Bromus carinatus Hooker &Arnott, a Grass New to IrelandAuthor(s): Sylvia ReynoldsSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 22, No. 12 (Oct., 1988), pp. 535-536Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25539305 .

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Ir.Nat.J. Vol. 22 No. 12 1988 535

SOME COUNTY ANTRIM (H39) PLANT RECORDS FOR 1987

The following records were all made in 1987, some of them while recording for the BSBI

Monitoring Scheme.

*ThIaspi alliaceum L. Recently re-seeded pasture on shore of L. Neagh in Ballyginniff, Milltown area

J114814, J. Angus, A. Hill, W. Semple and S. Beesley 17 May. DetT. C. G. Rich. First Irish record.

BEL. In Gt Britain this white-flowered crucifer is reported to be a weed of arable land and naturalised

locally in S England (CTW).

"Erysimum cheiranthoides Waste ground nr L. Neagh J109806; soil had probably been recently

dumped on the site which was well covered with arable weeds, 25 July, SB. First post ? 1930 record;

previously recorded at Belfast and Lame.

"Angelica archangelica L. By sea shore nr Eden, c3km NE of Carrickfergus J441884, July, R. Field

and SB, BEL. The origin of this plant is unclear ? there was no sign of disturbance of the area.

Aethusa cynapium One plant in hedge of Crataegus, Prunus spinosa, Rosa etc nr disused mineral

railway at Carnlough D278185, 13 Sept, SB. On waste ground nr public library, Joymount,

Carrickfergus, 24 Sept, SB. First records since 1920?last seen Cushendall. Described as frequent in

Flora of the North-east of Ireland (1938) but not so now.

"Geranium pratense One plant in flower in area of rough grassland nr entrance to Cave Hill quarry

J319789, 21 July, J. Wilde and SB. Previously reported from this area in 1905 and 1908 ? it is remarkable that this plant should persist unrecorded in the locality for 80 years.

12 Downview Park, Carrickfergus BT38 8RY. S. BEESLEY

JUNCUS FOUOSUS IN TWO NORTHERN IRELAND COUNTIES

J.foliosus is one of the segregates of the J. bufonius agg. and has hitherto not been reported as

present in any county of Northern Ireland. Herb BEL however, contains two specimens clearly referable to this species from Cos Fermanagh (H33) and Antrim (H39): H33 Ardunshin undated, prob cl860, S. A. Brenan. H39 Portrush 1910, S.Wear.

Ulster Museum, Belfast BT9 5AB. PAUL HACKNEY

BOTANICAL NOTES

BROMUS CARINATUS HOOKER & ARNOTT, A GRASS NEW TO IRELAND

On 1 July 1987, while recording for the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club's new Flora of Co Dublin, I found an unusual Bromus growing in the grassy verge of Pigeon House Road, Ringsend, Dublin, near the River Liffey (0187340). The large flattened spikelets and long awns were distinctive, and the

grass appeared to be a well established perennial covering several square metres with Dactylis

glomerata, Artemisia vulgaris, Malva sylvestris, Crepis vesicaria, Plantago lanceolata and Trifolium

repens. Flowering specimens were collected on 1 July, and plants with mature fruits on 1 August. Declan Doogue of the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club tentatively identified the grass as Bromus

carinatus Hooker & Arnott, and this was confirmed by Tim Rich and Clive Stace of the Botanical

Society of the British Isles. Specimens have been deposited in the National Herbarium, Glasnevin,

Dublin (DBN) and the Ulster Museum, Belfast (BEL). Bromus carinatus Hooker & Arnott (Ceratochloa carinata (Hooker & Arnott) Tutin; Bromus

marginatus auct.), California Brome, is not listed in the Census Catalogue of the Flora of Ireland,

Second edition (Scannell and Synnott, 1987 Stationery Office, Dublin), and there are no Irish

specimens in DBN, BEL or TCD. The grass is native in western North America, and has become

naturalized in Britain and the Netherlands (Clapham, Tutin and Moore 1987, Flora of the British

Isles, CUP, Tutin et al. 1980, Flora Europaea, CUP). In Britain, it was first found near the Thames at

Kew in 1938 by C. E. Hubbard, and it is now quite widespread along the Thames (Burton 1983, Flora

of the London area, London Natural History Society, London). This Bromus may have reached

Ireland with a cargo landed in Dublin Port as there are docks within 0.5km to the west, north and east

of where it was found.

