A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



red marl and light-coloured greenish-grey sandstone ; where the latter predominates the 

 resulting soil is sufficiently sandy to suit many of the plants characteristic of District II (e.g., 

 Cerastium arvense, Cytisus scoparius, Saxifraga granulata, Artemisia vulgaris, Rumex Acetosella, 

 etc.), and we therefore find along the outcrop of the Lower Keuper an assemblage of species 

 transitional in character between the flora of the Bunter and that of the upper beds of the 

 Keuper. The upper division or Keuper Marl is a stiff bright-red clay with an occasional thin 

 band of hard whitish sandstone. The heavy somewhat calcareous clay soil supports a flora very 

 different from that of District II, but more nearly approximating to that of District I, with 

 which it has a large number of species in common. Among the more prominent plants that 

 occur with about equal frequency in Districts I and III, but are almost or entirely absent from 

 Districts II and IV, are Anemone nemorosa, Eutmymus europaeus, Pimpinella major, Asperula odorata, 

 Lactuca muralis, Campanula latifolia, Lysimachia nemorum, Erythraea Centaurium, Veronica 

 montana, Lamium Galeobdolon, Mercurialis perennis, Allium ursinum, Paris quadrifolia, Carex 

 pendula, C. sylvatica, Milium effusum and Melica uniflora. Several rare or uncommon 

 Nottinghamshire species are confined to District III ; of such are Ranunculus sardous and 

 R. parviflorus, Vlc'ia sylvatica, Lathyrus sylvestris, Caucalis nodosa, Dipsacus pilosus, Carduus 

 pycnocephalus and C. pratensis, Campanula patula, Myosotis sylvatica, Mentha Pulegium, Carex 

 pallescens (?), etc. ; while among commoner species which are most abundant in, but not abso- 

 lutely confined to, the district are Geranium pratense, Bidens tripartita, Chrysanthemum segetum, 

 Tanacetum vulgare, Picris hieracioides, Veronica Anagallis, Habenaria chloroleuca, Epipactis 

 latifolia, etc. 



A number of plants which have their headquarters in the Trent valley which lies 

 almost wholly in this district owe their presence rather to their fondness for a moist or 

 watery situation than to the chemical or physical nature of the soil ; such are Thalictrum 

 ftivum, Nasturtium sylvestre and N. amphibium, Erysimum cheiranthoides, Stellaria aquatica, 

 Lythrum Salicaria, Apium graveolens, Oenanthe Phellandrium, Hottonia palustris, Symphytum 

 officinale, and Polygonum Hydropiper. 



On the other hand the dry gravelly banks and terraces of old Trent alluvium offer a 

 congenial home for many of the sand-loving plants characteristic of District II. 



A few species which are more or less common in District III are of equally frequent 

 occurrence in District IV, but almost or entirely unknown in Districts I and II. Among these 

 are Ononis spinosa, Conlum maculatum, Sison Amomum, Peucedanum sativum, Dipsacus sylvestris, 

 Senecio erucifolius, Picris echioides, Lactuca virosa, Hordeum secalinum. 



The Rhaetic deposits which are included in District III form a narrow band of such 

 insignificant extent along the eastern edge of the Keuper as to be of no botanical importance, 

 and may therefore be ignored. 



DISTRICT IV 



The Liassic beds of Nottinghamshire consist of a series of blue clays and shales with 

 bands of limestone, belonging to the lower part of the Lower Lias, and forming a long strip 

 overlying the Triassic rocks along the south-eastern border of the county. There are also two 

 considerable outliers capping the hills south of the Trent between Thrumpton and West 

 Leake. Sison, Peucedanum sativum, Senecio erucifolius, and a few others are common plants in 

 this district, as mentioned above ; Cnicus eriophorus occurs in quantity in one or two stations, 

 and is apparently now confined to the district, although formerly found in others ; Solidago 

 Virgaurea, which formerly occurred in several places in the county, seems now restricted to 

 a single station on the Lias, where it is very rare ; and among other scarce species almost or 

 entirely confined to this formation are Lotus tenuis, Carum segetum, Caucalis arvensis, Galium 

 tricorne, Clinopodium Nepeta, Galeopsis Ladanum and Carex binervis. 



In parts of District IV, as at Langford and Wigsley, the Lias clay is covered by a mantle 

 of gravelly drift supporting the usual assemblage of sand-loving plants, such as Teesdalia, 

 Cerastium semidecandrum and C. arvense, Polygala serpyllacea, Galium sylvestre, Filago minima, 

 Gnaphalium sylvaticum, Senecio sylvaticus, Calluna, Erica cinerea, Myosotis versicolor, Salix 

 repens, Nardus, etc. Langford Moor and Wigsley Wood were formerly wet swampy moor- 

 land, and although long drained and planted with oak and fir still show traces of their ancient 

 flora. Erica Tetralix, Lysimackia vulgaris, Myrica Gale, Molinia varia and Lastrea spinulosa 

 still persist in fair quantity, as well as patches of Sphagnum, and a solitary plant of Osmunda 

 probably the last in the county has only recently disappeared. 



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