.
t IcAn Account of the Plants collected by Dr. Walker in Greenland and
Arctic America during the Expedition of Sir Francis McCliitock, R.N., in the
yacht ‘Fox,’ ” by Dr. Hooker- Journal of the Linneun Society, (Botany) v01. v.
p. 87 (Lichens determined by Mr. Mitten).
LICHEN-FLORA OF. NORTHERN EUROPE.
409
landic, Fkiiese, and Norwegian collection is thky-one, or about
12.1 per cent. This arctic collection, while it contains only one
strictly arctic lichen (DactyZina arctica, Eook.), with a few alpine
or subalpine ones (such as Dufowea madreporiformis, Ach., Alectoria ochrolezcca, Ehrli., Solorina crocea, L., and saccata, L., Plat y m a nivale, L., and juniperinurn; L., Parnzelia stygia, Ach., and
lanata, L., Umbilicaria hyperborea, Hffm., and hirszcta, Ach., Lecanora chlorophana, Whlnb., and frzlstulosa, Dicks., and Lecidea alpicola, Sch.), contains also such common and almost ubiquitous
forms as Cladonia pyxidata, L., deformis, L., gracilis, Hffm., rangiferina, Hffm., and bellidi$ora, Ach., Sphmrophoron coralloides, Pers.,
Alectoria jubata, Ach., Parmelia saxatilk, Ach., and conspersa,
Ach., Physcia pulverulenta, Fr., and candelaria, Ach., Placodiuln
murorwm, HfFm., and elegans, DC., Lecanora suhfusca, Ach., and
vitellina, Ach., Urceolaria scruposa, Ach., Lecidea geogrqhica, Sch.,
and lapicida, Fr.
Many of the lichens contained in my list, which are, in Europe,
among the most characteristic alpine and northern forms, curiously
enough do not appear at all in lists of arctic lichens. For instance, none of the following are to be found in the collections
either of Sir John Richardson or Dr. Walker :1. Pyrenopsis hematopis, Smrf.
2. Bmmyces placophyllus, Ach.
3. 8iphula ceratites, Fr.
4. ParmeZia arctica, Th. Fr.
5 . P. centrifuga, Ach.
6. Umbilicm'a stipitata, Nyl.
7. U. atro-pruinosa, Sch.
8. U.spodochroa, Hffm.
9. U.JEocculosa, Hffm.
10. Pannaria leucolepis, Whlob.
11. Pkacodim bracteatm, Hffm.
12. Spuamaria strmainea, Ach.
13. Lecanora sinapisperma, DC.
14. L. nimbosa, Fr.
15. L. pebbotrya, Smrf.
16. L. poliophEa, Whlnb.
17. L.argopholis, Whlnb.
18. L.atro-sulphurea, Whlnb.
19. L.epanora, Ach.
20. L. nqhma, Smrf.
21. L. molybdina, Whlnb.
232
410
DR. LAUDER LTYDSAT ON THE
22. Pertusaria gloazerata, Ach.
23. Varicellaria nzicrostictica, Nyl.
24. Lecidea Diapemsie, Th. Fr.
25. L.alpestris, Smrf.
26. L. stenotera, Nyl.
27. L. assindata, Nyl.
2s. L. aglcea, Smrf.
29. L. areolata, Schm.
30. L. xanthococca, Srnrf.
While the development of our commerce, the multiplication
and improvement of our manufactures, the facilitation of means
of travel and transport consequent on the applications of steam,
and the superior wealth and education of our people have combined almost entirely to put an end, in this country, to the use of
lichens as food, in medicine, or the domestic arts, Lichens continue to be, in northeru and arctic regions of both the old and
new world, of immense importance, not only as fodder to animals
onwhich man in great measure subsists, but as food, under exceptional (and sometimes, alas ! normal) conditions, to man himself.
Not only did I meet with evidence of their ecoiiomical applications
at the present day, in the course of my own excursions, but I haTe
recorded in my note-books numerous instances and proofs cited
from the most recent works of northern travel. A few of these
notanda I append as furnishing interesting illustrations of the
economical applications of lichens as food, in medicine, or the arts,
a t the present day.
