BOTANY 



marsh thistle (Cnicus pratensis), the sawwort (Serratula tinctoria), the dwarf willow (Sa!ix ripens), 

 the orchids Orchis ericetorum and Habenaria bifolia, the ferns Lomaria Spicant, Lastrea or 

 Dryopteris spinulosa, dilatata, and at one time the royal fern (Osmunda regalis), the club moss 

 (Lycopodium inundatum) and L. Selago, and the horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum. The bramble 

 flora is also rich, and other glareal and ericetal plants, such as the cudweeds Gnaphalium 

 sylvaticum and Filago minima, the red sandwort (Buda rubra), the cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea), 

 the clovers Trifolium striatum and T. filiforme, the dog violet (Viola canina), the St. John's worts 

 Hypericum humifusum and H. pulchrum, and the heath rush (juncus squarrosus), occur. 



Gerrard's Cross Common has besides many of the heath plants already alluded to the 

 camomile (Anthemis nobilis), the pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium), and the chaffweed (Centunculus 

 minimus). 



The extensive common of Stoke Poges has a considerable number of very interesting 

 species, among which may be mentioned the alder buckthorn (Rhamnus Frangu/a), the club 

 moss (Lycopodium inundatum), the small scull-cap (Scutellaria minor), the all-seed (Millegrana 

 Radio/a), the pearlwort (Cerastium quaterncllum), masses of the dwarf furze (Ulex minor or 

 nanus), the dwarf willow (Salix repens and its hybrid 5. ambigua), the cudweed (Gnaphalium 

 sylvaticum), etc. 



The neighbourhood of Wycombe offers a very rich series of chalk plants which have 

 already been referred to in the remarks on p. 38, but there are in addition plants such as the 

 toothwort (Lathrea Squamaria), which grows at Hughenden, the vetch (Vicia graci/is), which 

 formerly grew near Winter Hill, the white mullein (Verbascum Lychnitis) and the bloody crane's- 

 bill (Geranium sanguineum), which grew on the banks of the railway with the woad (Isatis 

 tinctoria) and are probably not native to Buckinghamshire. There also occur the periwinkle 

 (Vinca minor), the rose Rosa systyla, the mint Mentha cardiaca, the sedge Carex paniculata, 

 which is abundant in the marsh, the grass Bromus secalinus, extremely abundant in cornfields, 

 the pretty Stachys annua of very local occurrence in arable soil, while the eyebright (Euphrasia 

 Kerneri), the crane's-bill (Geranium rotundifolium) near West Wycombe, and the black mullein 

 (Verbascum nigrum), are of local distribution. 



Naphill Common has a special feature of interest in its being the home of the thrumwort 

 (Damasonium Alisma), which is a diminishing species in Britain, and it also has some very 

 fine juniper bushes (Juniperus communis) ; and a most luxuriant growth of the orpine (Sedum 

 roseum) is in the neighbourhood. 



I have already mentioned the characteristic species of the main valley of the Thames, 

 but we may allude to some of the aquatics which it yields. They are not so numerous as 

 formerly, as the more frequent traffic of steam launches of course exerts an inimical influence. 

 There are however still recesses of the river where the fringed water-lily (Limnanthemum 

 peltatum) abounds ; the pondweeds Potamogeton pr&longus, P. zosterafolius and P. interrupts, 

 the water buttercup (Ranunculus ftuitans), the water honewort (Ceratophyllum), the charad 

 (Chara fragilis var. Hedwigii), the snowflake (Leucojum eestivum), the reed mace (Typha angusti- 

 folia),the American balsam (Impatiens fulva) now naturalized near Henley and bound to extend 

 its area, the willows Salix purpurea, S. rubra and others, the water dropwort (CEnanthe fluvia- 

 tilis) and in a backwater (E. Phellandrium, and the poisonous dropwort (CE. crocata), the sweet 

 flag (Acorus Calamus] are among the more interesting species. Near Henley there are the clary 

 (Salvia Verbenaca) and the hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale), the mistletoe (Fiscum album) 

 on limes, black poplar and even on thorns, the rampions (Campanula Rapunculus), growing in 

 a very wild situation near Hambledon, the meadow sage (Salvia pratensis), the spurge (Euphor- 

 bia Esula) on the river bank in a wild condition, the rose Rosa systyla, the wild licorice 

 (Astragalus glycyphyllus), the garlic (Allium vineale), and the bedstraw (Galium erectum). 



On a common near Marlow occur the clovers Trifolium subterraneum, 1 . striatum, and 

 the vetch Vicia lathyroides ; and in fields the grass Poa pratensis var. angustifo/ia, the hone- 

 wort (Carum segetum), and the tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). 



The wooded slopes of Clivedon are said to have yielded the golden saxifrage (Chrysos- 

 plenium alternifolium), but its occurrence has not been verified ; the small teasel (Dipsacus 

 pilosus) grows there, and the gravelly soil about Taplow has plenty of the lettuce Lactuca virosa, 

 while the pretty grass Apera Spica-venti is common in the fields. 



The meadows between Bray and Windsor have many interesting plants, but the special 

 rarity has disappeared, namely Tordylium maximum, which at one time grew near Eton Wick. 

 The water avens grows near Chalvey in the second locality known for it in Bucks, and also 

 the rush Juncus obtusi_ftorus, the sedges Carex vesicaria, C. rostrata, C. Pseudo-cyperus, C. disticha 

 and C. paniculata still grow there. The marsh stitchwort (Stellaria palustris), the water violet 

 1 49 7 



