1857] Exploring the Undercliff. 93 



of this beautiful weed, growing" on the bushy bank to 

 the left above the path ; and here at last I filled the 

 vasculum." 



The Undercliff was again visited on July 23rd, during 

 a driving- tour round the Island as one of a small party 

 rather social than botanical. 



"Nothing new was noticed as far as Ventnor, except 

 the poppy, which comes up in the middle of the place 

 anywhere and by the cliffs. Beyond St. Laurence's Church 

 along the new road, I fancied I saw a single leaf of helle- 

 bore, but I do not know the right spot. The ground 

 towards Mirables was quite carpeted with ivy, amongst 

 which the harts-tongue fern grows most luxuriantly. 

 Before tea, F. and I strolled from the Sandrock down 

 towards the shore, and were lucky enough to find the 

 Astragalus glycyphyllus [liquorice] without much diffi- 

 culty. I did not expect to find it of so straggling and 

 trailing a habit ; when on the open grass it clings close to 

 the soil, and so might escape notice ; otherwise it is a 

 striking plant, and quite at home in a rough rocky bushy 

 field half way from Sandown, towards the Cyperus. 

 Cyperus was not yet in flower, only the heads were just 

 forming; the great mass inside the enclosure was recently 

 cut down, for what purpose I do not know. Juncus 

 obtusiflorus accompanied it, as well as Mentha rotundi- 

 folia higher up the stream. The rush looks very different 

 from any other I know, and is easily discerned by the 

 smaller flowers of a paler colour than most. On ascending 

 the cliff we saw Centranthus ruber (red valerian), every- 

 where establishing itself, but generally there are some 

 foreign shrubs no great way off. Still the Centranthus 

 might well pass for a native to a stranger. In the corn 

 above no Melampyrum. When about to return we were 

 so lucky as to meet with Miss Kirkpatrick, who showed us 

 the single plant of Salvia pratensis. It would pass were it 

 not that the ground was ploughed up and sown with grass 

 some years ago ; and I gathered Silene inflata (bladder 

 campion) close to it, an obvious sign of tillage. The one 

 plant too renders the locality of doubtful value. Miss K. 

 showed us a very good collection of seaweeds well dried, 