Economically regarded, perhaps the most iiiiporiant of all the
northern lichens is Cladoonia ranyiferima, Hfm., the so-called
"ReindeerMoss." It frequently overspreads large tracts of sterile
country in northern and arctic Europe and America, constituting
sometimes the sole terrestrial vegetation. As such it is the main
support in Lapland and Esquimo-land" of the reindeer, one of the
chief articles of food of the inhabitants. I n some parts of Norway
this lichen is also regularly used as a winter fodder for cattle.
About the end of September it is scraped into heaps by means of
large iron rakes, and the position of these heaps is marked by
poles sufficientlytall to be visible above the winter snows. I n the
Bame country it is commonly used as a stu.Eng-materia1in the construction of the usual.log houses : i t is inserted between the logs or
beams forming the walls, intermixed or not xith Xphagna or similar
* Recent Voyages of Hall, 1861..
LICHEN-FLORA O F SORTEIEILJ EUROPE.
411
mosses. Near forests rarious corticolous lichens are similarly
employed, e. g. Alectorinjzi6ata, Xverfiia prufiastri, and Usnea barbata. C. rang$erina is also used for stuffing pillows for babies and
adults by the Lapps” ; while a t one time, if not still, A. ju6ata was
(or is) employed in the Scotch highlands as a stuffing for mattresses.
Travellers occasionally bear testimony to the softness of C. rangif e r k as ‘‘ a natural and luxurious mountain couch ” f. Occasionally too it forms at least an ingredient in the food of man. I n the
Museum of Economic Botany a t Kew there is a specimen of socalled “ lichen bread,” presented by the Earl of Clarendon, which
is used by the people of Finland in times of famine. This bread
resembles Rape cake or the black bread of Northern Europe, and
contains among its ingredients probably a certain proportion of
this lichen and Cetraria Islandica, whose claims t o be considered
a nutrient are less questionable. Second only in importance t o
the “Reindeer MOSS”is the “Icelaiid 3loss” of commerce
((!eti-uria IsZondica)-a lichen which, its name notwithstanding, is
not only more plentiful, but more largely developed in all its
varieties and foriiis, in Norway than in Iceland. It is in the former
country, moreover, and not the latter, that it is almost exclusively
collected for the European market, including even Scotland and
Faro. I n Iceland, however, it is still largely gathered for home
consumption, and is a regular article of food for man. (Xould,
one of the most recent travellers in Iceland, says it is generally
added t o milk-curd (“ slcyr ”), having first been chopped small,
then soaked in water for twenty-four hours, and lastly boiled in
milk. This addition does not improve, in his opinion, the flavour
of the curd ; but the lichen or its extract has in milk, he says, “ a
pleasant grassy taste ” $. Commander Forbes, too, speaks of having,
near Stadahraun, ill the Myre Syssel, had a supper, in which “ Iceland moss, stewed to a jelly in inilk and eaten with cream, formed
one of the principal and far from disagreeable dishes ” $. Their
taste must, to say the least, be peculiar, who go the length, with
Kerguclen, of describing ‘‘ Iceland moss ” as preferable t o any
kind of flour, and as affording “ a noble fenst ! ”
I n this country and on the continent, “ Iceland moss ” appears
t o be used to a considerablc extent, in various f o r m , as a dietetic
medicine, or as an article of the Materia Medica. I f we are to
* Norway and its Glaciers, by Prof. Forbes, (Edinburgh, 1853)p. 13.
t
Williams’s ‘ Through Norway with a Knapsack.’
2 Iceland : its Scenes and Sagas, by Sebine Baring Goulcl (London, 1563).
$ Iceland: its Volcanoes, Geysers, and Glaciers, (London, 1860) p. 154.
a2
DR. LAEDEB LINDSAY ON THE
believe the advertisements, it forms an ingredient of a well-known
form of cocoa, “Iceland-moss Cocoa,” so-called”, as well as of a
French confection, ‘(PLte de Lichen ’’f. The article known as
“ Iceland-moss Cocoa ” I have myself largely used with pleasure
and benefit. The substance is, however, by no means new; for
Sir George Mackenzie mentions having had the combination of
Iceland moss and chocolate served to him in Reykjavik in 1810.
