XX. 



NOTES ON SOME PLANTS COLLECTED IN HERTFORDSHIRE 

 BY MISS MARIA RANSOM, 1838-1840. 



By James Saundees. 



Head at Watford, 2Srd March, 1897. 



The small herbarium formed by Miss Maria Ransom, of Hitcbin, 

 afterwards Mrs. R. Marsb, of Luton, is now in tbe possession of 

 her son, Mr. Marsb, at present residing at Bedford. Tbe collection 

 was lent to tbe writer that it might be seen if there were any 

 records of sufficient interest to be preserved in the ' Transactions ' 

 of the Society. Tbe few that are so regarded are enumerated 

 below. 



The specimens are still in good condition, and exhibit great care 

 in pressing and mounting. They were originally intended for 

 exhibition at some flower-shows at Hitcbin. Those for tbe first 

 occasion, about forty species, were mostly of the commoner kinds, 

 while those for the second included the rarer forms. 



Miss Ransom had tbe advantage of the acquaintance and assist- 

 ance of the late Mr. Isaac Brown, an honorary member of the 

 Society, and also of tbe late Mr, William Dawson, both of whom 

 resided at Hitcbin at this period, which no doubt accounts 

 in some measure for tbe general accuracy of the names. Except 

 in one or two instances they are correct, and in these cases the 

 specimens probably have not been seen by either of them. It is 

 possible that some of the specimens were given to Miss Ransom by 

 Mr. Brown, as the stations for them are tbe same as appear in 

 Webb and Coleman's ' Flora ' with his authority. 



The most noteworthy omission of a locality for a specimen is 

 that for Lrosera anglica, which is the true plant, and just such 

 as one might find in the New Forest. This is unfortunate, as 

 there is no record known to the writer of tbe occurrence of this 

 species in Hertfordshire, although it is recorded by Abbott as 

 growing in Ampthill Bogs, in Bedfordshire, circa 1798, a specimen 

 being preserved in bis herbarium at Turrey Abbey. In the absence 

 of any evidence of Miss Ransom's specimen having been found in 

 Hertfordshire, the species is omitted from this list. 



The original an-angement was that of tbe Linnean system, but 

 tbe sequence and nomenclature here adopted is that of Pryor's 

 * Flora of Hertfordshire,' published by this Society. 



Myosurus minimus, L. Ivel. — Ippollitts. 



Ranunculus parviflorus, Z. Ivel. — Ickleford Road, Hitcbin. 



Batrachium tricbophyllum, F. Schultz., var. Godroni, Gren. Ivel. — 



Bearton Closes, Hitcbin. (First record.) 

 B. bederaceum. Gray. Ivel. — West Mill, Ickleford. 

 Helleborus foetidus, L. Lea. — Hoddesdon. 



