INTRODUCTION. 



THE character of the Flora of a District is owing in a great 

 measure to its geological features, and it will be seen that the 

 nature of the Flora of Derbyshire is no exception to this 

 rule. 



Taking the different geological formations in order, we 

 have first large beds of Drift, which lie in the river valleys 

 and extend over the lower lands of the county. 



Next in order are the Triassic Rocks, which occur in the 

 southern part of Derbyshire, and which extend from Ash- 

 bourne and Duffield to the borders of Leicestershire, 

 Warwickshire, and Staffordshire. A narrow band of Magne- 

 sian Limestone is found on the extreme east of the county 

 in the neighbourhood of Mansfield. 



Beneath these lie the Coal Measures, which reach from 

 Sheffield on the north to within six miles of Derby. 



In the northern part of the county there is a wild moor- 

 land tract of country, where the Millstone Grit Rocks predomi- 

 nate, with Kinder Scout (1,981ft.), Cowburn (1,816ft.), Axe 

 Edge (1,761ft.), and Mam Tor (1,709ft.) as the highest points. 

 These series of rocks extend from Glossop on the north to 

 Duffield on the south. 



Beneath these series come the Yoredale Rocks, which are 

 composed of beds of impure limestone and shales, and which 

 are exposed in the ravines on the flanks of Kinder Scout, 

 Mam Tor, and other hills. 



Next in descending order is the Carboniferous Limestone. 

 This series commences on the north near Castleton and 

 Buxton and terminates at Matlock Bath, with outliers at 

 Crich Hill, and Tickenhall on the borders of Leicestershire. 



