APPENDIX 

 TO THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



FOR 1875.* 



AN OUTLINE OF THE FLORA OF SUSSFX 



BY 



W. B. HEMSLEY, A.L.S. 



It is known to many of the readers of the ** Journal of Botany" that 

 I commenced some years ago collecting materials for a ''Mora of 

 Sussex," and doubtless those interested in the work have long been 

 looking for its appearance. A cooabination of adverse circumstances 

 has prevented me from carrying out my project ; not the least of 

 which has been my inability to spare the time required to perform the 

 task in a creditable manner. Moreover, there is another consideration 

 which would alone be sufficient to induce me to renounce the under- 

 taking. It is this : were I to publish such a work now it must neces- 

 sarily, to a great extent, be of an historical character rather than a 

 guide to the existing vegetation of the county. So much that was 

 formerly waste ground has been enclosed and is now under tillage, 

 bogs have been drained, and the encroaching waters of the sea have 

 destroyed many of the old habitats of maritime plants. Again, I 

 cannot pretend to that practical acquaintance with critical forms that 

 the writer of a county Flora should possess, and therefore the labour 

 of referring a large number of specimens to their proper places would 

 be very great, and the results unsatisfactory. I must be content, then, 

 with giving an outline of the flora, so far as I am able, from the pub- 

 lished and unpublished material at my disposal, without, however, 

 assuming in all cases the responsibility of the determination of critical 

 forms. Thus much is due to those who have kindly furnished me with 

 specimens and lists, and 1 believe, too, that the following enumeration 

 will be found very useful, as it has been carefully compiled. I have 

 not thought it desirable to give details of the habitats of many species, 

 nor to distinguish in all cases between those actually gathered or seen 

 by myself ; but, on the other hand, I have admitted very few things 

 of which there appeared any doubts respecting their existence at any 

 time in the places indicated. Several species included are now pro- 

 bably extinct in the localities given, or even altogether lost to the 

 county. However, that would scarcely j ustify me in rejecting all 

 species that I suppose to have been extirpated, because I might fall 

 into the same error I did when I reported the extinction of Sihthorpia 



* The expense of printing this appendix has been very kindly met by several 

 persons interested in Sussex botany : Mrs, Hall, daughter of the late W. 

 Uorrer, Esq. ; F. C. S. Koper, Esq., of Eastbourne ; iion. J. L. Warren ; R.A. 

 Fryer, Esq. ; and B. D. Jackson, Esq. 



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