THE PHYTOLOGIST 



FOR 1853. 



Notes on the Rarer Plants occurring in the Neighbourhood of the 

 Estuary of the Taw and Torridge, North Devon. By George 

 Maw, Esq. 



Perhaps a list of the rarer plants growing in the neighbourhood of 

 the estuary of the Taw and Torridge, may not be unacceptable to 

 those of your reader^ who may occasionally vary their botanical ram- 

 bles by an excursion to some locality distant from their own neigh- 

 bourhood. To such, I can strongly recommend the north-west coast 

 of Devon for a week's sojourn. I know of few districts that would 

 better repay a little careful examination, or where such a variety of 

 our rarer species occur within a comparatively small compass. 



In describing the Flora of any district, I think it well that its limits 

 should be defined rather by natural peculiarities than mere arbitrary 

 measurements ; and therefore, before enumerating the plants, I shall 

 give a slight sketch of the principal geographical and geological fea- 

 tures which characterize the locality under consideration as a natural 

 district. It may be divided into two portions : firstly, that consisting 

 of the post-tertiary or alluvial deposits, partially filling up the valley 

 of the estuary ; secondly, the higher land of the secondary formations 

 surrounding it. The flat alluvial country has a coast-line along Barn- 

 staple Bay, of seven or eight miles, and extends inland at this width 

 for about three miles; after which, it gradually narrows up to Barn- 

 staple, where, at seven miles from the sea, it terminates. The Taw, 

 running from Barnstaple, in a westerly direction, unequally divides it 

 into two portions, that to the north of the river (of which Braunton 

 Burrows form a part) being the most extensive. The Torridge, flow- 

 ing from Bideford towards the north, sub-divides the southern por- 

 tion into Northam Burrows on the west bank, and Instow Burrows 

 VOL IV. H 



