A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 
speaks of them as seedling survivals of an ancient bog which filled the 
present valley. In August, rgo1, Mr. Saunders, after many years’ search, 
at last found Erica cinerea in a green lane near Pepperstock. There was 
only a small patch, and it was evidently a relic of the flora of a large 
common that formerly existed. At Stevington, Ampthill, Potton and 
elsewhere there are remains of ancient marshland, which would proba- 
bly repay more careful examination than they have received. Some of 
the older woods contain interesting native plants, such as the wild 
licorice (Astragalus glycyphyllos), the crested cow wheat (Melampyrum cris- 
tatum), the nettle leaved bell flower (Campanula Trachelium), and the 
birds’-nest orchid (Neottia Nidus-avis). 
The following table corrected to the present date shows the number 
of species which are reported on good authority to have been seen 
growing in a wild state in the various counties, the standard adopted 
being practically that of the last edition of the London Catalogue, which 
has already been followed in the accounts of the botany of the counties 
of Northampton, Buckingham, Berks, etc. 
Beds Bucks Herts Northants 
Native plants . . . . . . 762 845 795 765 
Denizens and colonists . . . 85 97 95 85 
847 942 890 850 
In addition many named varieties, several hybrids, and many species 
of casual occurrence, or undoubtedly alien, have been recorded. 
Taking the London Catalogue as a standard of specific limitation, the 
total number of British species is about 2,000, but of these 250 are not 
native, 144 are confined to the coast, while at least 200 are found onl 
in northern latitudes, or only extend to the same latitude as Bedfordshire 
in mountainous situations in the west of England and Wales, 17 are 
exclusively Irish, and about 20 belong to the Channel Isles, and are not 
real constituents of the British flora. It will therefore be seen that about 
1,350 species remain which might be found in the county ; but such is 
not the case, and some of the influencing reasons have already been given, 
while others, such as soils and altitudes, need not now be referred to. 
Bedfordshire, although it has no species peculiar to itself, however 
possesses some plants of considerable interest, among which may be men- 
tioned the great pig-nut (Carum Bulbocastanum), which is limited to 
Bucks, Herts and Cambridgeshire, and is found locally in some plenty 
in arable fields on the Dunstable downs ; the crested cow-wheat (Melam- 
pyrum cristatum), which apparently has its western limit in the county 
(unless indeed it really occurs in Bucks and Hants, whence it has been 
reported, but on somewhat uncertain evidence), occurs in some of the 
woodlands. Another eastern species, the sulphur clover (Trifolium ochro- 
/eucon, Huds.), which occurs sparingly, also has its western range in this 
county and Surrey. Another very local species is the box (Buxus semper- 
virens), which by some authorities is considered to be native on the 
Dunstable downs, and in a few other localities such as Box Hill in 
40 
