JULY. 279 



corymbs of the fragrant Alyssum (Koniga maritime?) ; 

 Newport Castle, Pembrokeshire, has all its walls 

 bristling with the rigid spinous gorse ; the ruined 

 palace of St. David's glows with the crimson flowers 

 of the Wall Germander (Teucrium diam&drys) ; the 

 gate of Battle Abbey, bears the solemn Night-shade 

 in preference ; and, odd enough, the topmost pinnacles 

 of the fine gothic tower of Newland church, Glouces- 

 tershire, wave with a cluster of Cherry-trees ! The 

 rare Arabis turrit a has never been found in England 

 except on the old walls of Trinity and St. John's col- 

 leges, Cambridge, and Magdalen college, Oxford ; and 

 the inelegant E/agwort (Senecio squalidus) always 

 affects ancient walls, as those of collegiate Oxford, 

 and the rude buttresses by the old water-gate of the 

 castle at "Worcester.* Dr. BROMFIELD has intimated 

 that Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis,) is perfectly and 

 abundantly naturalized on the ruins of the beautiful 

 and romantically situated Abbey of Beaulieu, in the 

 New Forest, Hampshire, particularly on the walls and 

 in the area of the cloisters ; now as fully established 

 and permanent as the wall-flower, calaminth, pellitory, 

 and other mural plants that flourish on the picturesque 

 remains of that once "proud abbaye." 



The common Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), 

 perhaps from having been cultivated as a pot-herb in 

 the absence of better things, often presents itself on 

 the mounds of ruined castles, as on those of Shrews- 

 bury and Caermarthen, where I have observed it, as 



* Although living 1 for many years in the immediate vicinity of this spot, 

 the plant had escaped my notice till kindly pointed out to me by the ob- 

 servant eye of the Rev. ANDREW BLOXSOM, a gentleman well-known for 

 his acumen in the records of botanical exploration. I regret to say that 

 from a reparation of the wall in 1848, the plant has almost disappeared 

 from the locality. 



