Sylvanus Wear's Algal Collection in the Ulster MuseumAuthor(s): Osborne MortonSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Jul., 1977), pp. 92-93Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25538059 .

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92 Ir. Nat J. Vol. 19. No. 3. 1977

SYLVANUS WEAR'S ALGAL COLLECTION IN THE ULSTER MUSEUM Osborne Morton

Algal collections 1 to 8, which were donated by Queen's University, Belfast, to the Ulster Museum in February 1968, were outlined by Kertland (1967b). The

system of amalgamating the collections while preserving them as entities by numbering them was begun by M. W. Rea in 1916 who has left notes describing and

listing the first six of these collections (C1?C6), the system is being continued. Kertland (1967a) described the specimens of John Templeton in Collection

I which were then in the Queen's University herbarium while Pilcher (1967) in the same year described the specimens of John Templeton in the Ulster Museum. These two have now been united in Collection 1 (accession numbers: Fl?F48; F190?

F264; F278?F314). Morton (1977) described briefly three collections containing W. H. Harvey

material. The main one being Collection 7, the other two were numbered Collec tion 10 and Collection 11 and amalgamated with Collection 7.

Collection 12 has recently been accessioned (F86, F87, F94, F95, F447? F 646). It consists of 273 specimens which have been mounted on 204 sheets. Five of the specimens are undated, the others all bear dates of 1915 or 1917 and were collected in the Counties Londonderry (H 40), Antrim (H 39) and Down (H 38); the

majority being from Co. Antrim. Most were signed by Sylvanus Wear except those collected in 1917. These unsigned specimens were preserved and annotated on the back in the same manner and with the same handwriting as the signed specimens..

Sylvanus Wear (1858?1920) was an Englishman who settled in Belfast in 1904 and was one of the active members of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. His

name is more associated with flowering plants than with algae for he undertook the work necessary in producing A Second Supplement to, and Summary of Stewart and Corrys Flora of the North-east of Ireland (Wear, 1923). This work he completed ten days before his sudden death in 1920 (Praeger, 1949). His collection of vascular plants is also in the Ulster Museum (Hackney, 1972).

The specimens have been mounted and amalgamated in the main herbarium.. They are still preserved as one entity by the continuation of Miss Rea's system in which each specimen is marked with its collection number, in this case "C. 12".

The bulk of the specimens in the collection were correctly determined by Sylvanus Wear. The few which were misidentified have been re-determined and a further 53 unidentified specimens have been identified at least down to generic level. Six remain unidentified, they will receive further attention. Four specimens of Codium were determined by Parkes in 1973 and published (Parkes, 1975). The nomenclature has been updated throughout to conform with that of Parke and

Dixon (1976). Sylvanus Wear also made a collection of microscope slides, these are

referred to in notes on the back of the specimens. Of these slides 87 are in the Ulster Museum with numbers between 1 and 116.

The locality of the specimens has been well recorded in many cases, for example "Extreme Point north of Lifeboat House, Portrush" with a note on the habitat, in the above case "Low tide pool." Others are not recorded so exactly and are without any notes on habitat. Many of the specimens came from "North Bay" which is not marked on the map. Sylvanus Wear numbered those specimens which he identified using the numbers in Harvey (1857).

Though none of the species represented appear to be rare; without expert determination of some this could not be said with certainty. Nevertheless the collection is a useful addition to the herbarium.

Department of Botany, Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast 9.

INHERENCES Hackney, P, (1972) Notes on the Vascular Plant Herbarium >of die Ulster Museum. Ir. Nat.

J. 17; 230-233. Harvey, W. H. (1857) Synopsis of British Seaweeds. London. Kertland, M. P. H. (1967a) The Specimens of' Templeton's Algae in the Queen's University

Herbarium. Ir. Nat. J. 15: 318-327.

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Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 19. No. 3. 1977 93

-, ^1967b) Some Early Algal Collections in the Queen's University Herbarium. Ibid. 15: 346-349.

Morton, O. (1977) A Note on W. H. Harvey's Algae in the Ulster Museum. Ir. Nat. J. 19: 26. Parkes, H. M. (1975) Records of Codium species in Ireland. Proc. R. Ir. Acad. 75B(4): 123-134 Parke, M. and Dixon, P. S. (1976) Cheek-list of British Marine Algae

? Third Revision. J. mar. biol Ass. U.K. 56: 527-594.

