I
Mountains
Jorefts.
JJotany.
into Sweden.. - T h e centre, o f th e chain feems, as in the Alps and
Pyrenees,> to.prefent the chief elevations, whence the mountains decline
in height towards Lapland. Tlaofe. o f Finland often contain rapakivi,
being a brown mixture o f felfpar and mica.7. In the centre and fouth
of- Sweden the red granite becomes very common. But in Weftro-
gothia the mountains are often o f trap,. '
F urther illuftrations ,of th e grand chain o f m o u n ta in s,. which divide
Sweden from-Not way, will b e fo u n d in the defcription of the Danifli
dominions ; and in confidering the Swedilh mineralogy other hints, will
arife concerning the. geology o f th e country.
T h e forefts o f this kingdom are numerous,- and w ith o u t th e ir aid the
mines could n o t be wrought. D.alcca-rlia, in particular, abounds, w ith
forefts o f birch, poplar, mountain alh, pine-, and fir ; and the n u merous
lakes o f Sweden.are generally Ikirted with wood to th e margin
o f the water.
A lth o u g h the great Scandinavian peninfula be divided, b y its political
interefts between Denmark, Sweden, and Ruffia, yet nature refufes to
acknowledge any fuch d iftin ftio n ; ftiall th e re fo re be confideTed w ith
refpedt to its botany as one g re a t whole, n o r can a .fkefch o f its : in digenous
plants be introduced anywhere w ith more propriety than in
th e defcription o f th a t territorial p a rt o f it which, in .ex ten t, is fuperior
to all the reft,- and w h ich reckons amongft :its..<ytaszens the illuftrious
Linnseus, and feveral o f his moft eminent difciples.
T h e lowlands and lakes o f Scandinavia are principally fituatqd in th e
fouth o f Sweden apd Finland, and th e great rap^ea r f Alpipe moun-.
tains are found near the A rd ic circle, or a t leaft are^copljn^d tQ the
northern provinces ; hence it is th a t Lapland, both, fijom jt^eleyatiort
and its n o rth e rn fite, contains feveral plants which are not to be met
w ith in th e reft o f the peninfula.
Several fpecies are common both to England and ScaMinayia, ^nd
th ough the flora o f Britain be the moft copious o f th e tw o , yet the fuperio-
rity is not perhaps fo g rea t as might be expected from th e difference p f
climate. I f thofe fpecies th a t are natives o f our chalk hills, and
fouthern eoafts, are fo r th e moft p a rt wanting.to Scandinavia, ye t this
7 lb . 7 2 . Kirwan, i. 34J'.
laft
laft contains: feveral Ge rman and A rd ic plants which are not to be
found in -o u r own i l l a n d . ,,
’ O f timber trees {there ar^t-jbut, few? fpecies^'^the mpft common, and
thofe which conftitute thatwealthi fef Scandinavia,;' are the Norway pine,
and th e fir : o f th e fe th e re are immenfe •fiheftsr TpreadLover the rocky
mountains, andedeepehiJsgswithntheirTulIem h u e .the whole- horizon j
thoufands.’o f giant g row th ate'every-winter: overthrown by the ftorms;
and allowed to perifli where they» fall from the impeflibifity of.tranfr
p o rting them to the fea, others, in more "aceeffible fituatious, .areneorik
vested to various h um a n ufes>;- th e wood' from it&iighfcnefs.'a'ud ftraight-
nets .is .excellpht f®r :m>afts.'and y'airds,- and ■'yaflQUsrl'domefticjpurpofes p
th e juiceyas tar, turpentine, add pitch, i^almSft- "o f^ u a l value "with th e
wood ;:<and' the*' in k e r hark, mixed ^ i t h rye-:m'edlyfifenilhes*a- cokffe-
-bread in times ®[f fcarcity. 'aTih.Q> b ird theory, pruriu&’padu&p th e w h ite
beam, 'cratasgus a ria ; t h e , OT®&»toV/t'^^ifOrbh^>^%patra ; the! aided,
th e b irth , and d w a r f bireh\ betula alnus',- h . alba,-b.‘,n a n a ; feveral kinds
o f willoW i; the afpen, populus ffdmula; are-'fouricMn th e whole petiinfula ;
th e lime,’the ejfn, the afh, and!the oak,-t-fiohg'l¥gro%vi.ng'with freedom
in th e fouthern parts; are incapable bhwithftandirig th e '^ o u T S 'o f a Lap^-
land winter. Amdpg the^lafgfer fhrubs the^ Gernldri itim arijk, tamarix
Qermanica-; th e g a d d e r •viburnum opuluky and fi^B a rB e d r y ,'
berheris vulgaris’, ‘are met with' chiefly in fh ed b u th ;’ th e bumefthofe®'Xhe
and ju n ip e r, are hardy-enough to 1 flburifh' evefet’
w ithin the -A rc tic -circle; T h e flow e r woods and thrckets v'afford' the
Linnseaborealisyand Trientalis'Ehropsea, in greai^abundance, 'an d h e re
and there^are found the everlafting p ea , Iathyrus fylveftris; the n arrow -
lea ved ' 'w illow herb, 'epifbbiilm aUguftifolium ; the' ‘Wexereon', Uaphne
m e z e r e um ^ th e h ep a tite, anemhne h ep atica ; and tile corhus Suecica.
T h e fir woods y ie ld two fpecies o f pyrola, the rotundifolia, and minor ;
and the fhady fides o f mountains and alpine lakes are adorned by th e
ceraftium alpinum, ferratula alpina, fedum rupeftre, tuffilago frigida,
lycopodium complanatum, ranuhculW acbnitifolmif aconituin lyco&o-
n um , trollius Europseus., globe fo w e r , and the fplendid pedfcillaris
feeptrum.
| The
Bstakv.