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536 Ir.Nat. J. Vol. 22 No. 12 1988

B. carinatus is a perennial in Britain (Clapham, Tutin and Moore 1987) which seeds freely (Burton 1983). However, in one place in Ontario, Canada, where it was first noticed in 1944, it

appears to be an annual, also freely seeding itself (Dore and McNeill 1980 Grasses of Ontario

Monograph 26, Research Branch, Agriculture Canada). Dore and McNeill (1980) suggest that it

could prove valuable as a forage grass there.

I would like to thank Miss Maura Scannell for helpful suggestions with this note, and both her

and Paul Hackney for checking Bromus records in DBN and BEL respectively.

115 Weirview Drive, Stillorgan, Co Dublin SYLVIA REYNOLDS

CRASSULA HELMS11 (T KIRK) COCKAYNE: NEW TO IRELAND

In August 1985, R. Weyl noticed an unfamiliar succulent plant growing in shallow water at

Glastry Clay Pits, Co Down (J639630). It was only sometime later that the identity of the plant became

apparent as Crassula helmsii (T. Kirk). Cockayne, the first Irish record of this native of Australasia.

However, whilst confirming the record with the Ulster Museum it became apparent that the plant had

also been collected by P. Hackney from the same site sometime previously. The plant was dominant over an area of about 7m x 2. 5m in about 10- J 5cm depth of water at the

edge of a clay pit of about lha. It formed over 90% of the cover mostly as a mat 5-10cm thick.

Associated plants include sparse Juncus articulatus, Sparganium erectum, Potamogeton natans and

the moss Cratoneuron filicinum with occasional plants of Agrostis stolonifera, Epilobium

parviflorum, Juncus conglomeratus, Juncus effusus, Myriophyilum spicatum and Rumex crispus. There has been much concern over the recent spread of Crassula helmsii in Great Britain (e.g.,

Dawson, F. G. and Warman, E. A., 1987, Biol. Conservation 42: 247-272). It is highly invasive and

is causing management problems at several sites of high nature conservation interest. Once well

established its removal is not easily achieved. For these reasons The National Trust, owners of Glastry

Clay Pits, are presently taking steps to eliminate the plant from the site. Further occurrences in Ireland

are likely and it is urged that similar early action be undertaken to stop the plant establishing itself at

other sites in Ireland.

Countryside and Wildlife Branch DOE (NI), Calvert House, 23 Castle Place, Belfast.

Ulster Museum, Stranmillis Road, Belfast. RICHARD WEYL

PAUL HACKNEY

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES BLACK RATS RATTUS RATTUS (L.) AS PREY OF SHORT-EARED OWLS ASIO FLAMMEUS

(PONTOPIDDAN) ON LAMBAY ISLAND, CO DUBLIN

Black rats in Britain and Ireland are largely confined to a few seaports and marine islands (e.g. Ni

Lamhna, E. 1979 Provisional distribution atlas of amphibians, reptiles and mammals in Ireland 2nd

Edn, An Foras Forbartha, Dublin). On Lambay, where known since at least 1935 (Moffat 1938 Proc.

R. Ir. Acad. 44B: 6-128), they coexist with brown rats Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout. There are no

wild mammalian predators, but both short-eared and long-eared owls Asio otus L. can occur in winter.

On 12 January 1985, J. K. Lovatt and S. Gilmartin disturbed two short-eared owls from a small

plantation of young conifers around the farm buildings and main residence on the island.

Twenty-three pellets were collected from the ground, and I later analysed these.

The prey comprised ten rats and an unidentified small passerine bird. 'Minimum numbers' were

based on the highest count of any individual headpart or limb/girdle bone, as each pellet contained on

average less than half the skeletal remains of a single large rat. Using differences in molar cusps and

mandibular diastema-shape (Wolff P., Herzig-Straschil B. and Bauer K. 1980 Mitt. Abt. Zool.

Landesmus Joanneum 9:141-188), the headparts of three black and three brown rats were identified

specifically. Four additional brown rats were identifiable using humeri. Identifications were

confirmed by reference to rat skeletons in the museum of UCC Zoology Department. Approximate

average weights were estimated from a regression of brown rat weight on mandible-length (Morris, P.

A. 1979 J. Zool., Lond. 189: 540-545) (particularly tentative for black rats). In summary, seven

brown rats (estimated mean weight 154g, range 124-182g) provided c!3%, three black rats (127g,

range 80-162g) c26% and one passerine bird (20g) c\% of total prey weight. Although rats are often the most important winter prey of short-eared owls (Fairley, J. S. 1966

Br. Birds 59: 307-308, Glue D. E. 1977 Bird Study 24: 70-78), there are apparently no published

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