T/ir F/or<r of fltr <'<tntltrtf/f/c 



At Cow Fen are found Xtnitint,-* JAm/rx, ////<// W"/m 

 JA//vwx nni( : , and llofton'm jHt/HKfris, ]>l;nits \\lio.-c pn-M-ncr 

 here recalls similar situations in the lens themselves. And at 

 Dernford Fen are 



Molinia wir'm. 



Schoenus 

 Epipacti* 

 Orchis incarnata. 

 Pinguicuki vulgari*. 



Plants which show a true fen flora. 



Surrounding this small fen are meadows showing, as has 

 already been mentioned, the transference zones between high- 

 land and fen. At Cow Fen are meadows as featureless as 

 those of any other portion of the Cam valley. 



This meadow association is the result of the drainage of 

 boggy river valleys. It exists owing to damp and yet well- 

 drained soil and owes its origin and maintenance to man. 



4. The Woods. 



The south-eastern corner of the district, coloured green, 

 together with the roughly circular portion to the west of 

 Cambridge, represents what has been called the shade associa- 

 tion. These two areas differ from the rest of the district in 

 being well- wooded. Irregularly-shaped coverts are scattered 

 over the country-side, between them lie meadows and occa 

 sional cultivated fields, in the western portion are found 

 besides these considerable stretches of derelict land. 



The woods are mainly composed of oaks, which nowhere 

 reach any great size ; beneath them is a thick undergrowth of 

 hazel. This is cut every few years, and with the inrush of 

 light and air spring up sheets of Oxlip, I'rhimld <'l<tfi<>r. The 

 majority of species SIM-HI to profit by the cutting <>f the 

 undergrowth. 



The following list is characteristic of these woods. 



