Rare Plants collected in Jersey. 25 



Art. VI. Notices of a fetv rare Plants collected in Jersey in 

 October, 1836. By Wm. Christy, jun., Esq., F.L.S., &c. 



The results of a fortnight's botanising, in the end of 

 autumn, and in very unfavourable, weather, would not be 

 worth communicating to your pages, were it not that I 

 thought it might interest some of your readers, who, like 

 myself, might pay a hasty visit to Jersey, to know where they 

 may at once lay their hand on some of the rarer plants of our 

 flora. 



And here I would remark that I cannot but object to the 

 admission into the British flora of the plants of the Channel 

 Islands. In point of geographical situation, they are de- 

 cidedly French ; and, if we reject from our fauna the shells, 

 insects, and birds, why is our flora entitled to the plants ? 

 However, as it is universally agreed that they are to be ad- 

 mitted, I must submit, and even go farther, and give my con- 

 tribution to the increase of the list of plants reputed as 

 British, from the circumstance of their being found in Jersey. 

 1 have no doubt that, until the island is fully explored, it will 

 be continually affording us additions to our flora; for, I be- 

 lieve, there is no resident botanist ; and the few who visit it 

 from England have not time for a very close investiga- 

 tion. 



That this is the case, is evident from the discovery, in 

 1834-, by Mr. Trevelyan, of Statice plantaginea; a plant so 

 abundant in one part of the island, so conspicuous, and so 

 much larger than S. Armeria, that no botanist could have 

 passed it over unobserved. 



Then, again, E^chium violaceum, found by that gentleman, 

 is so different from E. vulgare, as well as from E. italicum, 

 which was supposed to be the plant intended by Ray as 

 " Lycopsis," that any one finding the plant would, as he 

 did, immediately detect the mistake. I am therefore led 

 to believe that few, if any, botanists have explored Jersey of 

 late years. From its diversity of surface, we might expect 

 a rich harvest ; and I have no doubt any assiduous botanist, 

 who would sit down there for three or four months, and 

 patiently explore the different districts of the island, would 

 find his labours rewarded. Having only remained here about 

 three weeks, at an advanced period of the year, and not hav- 

 ing seen half the island, I do not pretend to guess at its 

 flora. 



All I propose to do is, to give a list of some of the plants 

 which, in England, are rare or local, with the stations in 

 which I found them. 



