BOTANY 



pelophilous or clay-loving species ; whereas in the meadows of the 

 Lower Thames, where chalk fragments are such common constituents, the 

 ordinary vegetation of the low-lying and rich grass pastures will also con- 

 tain such plants as the lady's-fingers (Anthyllis Vulneraria) , the purple blue 

 Canterbury bell (Campanula glomeratd), the scabious (Scabiosa Columbaria), 

 the hawk's-beard (Pieris bieracioides], and the grasses Bromus erectus, Avena 

 pubescens and Kaeleria cristata, which are distinctly gypsophiles or cal- 

 careous species. 



The flora of the gravels has been already sufficiently touched upon, 

 but we may add that the lettuce (Lactuca "virosa), the small buttercup 

 (Ranunculus paruiflorus) , the vetch Vicia Latbyroides, the shepherd's 

 scabious (Jasione montana), the cinquefoil (Potentilla argented), the cala- 

 mint (Calamintba qfficinalis}, the rose (Rosa systyla], the clovers Trifolium 

 arvense, T. striatum and T. subterraneum, the clary (Sahia Verbenaca], the 

 hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum qfficinale), the vervain (Verbena qfficinalis}, the 

 mullein (Verbascum nigrum}, the garlic (Allium vineali), the meadow saxi- 

 frage (Saxifraga granulata}, the bur parsley (Caucalis nodosa}, and the 

 hedge honewort (Carum segetum} have been found on them. 



The meadow flora consists of many species, varying to some extent 

 with the rocks of which the alluvium is composed, but there are many 

 plants which flourish well either on clay, gravel on loam, and these 

 we need not attempt to particularize here. We must, however, 

 enumerate among the more local species, the small Polygonum (P. minus), 

 which occurs with the knotted spurrey (Sagina nodosa} by the stream 

 near Chesham, and the American balsam (Impatient biflora or fuha}, 

 now completely and abundantly naturalized for many miles along the 

 course of the Colne, especially about Wraysbury ; another American 

 species, the monkey flower (Mimulus Langsdorffit), is so plentiful as to 

 form a belt of colour for some distance between Latimers and Chenies ; 

 and the grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris} finds a home in the 

 meadows near. Near Hambledon the spurge (Euphorbia Esula} has been 

 known to grow for many years, and it is possibly native, while in the 

 Eton meadows the star of Bethlehem (Ornitbogalum umbellatum) and the 

 medick (Medicago arabica} are locally common, and the snowflake (Leuco- 

 jum cestivum} still occurs in a few parts of the Thames between Henley 

 and Windsor. 



In the Bray meadow the bedstraw Galium erectum grows freely, 

 and the great dodder (Cuscuta europaa} occurs near Windsor ; the ditches 

 also afford the sedges Carex Pseudo-cyperus, C. acuta, C. vest'caria, C. disticba ; 

 the water starwort (Callitriche obtusa nguld] , the bladderwort (Utricularia 

 vu/garis), the water violet (Hottonia palustris], the frog-bit (Hydrocbaris 

 Morsus- ranee], the water buttercup (Ranunculus trichopbyllus), the bur 

 marigold (Bidens cernua) and the water dropwort (CEnanthe Phellandrium]. 



THE RIVER DRAINAGE OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



For many years past it has been the practice in the best and most 

 complete county floras to subdivide the county they describe into 

 i 41 6 