‘‘ We found it,” says he, ‘‘ to be remarkably good, but could not
distinguish the addition of the lichen ” $-an experience which has
always been my own in regard to the commercial article. Some
effectual means in these cases must be adopted to remove or destroy the bitter cetrarine, if, in the commercial article, the lichen
is really represented at all.
“ Iceland moss ” still holds its place in our Government Materia
Medicas ; it is familiar to all our druggists, though it is comparatively seldom, so far as I can discover, actually used in medical
practice in this country. My note-book, however, contains records
of its employment both in British and continental hospital-practice, mostly in affections (of a chronic character) of the mucous
membrane of the lungs or bowels (catarrh, pneumonia, dyspepsia,
diarrhoea, &c,). Even in recent times it has been commended by
medical writers as a useful nutrient, demulcent, and tonic. That
it really does possess such properties is shown by its chemical
constitution ; but that it is excelled by numerous other articles of
diet or Materia Medica, whether as a nutrient, demulcent, o r
tonic, or as any combination of two or more of these, there can bo
little doubt. Cetraria Islandica has been shown by chemists to
contain only 1per cent. of nitrogenous material (gluten) ; but i t
contains no less than 47 per cent. of lichenine (a form of starch)
and cetrarine (a bitter principle), with 3 per cent. of sugar and
10 per cent. of gum and extractive. Viewed in another way, it
contains of
Flesh-forming (nitrogenous) material ... ... 1per cent.
Heat-giving (carboniferous) material ... ... 50
,,
I t s usefulness as an mticle of diet, or of the Materia Medica,
* Dunn and Hewett’s, 1866.
t Christien’s, 1861.
$ Page 90, original work (Travels in the Island of Iceland during the Summer of the year 1810 : Edinburgh, 1811).
8 The recently published official ‘British Pharmacopceia j’ and in the Companion’ thereto by Squire, (1864) p. 66,
IIIU€~EN-FLOBAOF NORTHFEBW EUROPB.
413
must thus depend mainly on its lichenine or starch. I t s demulcent material is considerable; but its bitter (tonic) and its purely
nutrient (nitrogenous) material are insignificant. The liehenine
is easily extracted by boiling in water or milk, forming on cooling
firm jelly, similar to that yielded by “ carrageen,” or “Irish
moss” (Chondrus criqrms, Lyngb., N. 0. Aygm).
A similar jelly-forming starch, conjoined unfortunately with Q
similar purgative and nauseous bitter, is contained in the Umbilieariu?, the ‘‘ Tripe de roche ” of Arctic voyagers. Various of the
commoner species of the genus Umbilicaria are employed like
Cetrariu Islandica to yield an edible jelly, and me also ground into
a black meal or flour as an ingredient of bread in times of famine,
in Arctic parts both of Europe and America. The Canadian
hunters have long used the “ Tripe de roche,” in some form, as an
article of food. To the readers of narratives of arctic adventure”,
its name is only too familiar as having over and over again formed
the sole food of the intrepid traveller.
In British Columbia, “when all other food fails, the natives
make shift with a species of lichen which is found in abundance
ou the sides of the rock”t. This is probably some species of
Umbilicaria. But in the same country another lichen, a corticolous one, the common wide-spread Alectoria jzcbata, seems an even
more familiar article of food. Commander Mayne describes it as
“ one of the most important articles of food ” of the native Indians. It grows abundantly about Kamloops on pine trees. I n
preparing it for use, the Indiaus carefully clear away all the fragments of bark, or twig, with which it is collected or intermixed ;
they then steep it in water till it is quite soft (or flaccid), then
wrap it up in grass and leaves t o prevent its being burnt, and
cook it between hot stones, as savages in all parts of the world
aTe, or have been, in the habit of cooking food. They also boil it
and press it into cakes 3 4 inches thick, which look like giugerbread$. The taste of these cakes is represented, doubtless most
truthfully, as ‘(very earthy and rather bitter.”. ..“ Our companion
* E d e the Barratives by Sir John Franklin and Sir John Richardson, and
Lieutenants Back and Wood, of their Expedition down the Coppermine River
in Arctic America in 1819-20.
t Cariboo Goldfields, by W. C. Hazlitt, (London, 1862) p. 49.
