BOTANY 



from a point near Upcot in North Molton to the Somerset county boundary near East Lips- 

 combe in East Anstey ; and the third about half a mile long by about one-sixth of a mile 

 broad at the eastern end, extending from West Lipscombe in East Anstey eastwards to the 

 county boundary ; the Pilton beds extend for about 15 miles from west to east through the 

 parishes of Charles, West Buckland, East Buckland, Filleigh, South Molton, North Molton, 

 Bishopsnympton, Twitchen, Molland, West Anstey and East Anstey. 



There are several narrow patches of limestone within the areas of the Lower Culm 

 Measures and Pilton beds in Filleigh and other parishes eastwards about the same latitude. 

 There is a tract of New Red Sandstone measuring about 1 6^ miles from west to east, widen- 

 ing from I to 3f miles from north to south, and extending through the parishes of North 

 Tawton, Bow, Zeal Monachorum, Clannaborough, Down St. Mary, Colebrooke, Crediton 

 Hamlets, Crediton Town, Sandford, Upton Hellions, Shobrooke, Newton St. Cyres and 

 Stockleigh Pomeroy. 



Mineral veins occur in the south part of the parish of Newton St. Cyres, within the 

 areas of both the New Red Sandstone and the Culm Measures. 



In the parish of West Buckland, in a quarry within the Lower Culm area and close to 

 the southern boundary of the Pilton beds, the mineral called fVavellite occurs ; it is a crystal- 

 line mineral, a phosphate of alumina. 



With reference to the climate of the district calculations made from the records of British 

 Rainfall show that the mean annual rainfall during the decade 1890—9 at South Molton, 

 430 feet altitude, was 42*35 inches, and that the mean annual number of days on which 'oi 

 inch or more of rain fell was 198. According to Mr. A. Chandler the mean annual tempera- 

 ture at South Molton is 48-4° Fahr., and the percentage of possible sunshine is 36. Calcula- 

 tions made from Mr. T. Wainwright's figures show that for the last few years at Romansleigh 

 Rectory, 590 feet altitude, the mean annual minimum and maximum temperatures were 22*3° 

 Fahr. and 8o"2° Fahr. respectively ; at Filleigh School, 368 feet altitude, the corresponding 

 figures were i']'SS° Fahr. and 83*5° Fahr. At the latter place the mean annual percentages 

 of the humidity of the air and of cloud respectively during the years 1 894-1 900 were 84 

 and 70. 



The yellow vetchling or tare {Lathyrus Aphaca) is not common ; it was recorded by 

 Polwhele in 1797 as occurring in Chittlehampton, but it has not been recently reported 

 thence. 



The ivy bell-flower fJVahlenhergia hederacea) was said by Gibson in 1695 to be no less 

 common in this county than in Cornwall, in the like places ; it is still plentiful in several 

 parts of the district. 



The Jacob's ladder {Polemonium caruleum) was found by Miss H. Saunders of South 

 Molton on 23 July 1892, with white flowers in a wood in the parish of North Molton ; it 

 was probably only a casual there ; the species is found also in the Plymouth district, and is 

 not counted in the census of Devon plants. 



The yellow monkey-flower {Mimulus Langsdorffii), a North American plant, is established 

 in several places and increasing in quantity ; it is the M. luteus, Pursh, not L. (see Journ. Bot. 

 189s, p. 6). 



The spurge laurel {Daphne Laureola) is diminishing in the county ; it occurs in the 

 parish of Chittlehampton, and Dr. Wavell reported it from Raleigh Wood near Barnstaple. 



The beech tree {Fagus sylvatica), according to Polwhele, is by far the most thriving of 

 the trees in Rackenford, which is a parish with a clay soil south-east of South Molton ; in 

 1797 there was a remarkably fine beech standing in the churchyard, the middle girth of which 

 was 15I feet, the least diameter of the spread of the branches being 67 feet ; in the parish 

 of Woolfardisworthy there were two widely spreading beech trees, so lofty as to be a sea- 

 mark, growing on an estate called St. James' Tree (High Tree), adjoining the South Molton 

 and Exeter road. 



Robin's bastard daifodil {Narcissus eystettensis) has long been established in a field in the 

 parish of Charles in this district ; it is considered to be a form of a double-flowered variety 

 of the common Lent lily {N. pseudo-narcissus) ; the perianth segments are repeated over and 

 over again in regular order forming six rows, and no corona of the ordinary kind is developed ; 

 it was figured by Parkinson in 1629 {Paradisus, p. 107, n. 4), who called it the 'lesser French 

 double bastard daffodil.' 



The Molland lily {Lilium pyrenaicum) is thoroughly established in the parish of Bishops- 

 nympton, not far from Molland ; it has maintained its position there for half a century. 



Juncus tenuis was discovered by G. Don in Scotland in 1795 or 1796, but for many 

 I 73 10 



