Notes from the Ardennes. 89 



Vincetoxicrm officinale. This plant belongs to t^^e «atol 

 order Asclepiadaceffi, of which we have no British representative. 

 It is common on the Continent in dry stony places, occurring as 

 far north as Normandy. 



Digitalis ambiijua. 



Stachys recta and S. annua. 



Teucrium montanwn. , .. 



Cornm mas. A species in foliage closely resembhng our 

 British cornel, but with red edible fruit hke a cherry. 



Melica ciliata, or allied species. „ , ^, „ .„ ^„ , i... 



In the slate region about La Eoche the flora s much less 

 va led han that in the limestone district This is partly due 

 lo the nature of the soil; the flora on a calcareous sod being as 

 a general rule richer in species than that on an argillaceous or 

 L' arenaceous soil; but partly. also to tbe sys em of forestry 

 pursued. The woods here consist almost entirely o oak scrub, 

 whTch is allowed to grow until the shoots are of a si^e for fire- 

 wood, when it is cut down; the herbage and vegetable djm 

 rverng the ground between the tree stumps are col ected 

 She? into heaps and burned, and the ashes are scattered 

 ov!r the ground as manure and ploughed in, after which a crop 

 of corn is^sown. which is able to ripen before the young shoots 

 the iak have grown up high enough to shade the ground 

 Ths process it is Obvious must exterminate the rarer ^pe^es of 

 plants, except in situations too steep or rocky to be thus 



"""TS^oniy flowering plants observed here, and not at the 

 places prelusly visitld.'were the bogbean (M^,ant^^^^^^^^ 

 the baneberry {Actcea spicata), and a species of Senecio allied to, 

 if not identical with, S. saracenicus of our river-banks. 



Ferns and mosses were more plentiful than on the hmestone, 

 among the former being Polypodium phegoptens and P. dryoptens 



The pink crocus-like flowers, unaccompanied by leaves, of the 

 meadow saffron {Colchicum autumnale) were abundant m the 

 meadows everywhere. On the limestone the hawthorn was 

 Xost exclusively of the form Cratcsgus oryacanthozdes with 

 sMning Slightly lobed leaves, and bright scarlet haws havmg 

 seveJal stones; while at La Eoche the form Cratcegus monogyna, 

 which is commonest in England, was alone observed 



In conclusion I may say that the beauty and varied merest of 

 this region, its facility of access, the reasonable cost of livmg 

 and the c vility of the inhabitants, render it a very pleasant 

 resort for those who desire the more complete change which a 

 holSay on the Continent affords, but whom time and other con- 

 siderations forbid to visit remoter scenes. 