$ Compare this description with that of the L‘Lichen-brcad”of Scandinavia,
in which CladoBia rmgijlerina, Cetraria Islandica, fipecics of Uinbilicaria, and
perhaps of Alectoria, Euernia, &. are ingredients, but only ingredients (wide
p. 411).
414
DR. LAUDER LINDSAY OR TLlE
St. Paul,” says Commander Mayne, “gave us this (food), which
they (the Indians) call ‘ Wheela’ (or ‘ Whyelkine ’), with milk
. . . But two or three mouthfuls were all we cared to takc ”*.
Other lichens are used as food by the same Indians, sometimes in
addition to, but more generally in the absence of, the salmoll,
venison, bear, and wild sheep,-the berries and the mosses, which
form their usual and staple food.
It would appear that in North European countries, wherever
the inhabitants still weave home-grown wool into cloth-stuffs, the
use of lichens as dye-agents of the wool or yarn also still exists.
I n Faro, for instance, Lecafiora tartarea is still largely used for
dyeing the home-made woollen cloth called “ wadmal ”t,whereof
the Faroese fashion their jackets, trousers, and petticoats. During
my own visit to Fiirii in 1660, I found abundant evidence of the
collection of this and apparently also the allied species, L.parella,
with their sterile and isidioid or variolarioid conditions, for economical purposes, inasmuch as all the boulders and rocks about
Thorshavn bore the marks of a periodical careful scraping of the
lichens in question. My friend Mr. Symington 1mentions that
the inhabitants of Fair Isle, thirty miles south-west of tho Shetland group, use lichens (he does not say what species) for dyeiiig
the wool of which they make their vestments. Similar use is
probably still made of various lichens, especially Lecanora tartarea
and Parnaelia sraxatilis, in the more remote parts of the Scottish
highlands and islands, mid even of Wales§. Prof. Blytt informed
me that L. tartarea and L. veiztosa are still collected in the Bergenstift of Norway for export to France (fm the orchil-mannhcture). There is probably some error as to the latter lichen,
which has never, so far as I am aware, been employed as a dyeagent, and which neither contains nor yields orchil.
I n continuation of a series of experiments conducted between
1850 and 1852 11, I have examined certain of the Icelandic, Faroese,
m d Norwegian licheiis which in these OP other countries yield
..
*
‘Four Years in British Columbia, and Vnncouver Idand,’ by Commnnder
R. C. Mayne, R.N., F.R.G.S., (London, 1862) p. 122.
T On the authoritJ: of Sysselman Miiller in 1854. Vide Cruise of the yacht
Maria among the Fir6 Islands in the Summer of 1854,’ (London, 1855) p. 46.
$ Skctohes of FBro and Iceland, 1862, p. 8.
5 On the authority of Mr. Pamplin, of London, the well-known botanical
bookseller.
1) “Experiments on the Dyeing Properties of Lichens,” Edinburgh New
Philosophical Journal, October 1854 and July 1855.
LICZIEii-FLOllA OF NORTHERN EU11OPE.
415
red dyes, and in contrast with them the same species from New
Zealand, India, and other parts of the world, in order to determine
approximately and roughly how far climatic and other differences
d e c t their coloiific property. The northern lichens experimenlrd
on mere mostly :1. Leeanova tartaren, Ach.
2. L. parella, Ach.
3. Parmelia saxatilis, Ach.
4.. Umbilicaria erosa, Hffm.
