THE FLORA OF WARWICKSHIRE. 55 



the county, signed "J. P.," but only in rare cases dated. These I shall 

 quote in their proper sequence. 



The most complete record of the Flora of Warwickshire 

 is that of Thomas Purton, Surgeon, Alcester, in the " Midland 

 Flora," 2 vols., dated April 13th, 1817, and Vol. III., with 

 supplements, 1821. In these volumes the Warwickshire habitats 

 of the rarer plants are usually given ; and these records have 

 in most instances been confirmed by myself in later years. The 

 more common plants are, however, rarely localised, being merely 

 recorded as "common," "frequent," " not rare ;" and as this is pro- 

 fessedly a mixed Flora, it is not safe to decide to which county in the 

 Midlands these remarks apply. I have only quoted those records that 

 are duly localised. Purton was an eminent botanist in the early part 

 of tbe present century, and was especially an authority of repute as a 

 fungologist. 



In 1817 W. G. Perry, an able and earnest botanist, residing at 

 Warwick, published in the abridged edition of " Dugdale's Warwick- 

 shire," pp. 591-594, "A Seleet List of Plants Found in Warwickshire," 

 dated July 5th, 1817. Many of these records have apparently been 

 copied from Purton's then recently published " Midland Flora." In 

 1820 Mr. Perry published the " Plantse Varvicenses Selectas," or 

 " Botanist's Guide through the County of Warwick," in which is a list 

 of 380 of the more rare plants found in the county. This work is 

 compiled mainly from Ray, Hudson, Withering, Turner, Purton, 

 Sowerby, &c, with a few notes from the Rev. W. T. Bree, of Allesley, 

 and many records from the compiler's own note book. 



During his life Mr. Perry collected, from various sources, a valuable 

 collection of plants ; among these an extensive collection of Warwick- 

 shire plants. This collection, at his death, became the property of 

 the Warwick Museum. To this collection many local botanists con- 

 tributed ; some of them, notably W. Cheshire, Thomas Kirk, and 

 Henry Bromwich, excellent and critical botanists. 



In the " Magazine of Natural History," Vol. III., pp. 162-167, (1830,) 

 the Rev. W. T. Bree, Rector of Allesley, contributed an excellent 

 paper on the " Rarer Plants found in Warwickshire." Most of these 

 are on his own personal observation, and are principally records from 

 the neighbourhood of Coleshill and Allesley." In the subsequent volumes 

 of the same work occasional notes from the same botanist occur. 



In 1835, Mr. Hewett C. Watson published his "New Botanist's 

 Guide to the Localities of the Rare Plants in Britain," and in his 

 preface he says : " I am indebted to the Rev. W. T. Bree for a checked 

 catalogue of the plants of this county, (Warwickshire,) chiefly from 

 Allesley and Coleshill. These records are given pp. 181-187. and are 

 mainly those already recorded in the work last mentioned. In 1837, 

 Vol. II. of this work was published ; and in the supplement, pp. 611- 

 616, are more records from the county, on the authority of the Rev. 

 W. T. Bree and the Rev. Andrew Bloxam. 



