Flora of the Outer Hebrides
Although the flora of the Outer Hebrides had been recorded by a succession of botanists from mid 19th century, a comprehensive account was not published until 1991 (Pankhurst and Mullen). In comparison with the other taxonomic groups, the vascular plants are reasonably well documented, the Flora describing over 700 species. The landscape of the islands comprises largely of acid bog and moorland, numerous scattered lochs, and outcrops of Lewisian gneiss where the flora is best described as impoverished with less than 25 species of flowering plants. However, the rich coastal grassland of the west coasts (machair) supports a more diverse community of wild flowers and grasses.
The combination of climate and the geography of the islands (in terms of their position and size) are probably the major factors which have determined the biodiversity of the flora and plant distribution. The oceanic nature of the climate is responsible for the richness of the bryophyte flora (mosses and liverworts) and also contributes to the late flowering of many species - the flowers of the machair are probably at their best from mid-June.
To date we have photographed 88 species from 37 families and we will be adding to this total slowly - the season is quite short and the weather limits the number of days which are suitable for photography. If you wish to browse the Taxonomic Index or Family Index (thumbnails) provides a list of species and links to their descriptions, alternatively you can use the search facility to locate species by either using the common or scientific name.
