CONTRIBUTIONS TO A FLORA OF PORTLAND. 97 



the immense advance made during the last half-century, in 

 investigating the geographical distribution of vegetation in 

 the British Isles. 



I contributed to the Club in 1905 a Paper on the Flora of 

 the Chesil Bank, including the shores of the Fleet, from 

 Abbotsbury to the mouth of the Fleet called Smallmouth. (a) 

 The present Paper gives the result of the examination of the 

 coast line in continuation from Smallmouth southwards to 

 the Bill of Portland. 



The geographical position and geological formation of 

 Portland supply congenial conditions for a large proportion 

 of our maritime plants, but we naturally miss most, but not 

 quite all, of the species of the Heaths and Woodlands, and of 

 aquatic and paludal plants ; the ferns, too, are but few. 



The native flora has suffered much in recent years by 

 interference with the old Common, the construction of the 

 Government Works on the Verne and in the Mere, the making 

 of the Easton and Church Hope Railway through the most 

 romantic part of the Island, and by extensive quarrying 

 operations, especially on its south-eastern side. The efforts 

 of the quarrymen have destroyed the beautiful Maiden-hair 

 Fern, dozens of specimens of which, bearing fronds 

 4 to 5 inches long, I found, in 1877, in the crevices of a 

 sunny Portland cliff. Thirty years ago, some of the Islanders 

 used to grow in pots native specimens. The desirability of 

 recording native plants, the knowledge of the past existence 

 of which might otherwise be lost to science, may be mentioned 

 as one proof of the value of local floras. 



In relation to the British Flora generally, the following are 

 the rarest Portland plants : Polycarpon tetraphyllum, 

 Linn., Sedum rupestre, Linn. var. minus, Syme, Valerianella 

 eriocarpa, Desv., V. dentata, Poll, var. mixta, (Dufr), 

 Hieracium platyphyllum, Ley, Limonium recurvum, C. E. 

 Salmon and Muscari racemosum, Lam. & D C. Other 



(a) Proc. Dors. N.H. and A.F. Club, Vol. 26, p. 251. 



