BOTANY 



FOR the purposes of Topographical Botany Lancashire was divided 

 by Mr. H. C. Watson into three vice-counties, namely, V.C. 59, 

 South Lancashire ; 60, West Lancashire ; and 69, Lake Lanca- 

 shire. This last vice-county, however, was combined with West- 

 morland, but for this article only that part of Watson's vice-county which 

 Hes within the boundaries of the county of Lancaster is treated of. 



V.C. 59. — Lancashire South is all the county north of the Mersey and 

 south of the Ribble. Its flora, as regards flowering plants and mosses, is 

 about as well known as any tract of land of similar size in Britain. The 

 density of its population is only exceeded by that of Middlesex, and therefore 

 great changes have taken place in its plant life during the past century. 

 Some of the more interesting plants have disappeared from the mosses through 

 drainage and the rapid spread of the towns. There are one or two doughs in 

 the east which afford a home for a few uncommon plants, and the sand- 

 dunes of the coast have lost few of the rare plants which have been known to 

 grow more or less abundantly there for over a century. The highest ground 

 in this vice-county is Pendle Hill, 1831 feet, in the north-eastern corner near 

 Clitheroe, a striking feature in the landscape when seen from the main line 

 of the Midland Railway at Hellifield, as it is also from the other side from 

 various standpoints. The summit of this hill is just above the superagrarian 

 zone of Watson, and is the only land in this vice-county within the inferarctic 

 zone. All the eastern side of the vice-county is hilly, but the rest is very little 

 above sea level in any part. There are no rivers of importance within its 

 boundaries. The geology is uniform and of no special interest to the botanist. 

 The great port of Liverpool accounts for a considerable alien flora, propagated 

 by seeds in ballast and in other ways common to all great seaports. Many 

 of these seeds are very small and are easily blown by the wind from quays 

 and wharves on to the banks of estuary and canal. Some few of these are 

 spreading, but the majority only flower once and then disappear. Some of 

 the larger seeds fall in the water, and are thrown up later amongst the dredg- 

 ings, and soon produce flowers when the conditions are favourable. Almost 

 all these aliens are annual or biennial. This extensive alien flora makes up in 

 a measure for the loss of the few rare natives. Few districts have been so 

 thoroughly and carefully worked by such a number of able bryologists 

 during the last sixty years, therefore it is not likely that many additions will 

 be made to the moss flora in the future. Little or nothing has been done 

 with the fungi,^ the algae have been neglected,^ and the lichens have only 

 recently had any attention. No attempt has been made to study the myce- 

 tozoa of any part of the county as far as is known.^ The student need not 

 therefore travel far for material of interest and importance. There is no 

 published flora of this vice-county. There are, however, several local floras 



1 Thus comparing very unfavourably with the county of York. 



37 



