284 BRITISH PLANTS 



during storms may be washed with spray approximates 

 very closely to that of a salt-marsh. Indeed, many plants 

 are common to both. As in the salt-marsh, succulence is 

 a very common character. The plants usually grow on 

 ledges where the soil is thin and water scarce, whilst the 

 light is often as intense and the exposure as great as on a 

 sand-dune. 



The most frequent plants met with in this situation 

 are : Crithmum maritimum (samphire), Inula crithmoides 

 (golden samphire), Statice auriculcefolia (sea-lavender), 

 Armeria maritima (sea-pink, thrift), Plantago maritima, 

 P. Coronopus, Cochlearia danica, Sagina maritima (sea- 

 spurrey), Spergularia rupestris, Sedum anglicum, and 

 Asplenium marinum (sea-spleen wort). Of rarer plants, 

 Cotoneaster vulgar is grows only on Great Orme's Head, 

 Pceonia corallina on Steep Holme off the coast of Somer- 

 set, Matthiola incana (sea-stock) in the Isle of Wight and 

 at Ramsgate, Brassica oleracea (the wild type from which 

 the cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, etc., have been 

 derived) in a few places on the south coast of England, 

 Lavatera arbor ea (tree-mallow) chiefly on the south and 

 west coasts of England and Ireland, Ligusticum scoticum 

 (lovage) confined to the coast of Scotland, North-East 

 England, and North Ireland. 



5. Exposed Slopes facing the Sea. On the wind-swept 

 cliff-tops and slopes facing the sea the vegetation is 

 greatly affected by the strong drying winds. Pasture- 

 land usually covers the slopes, but the grasses are dwarfed 

 and seldom flower. Any plant which rises above the 

 level of the grass is cut down by th,e wind and destroyed. 

 Consequently the plants which do persist must be as 

 short as the grass. Plants which are 1 to 3 feet high in 

 sheltered spots are reduced to 1 or 2 inches, or even less, 

 on the wind-swept slopes. The flowers are not altered 

 conspicuously in size, but they are considerably reduced in 

 number, and hidden on minute stalks in a little nest of 

 leaves. On the more exposed parts of Beachy Head the 

 following plants are thus dwarfed, the figures in brackets 

 indicating the height of the plants in more favourable 

 situations : Phyteuma orbicular e (4 to IS inches), Erythrcea 

 Centaurium (6 to 18 inches), Scabiosa Columbaria (1 to 

 2 feet), Ecliium vulgare (1 to 3 feet), Centaurea nigra 

 (J to 3 feet), Carduus acauUs (3 to 12 inches), Ei phrasia 



