220 The Flora of the CuntbrMt/r l>i*trirf 



Itirxnta is common; Linum catliarticuni, Primula ///> ami 

 liriza media are found. 



The bank which retains the ditch surrounding the fen 

 frequently undergoes repair; gault and chalky marl are used 

 in its construction, and on it at first are found plants which 

 are not native to the district. Diplotaa-i* nmniHx first springs 

 up, and is after a few years replaced by Cnicus arvenx'/x and 

 poor grasses. 



The fen itself appears during most seasons of the year 

 as a brown waste dotted with bushes which are apparently 

 increasing in number; in some places, especially along the 

 northern edge of the fen, they form dense masses of cover, 

 excluding all other vegetation. Elsewhere, when not entirely 

 absent, they are scattered and usually smaller in size. 



The great mass of vegetation however is composed of 

 Cladium jamaicense, Crantz. This may be said to be the 

 dominant species, but everywhere Molinia varia is found 

 which competes vigorously for first place. Round the edges, 

 where the fen is damper, Phragmites completely ousts both 

 the above-mentioned species and reigns supreme. 



The following two lists give some of the more important 

 species inhabiting the dry and damp portions of the fen. 



Dry. Wet. 



Cladium jamaicense, Phragmites communis. 



Molinia varia. Thalictrum jlanim. 



Rhamnus catharticus. Latltiirit* 



R. frangula. Convolvulus 



Salix, Spp. Caltha paluxtris. 



Cnicus pratensis. Lastraea Tketypteris* 



Peucedanum palustre. Jungermannia, Sp. 

 Calamagrostis epigeios. 

 Potentilla sylvestris. 



The "wet" plants seem to be a very natural group. The 

 climbers, using the tall plants as a support and malting the 