Pilcher, B. (1967) The Algae of John Templeton in the Ulster Museum. Ir. Nat. J. 15: 350-353. Praeger, R. LI. (1949) Some Irish Naturalists. Dundalk.

Weajr? S. (1923) A Second Supplement to, and Summary of Stewart and Carry's Flora of riie North-East of Ireland. Published by Belfast Naturalists' Field Club.

BSBI FIELD MEETING, KINSALE, CO CORK, 22-23 MAY, 1976 ADDITIONAL CORK PLANT RECORDS

Seven members attended this weekend meeting at Kinsale: the leader Tony O'Mahony, co-leader Maura Scannell, Jim White of Dublin, Justin McCarthy of Mallow, Bernie Gogin from Dingle, and Mr and Mrs AHott from Limerick.

The River Bandon discharges at Kinsale and it forms the boundary between the vice-counties of Mid-Cork (H4) and West Cork (H3).

On the Saturday morning the leader's Kinsale (H4) station for Veronica crista

galli was first visited, and the plant was found in flower and immature fruit. This Caucasian speedwell was originally noted by R. A. Phillips, to have been naturalised about Cork City (H4) by 1906. The Kinsale station, discovered in 1971, is one of only two outliers of the main Cork City populations known to the leader. Indeed, these may

well now be the only extant naturalised colonies in Europe. An account of its occur rence in the Cork flora will be published at a future date. Allium vineale and Erodium

moschatum were also seen here, while Allium triquetrum was in abundance, as it is

throughout the Kinsale area.

Ring-na-Nean wood near Belgooly was visited next. Here Euphorbia amygda loides was seen in flower over a mile of wooded roadside in the Kinsale direction.

While its status here is dubious, it might well be nativq along the River Bandon nearby ?

its main Irish station. Among other species recorded were Rosa arvensis, R.

micrantha, R. dumetorum, Melica uniflora, Ruhia peregrina and the naturalised Vinca

major and Cotoneaster microphallus.

Evening saw the party at James Fort ?

directly opposite Kinsale ? on the H3

side of the Bandon estuary. Here Lepidium latifolium was seen in the Rev T. Allin's

1872 station. Unfortunately Allin's equally old station for Asplenium hillotii was not refound, though in compensation, our only non-botanist, Michael Allott, drew our

attention to a minute flowering plant which was identified as Trifolium ornithopodioides. This is only the third West Cork station for this species (see O'Donovan, Ir. Nat. J. 11: 1953) and the only recent Co Cork record. Allium vineale, new to West Cork, occurs

as scattered clumps in this area.

On Sunday morning a pre-breakfast ramble about Scilly, found Medicago arabica still flourishing there in its long established station. The delightful coastal walk to Summercove produced Carex muricata and Linaria vulgaris, while Brasska nigra

was common, and surely native, on coastal rocks.

After breakfast we set course in glorious weather for Garrylucas Marsh, behind

Garristown Beach (H3). Here Thelypteris palustris (marsh fern) and Juncus subno dulosus were locally abundant

? indeed co-dominant

? on at least the southern portion of the marsh. Both are new to the Cork flora and it is interesting to note that the nearest stations for the marsh fern are in Kerry and Wicklow. The identity of both species was confirmed on a later visit (June 26) by the county recorders, M. Scannell and T.

O'Mahony.

Puzzling but beautiful dactylorchids evoked much speculation as to their identities; they were obviously a mixed hybrid swarm, with perhaps some pure species

still remaining. A sample of one form which was sent to Dr J. Wood at Kew elicited the comment "probably the hybrid Dactylorhiza X dinglensis (Wilmot) Soo", Carex

acutiformis was locally common, though mostly in a vegetative state, while the marsh

fringe had the leaves of Rumex hydrolapathum, noted by Allin a century previously. Some massive stands of Ctadium mariscus (saw sedge) were also admired. This

species is not known from E. Cork (H5) while the only likely remaining Mid-Cork (H4) station is Blarney Lake.

A first visit to Howe's Strand produced Equisetum X litorale fringing the stream near the beach. A dactylorchid collected from damp ground on the cliffs was later determined by Dr Wood as "closest to the hybrid Dactylorhiza X formosa (Steph.) Sod".

6 Glenthorn Way, Dublin Hill, Cork City T. O'MAHONY The Herbarium, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. M. SCANNELL

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