A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



i. UPPER TAMAR DISTRICT 



This area lacks homogeneity of character to a sensible degree. Such as they are, its 

 rivers alone would almost warrant a cutting up of the district into smaller sections, while the 

 quick changes of sylvan and moorland scenery, arable and waste land impart an indescribable 

 charm to the country. Its geology has similar ranges. In a large measure the division is a 

 great hollow between the Devon and Cornish heights. On the north it has a coast line ex- 

 tending from Devon to Tintagel Head.. Its eastern boundary is Devon as far south as where 

 the Launceston road crosses the Tamar near Polston. The southern limit is marked by the 

 high road from Launceston to Bodmin as far as Altarnun, where it follows a narrower road 

 across the moors, past the hut circles under Leskernick Hill. Thence the line runs north, 

 on the east of Brown Willy to Oldpark and Newpark, beyond which it takes the road across 

 Davidstow Moor to the Camelford-Stratton road. From this point it goes to a little beyond 

 Davidstow, and then follows the road to Tintagel Head. Included in this district are the 

 rivers Strat and Valencey, flowing to the north coast, and the source of the Tamar, with its 

 tributaries the Attery, Inny, and Kensey. The greater portion is drained by the Attery. 

 Near the sister county it is well wooded, but as the Bodmin Moors are approached the country 

 takes on a wild and desolate appearance. From Stratton to Launceston there is much low 

 ground, corresponding generally with river ramifications. 



A large slice of this area is composed of Upper Devonian rocks enclosing bands of green- 

 stone or metamorphosed siliceous slate mixed with argillaceous beds of a particularly fine and 

 hard nature. Towards Tintagel and Egloskerry these rocks impinge the Lower Devonian 

 which sweep around the Bodmin Granite Boss. A limited part of the north-east of the 

 division is occupied by the grits and shales of the Carboniferous system. 



Until the ' seventies ' the flora of this district was an unknown quantity, but thanks to the 

 industry of the Rev. W. Moyle Rogers, Dr. Hind, Messrs. Briggs and Wise cosmos has 

 replaced chaos. The sandy shore between Stratton and Bude is the classic spot mentioned 

 by Merrett for Mathiola sinuata, the only place in the county where it has been found. It 

 disappeared a long time ago. Tintagel by some mistake has been credited with Trifo/ium 

 squamosum. T. arveme was the plant meant. In the Valley of Rocks, near Trebarwith, 

 Impatiens Roylei and Mimulus Langsdorffii have become naturalized, and in some seasons present 

 a striking appearance. Erysimum repandum has long obtained permanency near Launceston. 

 Rich in Rubi, this district can also claim the distinction of being the only portion of Cornwall 

 where Vic'ia Orobus, Geum riva/e, Carum verticillatum, Galium sylvestre, Galeopsis versicolor, 

 Habenaria viridis, Potamogeton co/oratus, Calamagrostis epigeios and Equisetum syhaticum have 

 been found. Allium Schcenoprasum at Tintagel and Cladium jamaicense at Morwinstow are 

 problems in plant distribution, the only other Cornish district for them being the Lizard. 



SPECIES AND VARIETIES WORTH NOTING IN THE UPPER TAMAR DISTRICT 



Ranunculus Drouetii, Godr. 



peltatus, Fries 



Lingua, Linn. 



sardous, Crantz 

 Caltha palustris, Linn. 

 Helleborus viridis, Linn. 



foetidus, Linn. 

 Delphinium Ajacis, Reichb. 

 Papaver somniferum, Linn. 



hybridum, Linn. 

 Meconopsis cambrica, Vig. 

 Glaucium flavum, Crantz 

 Neckeria lutea, Scop. 



daviculata, N. E. Br. 

 Barbarea prtfcox, R.Br. 

 Alyssum maritimum, Linn. 

 Erophila praecox, DC. 

 Cochlearia anglica, Linn. 

 Sisymbrium Thalianum, J. 



Sophia, Linn. 

 Camelina sativa, Crantz 

 Brassica alba, Boiss. 



Gay 



Diplotaxis tenuifolia, DC. 



muralis, DC. 

 Coronopus didymus, Sm. 

 Thlaspi arvense, Linn. 

 Teesdalia nudicaulis, R. Br. 

 Crambe maritima, Linn. 

 Viola lactea, Sm. 

 Polygala oxyptera, Reichb. 

 Dianthus Armeria, Linn. 

 Cerastium quaternellum, Fenzl. 

 Buda rupestris 



Hypericum calycinum, Linn. 

 - dubium, Leers. 



undulatum, Schousb. 

 Geranium sanguineum, Linn. 



phaeum, Linn. 



pratense, Linn. 



pyrenaicum, Burm.Jil. 



rotundifolium, Linn. 



lucidum, Linn. 

 Erodium moschatum, L'HMt. 



maritimum, L'Herit. 

 Non-native plants are printed in 



56 



Genista anglica, Linn. 

 Trigonella purpurascens, Lam. 

 Medicago denticulata, Willd. 

 Melilotus alba, Desv . 



arvensis, Wallr. 

 Trifolium subterraneum, Linn. 



scabrum, Linn. 



fragiferum, Linn. 



filiforme, Linn. 



Lotus tenuis, Waldst. & Kit. 



hispidus, Desf. 

 Lathyrus Aphaca, Linn. 



sylvestris, Linn. 

 Spiraea salicifolia, Linn. 

 Rubus suberectus, Anders. 



plicatus, W. W N. 



imbricatus, Hurt. 



pulcherrimus, Neum. 



villicaulis var. Selmeri (Lin- 



deb.) 



pubescens, Weihe 



micans, Gren. y Godr. 

 italics. 



