47 



§ optical Section. 



CHAIRMAN'S NOTE ON FIELD WORK. 

 In an area which has been so well worked as the Bourne- 

 mouth district, it is not often that the occurence of species new to 

 the district can be recorded. In the past season, though nothing 

 of a very startling nature was discovered, the field work of the 

 section was interesting and instructive, and the excursions were 

 well attended. 



The discovery of Lobelia urens at Hinton Admiral has already 

 been recorded and it is very satisfactory to note that the Rev. E. 

 F. Linton, in the new appendix to his " Flora of Bournemouth " 

 agrees in considering the locality a native station. 

 During the war a considerable number of trees 

 near the locality were cut down and the Lobelia 

 has in consequence very greatly enlarged its boun- 

 daries and increased enormously in quantity. There is an interest- 

 ing note in the minute book of the Botanical Section for October 

 1, 1909, to the effect that Colonel Ross brought a specimen of 

 Lobelia urens for inspection which had appeared in his garden. 

 It is possible that formerly the species was more widely distri- 

 buted in the neighbourhood and that common fires and the planting 

 of the pine trees nearly exterminated it. 



Hinton has also produced another rarety in Fritillaria Melea- 

 gris, a specimen of which was on show in the Society's exhibition 

 of wild flowers at the Free Library. Pending further investiga- 

 tion this must of course be considered as a doubtfully native 

 station. A large colony of Viola palustris, by no means a common 

 plant in the district, has also been found at Hinton. 



An excursion to Christchurch Harbour produced some interest- 

 ing plants. A nice colony of about a dozen specimens of Cynoglos- 

 sum officinale was found which has only previously been recorded 

 from Kinson and Swanage in the district. The Spartina grass 

 (Spartina Townsendi), the spread of which in Poole Harbour has 

 from time to time been recorded in our proceedings, has now 

 thoroughly established itself in Christchurch Harbour, the first 

 plant being noticed in 1912 at the side of the " run." It was then 

 very small and did not seem to flourish for a year or two, but it 

 has now grown to a clump about two yards in diameter. Nine 

 other clumps — three or four of them big ones — were noticed last 

 year within the Harbour and as the locality would seem to be 

 ideal, it will no doubt increase as quickly as it has done in Poole 

 Harbour, and it is more than likely that it may become a very 

 serious matter if steps are not soon taken to destroy it. 



Many other interesting plants have been noticed during the 

 season but as they have been recorded from neighbouring localities 

 it would not be worth while to mention them again here. Verbas- 

 cum Blattaria however, on Burton Common, must not be omitted 

 as it has not been recorded for the Hampshire side of Bournemouth 

 since 1861. 



