A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



RARE AND INTERESTING PLANTS 



Among the rare plants of Essex may be mentioned Bupleurum 

 falcatum, an interesting plant which appears to be truly indigenous, and 

 is confined in Britain to one situation in Essex, where it is very plenti- 

 ful and extends over an area of several square miles. It was discovered 

 by Corder in 1831. Another is Lathyrus tuberosus ; this beautiful plant 

 is still plentiful in the Essex locality. It was first noticed by O. Corder 

 in 1859, but is figured in Gerard's herbal of 1597, and specimens occur 

 in some old herbaria, but previous to Mr. Corder's rediscovery it was 

 confused with L. macrorhizus. It occurs nowhere else in England. 

 L. birsutus occurs in only a few other counties in Britain. It has been 

 known in Essex since 1861. Galium Vaillantii was discovered in Britain 

 by Gibson in 1844 in a field in Essex. It is spread over a large dis- 

 trict, where it is abundant in fields, more particularly in those planted 

 with potatoes. 



Besides the above we have the following plants which are only 

 found in two or three of Watson's subprovinces : Fi/ago galllca (this 

 plant has not been collected for some five years, but probably still occurs), 

 Primula elatior, Cbenopodium botryoides, Peucedanum qfficinale, Crepis fcetida, 

 Medicago falcata, Barbarea stricta, Diotis maritima (probably now lost). 



The following plants should also be mentioned as amongst the 

 rarer plants of Essex : (Enantbe pimpinelloides, Galium Anglicum, Hypo- 

 chceris maculata, Lactuca Scario/a, L. saligna, Cynoglossum montanum, 

 Scropbularia verna/is, Melampyrum aruense, Galeopsis ocbroleuca, Suceda 

 fruticosa, Aceras Anthropophora, Ceratopbyllum submersum, Fritillaria 

 Me/eagris, Lepidium latifolium, Vicia gracilis, Actinocarpus Damasonium, 

 Carex elongata, Pbleum Boehmeri, Polypogon Monspeliensis, Trifolium ochro- 

 leucum, Spartina stricta, Salicornia radicans, Limnanthemum peltatum. 



One of the most interesting plants of Essex, and indeed of England, 

 is Primula elatior, the true oxlip. This must not be confounded with 

 the hybrids between the cowslip and the primrose so often mistaken for 

 the oxlip. The true oxlip is a very beautiful primula. It is very diffi- 

 cult to give any specific characters by which it can be distinguished 

 from its relations. The peduncle is more slender, the calyx Jits more 

 tightly to the corolla tube, the form of the umbel is peculiarly graceful, 

 the pedicels varying in length so that the flowers are arranged one over 

 the other, all facing in one direction, the petals of a pale buff colour quite 

 distinct from that of other primulas. The free portions of the petals 

 are peculiarly regular in outline and never overlap one another, whilst 

 the folds or boxes in the neck of the corolla, present in all other species 

 of primrose, are absent from the true oxlip. 



This plant is confined to an area of our county where it borders 

 upon Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, extending into those 

 counties. It covers a stretch of country some 475 square miles in 

 extent, having an irregular outline. There are some outlying patches, 

 one in Cambridgeshire, one in Suffolk and one in Norfolk. Within the 



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