18 THE JOURNAL OF BOTAXT 



wooded area south of High Beach, and the stretch north of Epping 

 known as the Lower Forest. The principal trees are oak and horn- 

 beam, witli an undergrowth of hawthorn, blackthorn, and much 

 bramble. 



''(2) Dry woodland on sand and gravel — the Avooded district be- 

 tween Fairniead Plain and Epping. The chief trees are beech and 

 birch, and the undergrowth is com])aratively sparse. 



" (^) Open heathy ground on the sand, interspersed tlii'oughout 

 the drier and more elevated ground." 



Comparing his observations with the lists given in E. N. Buxton's 

 GiiiiJc to the Forest, he notes that of the 436 species therein enume- 

 rited. about 70 are unknown to him, either personally or by report, as 

 of actual occurrence : among them Teesdatea nudicaidis, Pai^nassia 

 palustria, Cera-stium qiiafeniellum and nrvense, Saxifrnga grann- 

 l(ft(i, both C/n-i/fiosj)Ieiu'tfms, Serratula tinctoria, Dodder, Mullein, 

 Pedicularin palustris, Mentha Pidegium, Vervain, Littorella lacus- 

 tn's, Herb Paris, Spiranthes cmtumnalis, and Juniper. 



'' On the other hand," he continues, " I haye a list of about 

 2') species I have observed myself, which are not included. Nine 

 of these are rushes or grasses. One or two, like the Bagged Bobin 

 (Z. Flos-cuc2(li), are obviously oversights, but perhaps Veronica 

 sciitellata, Valeriana dioica, and Limnanthemum peltatum Avere 

 never observed by Mr. Buxton's recorders." 



Then comes the caution to which we have referred, which seems 

 amply justified by the facts which follow : — 



" One hesitates to say that species not recently found are now 

 extinct in the. Forest, esj^ecially if they are such as would natumlly 

 be looked for there. I have had several quite unexpected finds in 

 recent years. About six years ago, with another meml^er of the 

 Society, I was in an out of the way corner of the wood, not far 

 from E])i)ing, when we were delighted to find in a moist glade a 

 grand cluni]) of the uncommon Marsh Fern {Lastrea Thelypteris), 

 wliose creeping roots had covered quite a large area, throwing up, 

 pt'rha])s, hinidrcds of fronds. In the grassy sides of this glade the 

 Marsh Valerian ( F. dioica) was in flower, and about a hundred yards 

 away we found a strong colony of the Bogbean. These three species 

 were (juite new to us in the Forest. Some years ago on an excursion 

 of tlie Society, a small clump of Whortleberry was found on the high 

 ground near the ' Wake Arms.' I have never seen it since. Two 

 stations for the Lily of tlie Valley are known to me, and probably to 

 many otlier members. A plant of Solomon's Seal near ChingfordVas 

 (piit*' an unlooked-for find. And not far from the ' AVake Arms' two 

 or tliive clumps of tlie strange Birds'-nest Orchis still throw up their 

 l)al«' brown spikes year by year among the decaying beech leaves." 



The following paragraphs may be quoted as examples of the 

 interesting observations wliich render the paper worthy of attention : — 

 "The large grou]) of aliens, now such a considerable feature in the 

 flora about Tiondon and other large centres of population, is almost 

 entirely absent from tlie Forest. Taking an 'alien' to be a species 

 which though now spontaneous, originated in Britain through human 

 agency, it is of course jjrobalile that many of the group just referred 



