A BOTANICAL TOUR. 117 



was faintly glimmering, and a long dark wall of tidal waves were tumbling in 

 upon the shore. I scrambled in, on, and about the sand-hills, to some distance 

 on the beach towards Oystermouth, giving up my researches only with actual 

 night, though the small continued falling rain, the dash of the spray, and the 

 spread of the sombre clouds, had long left me solitary on the sands. The follow- 

 ing plants were here gathered by me. I place the asterisk as before, to indicate 

 those not noticed in Glamorganshire, or in the county I happen to be itinerating, 

 in Mr. H. C. Watson's New Botanists Guide to the Localities of the rarer 

 Plants of Britain. 



Delphinium Consolida. — Some very beautiful blue and light purple varieties 



growing in the sand. 

 * Glaucium luteum. — Spreading its large yellow petals beautifully among the 

 stones on the barrier of the beach. It is frequent along this coast, from 

 Swansea to Aberystwith, though not noticed by Mr. Watson as in- 

 habiting South Wales, which shows how little this district has been ex- 

 amined botanically, while North Wales has been gleaned over and over again. 

 *Cochlearia Armor acia. — Among rubbish on the shore, north of the pier. 

 *Cakile maritima. — Pleasingly displaying its light purple blossoms amongst 



grass, &c, on the borders of the sand-hills. 

 *Sinapis tenuifolia. — Dispersed along the shore, whence probably it has pro- 

 gressed, to adjacent walls and old structures, as seen in many parts of 

 South Wales. 

 *Arenaria peploides. — I brought some living specimens of this plant home, 

 and attempted its cultivation in a garden, where it lived for many months, 

 and even through a winter ; but it never extended itself, and finally dis- 

 appeared. 

 *Rosa spinosissima. — Along the sandy " burrows," as the neutral ground 

 between low and high-water, or rather between the latter and the culti- 

 vated ground, is here provincially termed, I found this beautiful Rose, 

 forming dwarf thickets in the utmost profusion. Its lovely white flowers, 

 moist with the dews of evening, and closing up their petals, were visible 

 for some distance, forming the most delightful relief conceivable to the 

 aridity of the shore, on whose naked bosom they sprang, while the pro- 

 fusion of flowers studding their fairy forms, and their delicate odour, ren- 

 dered them objects peculiarly pleasing to behold. This is, no doubt, the 

 original type of R. spinosissima, though inland specimens exceed it so 

 much in size as to seem almost of a different species, but the same profusely 

 spinose stem prevails in all. Though the late Sir J. E. Smith records, 

 that according to his observation the flower stalks are " quite smooth and 

 naked," yet in these marine specimens the utmost diversity prevailed. 



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