5. Ramalinn scopulorum, Ach.
The general result was, that the same colour, with certaiii differences in quality or intensity, was yielded in all cases by the same
species, from whatever country derived, the circumstances of experiment being virtually the same in all. Such results, however,
of experiments conducted on the small wale cannot be in all Renses
relied on. They appear, for inst-nee, opposed t o the fact that
orchil-manufacturers are guided by their experience to prefer
‘(orchella weed ” (species of Roccello) from cquatorial or subequatorial maritime regions j under which circumstances of growth the
same species is found to be richer in eolouriug-matter than wheii
it is collected froin higher latitudes and more inlaud localities.
As the result of all my inquiries and espcrimcnts on the subject
since 1850, I have little doubt that latitude, climate, teniperaturc,
moisture, exposure, elevation, geological character of the soil,
nature of the trees on which they grow, and in general all those
conditions which affect the botanical character of the plant (and
the genus Rocella is one of the niost variable in the whole lichenfamily) also affect their chemical character, and so render the
Roccellce more or less serviceable for the purposes of the colourmanufacturer or dyer.
It is here worthy of remark that the natives of tropical or subtropical countries which abound in valuable dye-lichens, who
export them largely for the European market, are yet themselves
ignorant of their uses andvalue. F o r instance, my friend Dr. Kirk
informs me that large quantities of certain corticolous maritime
Roccellce (probably R. Xontagnei, DBl., or various fornis of R.fuciformis, Ach., t o which I am disposed to refer R. Nontaynei as a mew
variety) are exported regularly from Zanzibar, Eastern Africa,
partly ui6 Bombay, but in great measure directly to Portugal and
France. These are by far the mod valuable dye-lichens Imot\in,
and they have gradually supplanted, in the British market at least,
all other species and genera. Yet, says Dr. Kirk, they arc uii-
416
NR. F. KITTEN-LIST
OF DIATOMACEB.
known to the natives in the Zambesi and Zanzibar districts as
being capable of yielding dyes, or of being otherwise utilized in
the domestic arts. Nor could I find any trace in New Zealand
or Australia of the application by the natives of lichens in dyeing
or otherwise. On the other hand, their use seems to be abupdantly recognized in India-my friend Mr. Cooke, of the India
Museum, having some years ago submitted to me for examination
a series of specimens, embracing several genera as well as species,
of lichens which are currently used by the natives as dye-givers?.
List of Diatomaces collected by Dr. David Lyall, R.N., of the
N.W. Coast of British North America Boundary Commission,
1858-59. By F. KITTEN,
Esq. Communicated by Dr. HOO~EE,
F.R.S.
[Read Nov. 1, lS66.l
THE Algae and Zoophytes collected by Dr. D. Lyall during
the survey of the north-west coast of British North America
(extending from Fort Colville to the Rocky Mountains) are
iu many instances thickly invested with filamentous and stipitate
Diatomaceae. The most abundant is Isthnaia nervosa : in many
specimens its growth has extended nearly half an inch from the
surface of the Alga or Zoophyte to which it was attached. The
next in abundance is Triceratiwm arcticzm,in filaments: this species
was first found concatenate on zoophytes from Vancouver’s Island ; and an able paper upon it, by 3’.C. 8. Roper, Esq., F.L.S.,
mill be found in the Transactions of the Microscopical Society of
London, vol. viii. p. 55. Specimens of Algs from Fuca Strait
were also thickly covered with Rhabdonema minutum, Podosphenia
gracilis and P. Ehrenbergii.
The * denotes that the specimens occur very rarely.
* Arachnoidiacus Ehrenbergii.
Biddulphia Roperiana.
Cocconeis scutellunz, small form.
Tragilaria striatula.
* Grammatophora marina.
* Gomphonema, sp. ?
0 Hyalodiscus (Podosira ?) suhtilk.
t Vide paper “On the Dye-stuffs of India andchina,” in the ‘Tecknologist,’
1861,vol. i. pp. 136-138 ; and ‘‘ Waste Products and Undeveloped Substances,’
by P. L. Simmonda, (London, 1962) p. 264.