A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE 



vetch, Vicia syhatica \ the field bell-flower, Campanula patula ; the yellow 

 bird's-nest, Hypopithys multiflora ; and the rare bramble, Rubus Bloxamianus. 

 In the valley of the Sow around Combe and Brinklow are spreading 

 woodlands rich in well-grown timber, and of interest to the botanist as 

 yielding the rare bastard pimpernel, Centunculus minimus ; the beautiful 

 water avens, Geum rhiale ; its still rarer ally, G. intermedium, and the 

 luscious fruited bramble, Rubus Balfourianus. The valley of the Learn 

 has in parts quite a forest-like character ; many of its woods being of 

 great extent and the homes of wild plants which are worth notice, such 

 as the white beam, Pyrus Aria ; the gromwell, Litbospermum officinale ; 

 the butterfly orchis, Habenaria chlorantha ; and the beautiful lily-of-the- 

 valley, Convallaria majalis. In the southern portion of the county, in 

 the pretty valley of the Stour are the forest-like woodlands around 

 Wolford, Whichford and Long Compton, which like the country around 

 possess a flora very heathlike in general character, but also yield among 

 other interesting plants the rare wood chickweed, Stellaria umbrosa ; the 

 dwarf cherry, Prunus Cerasus ; the scented agrimony, Agrimonia odorata ; 

 the tawny sedge, Carex fuha ; and the throatwort, Campanula latifolia. 



In the basins of the Arrow and the Alne are the extensive woods 

 around, Ragley, Oversley, and Henley-in-Arden, some of which have 

 been made historic by Purton's work recorded in his valuable Midland 

 Flora. The soils about this portion of the county are mostly clay loams 

 resting on marl and limestone, and the flora is mostly that appertaining to 

 calcareous soils such as the traveller's joy, Clematis Vitalba ; ithe wood 

 crane's-bill, Geranium syhaticum ; the spindle tree, Euonymus europaeus ; 

 the everlasting pea, Lathyrus syhestris ; the soft-leaved rose, Rosa mollis ; 

 the wild service-tree, Pyrus torminalis ; the wayfaring tree, Viburnum 

 Lantana ; and the beautiful clustered bell-flower, Campanula glomerata. 

 In the northern portion of the county the woods are usually small, the 

 subsoil frequently of a peaty nature, and the undergrowth for the most 

 part some of the more common grasses, an abundant growth of the 

 bilberry, Vaccinium Myrtillus ; some of the more common ferns as Lastreea 

 dilatata ; the black alder, Rhamnus Frangula ; now and again herb Paris, 

 Paris quadrifolia ; and a rich display of the beautiful bluebell, Scllla 

 nutans. There are no lakes in the county, but some of the pools are 

 large, like lakes in character, of ancient date, and yield some of our rarest 

 plants. Such as Packington Pool ; here is the white water-lily, Nymphcea 

 alba ; the flowering-rush, Eutomus umbellatus ; and the floating burr-reed, 

 Sparganium minimum ; near this are the pools at Merecote and Olton Mill, 

 where are the pondweeds, Potamogeton rufescens and P. pusillus ; and the 

 fine lake-like reservoir at Olton, where is found the rare water-wort, 

 Elatme bexandra, and the shore-weed, Littorella lacustris. Other extensive 

 pools occur at Combe Abbey, Stoneleigh, Wormleighton and Farn- 

 borough ; here is the water crowflower, Ranunculus trichophyllus ; and 

 the sweet flag, Acorus Calamus. But the most interesting pools from a 

 Dtamcal point of view are those of Chesterton, Itchington Holt and 

 tnam Holt, for here we find the few plants of the county which have 



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