232 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



ISLE OF WIGHT PLANTS. 

 By Frederic Stratton, F.L.S. 



It may be useful as well as interesting to place on record the 

 occurrence in the Isle of Wight of some plants which have 

 either not before been noted, or only very rarely, and also to point 

 out, with regard to some of them, the probable cause of their 

 appearance. 



The Eiver Medina, which almost completely divides the Island 

 into two districts known as the East and West Medenes, starting 

 from the northern slope of St. Catherine's Down, becomes at 

 Newport a tidal river, between that town and the ports of Cowes 

 and East Cowes. There has of late years been a considerable 

 extension of the quays at Newport on the east bank, and deepen- 

 ing of the channel by dredging. The mud and debris dredged 

 out has been deposited on the west bank, filhng up the loss of 

 soil over some acre or two washed away in former years. On 

 this deposit an immense number of plants have sprung up, and 

 amongst them numerous melilots of the following species : 

 Melilotus imrviflora Desr. (not recorded hitherto for the Isle of 

 Wight nor I believe for Hampshire), M, alba Lam. (very rare in 

 both the Island and Hants, I have never met with it before), 

 M. arvensis Wallr. {officinalis, Desr.), also very rare in the Island 

 and Hants. All these are in district IV. 3. of Townsend's Flora. 

 Melilotus altissima Thuill. {M. officinalis Willd.) sometimes 

 appears in vast quantity by roadsides, as at Totland Bay and 

 railway embankments. 



Lepidium Draba L. In district IV. 1. abundant near the 

 Railway Station and the old Mill at Yarmouth. IV. 3. Whitepit 

 near Newport and on the deposit of mud referred to above. 



Erysimum cheiranthoides L. In district IV. 3. plentiful in 

 cultivated ground south of Newport. The only record of the 

 occurrence previously of this plant is the note in Bromfield's 

 Flora Vcctensis (1856) on p. 36, " Erysimum cJieiranthoides L. 

 grows just within the lodge-gate leading to Mrs. Goodwin's house 

 at W. Cowes, but has the appearance of having been sown there 

 for an ornamental border-flower." This observation must have 

 been made before 1850, as Dr. Bromfield in that year started on 

 his journey to Egypt and Syria, from which he never returned. 

 Sisymbrium pannonicmn Jacq. occurred (1914) in w^aste ground 

 near Newport. 



Lythrum HyssojnfoUa L. In 1867 I found this growing in 

 w^aste ground at St. John's near Ryde, formerly the kitchen 

 garden of St. John's House. I have Uttle doubt that it was sown 

 there by Dr. Bromfield. 



Epilobium amjustifoUiim L. About the year 1906 a pine 

 wood on St. George's Down, near Newport, was very largely 

 destroyed by fire. Up to that time few plants of any kind were 

 to be found there, and certainly not Epilobium angustifolium, 



