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Notes on the Flora of Silbury Hill. 



Standing out then as does Silbury Hill from a small valley 

 occupied by Meadow, in which the Alopecurus pratensis, Meadow 

 Foxtail is the prevailing grass, it struck me at the period of my 

 visit in July 16, 1857, that the botany of the mound was suffi- 

 ciently remarkable to make it desirable that I should make a list 

 of the plants which I then found there. 



The following list therefore — though confessedly imperfect — will 

 yet serve to give some idea of the Flora of Silbury Hill in the 

 month of July. Of course the list would be much augmented by 

 explorations in spring and autumn, which, besides enlarging the 

 list of the ordinary flowering plants, would make it possible to 

 tabulate the whole of the grasses. 



Now in the list I have omitted the grasses, but it may be 

 remarked that the hill may be said to be covered by a poor kind of 

 turf : its grass herbage being small in quantity arising from want 

 of soil, but yet made up of numerous species. It is however just 

 this circumstance of a want of luxuriance in the grass which has 

 made such a large and varied list as here follows possible, for 

 wherever grass herbage is luxuriant there will be a proportional 

 diminution both in the number of species of other plants, as also 

 with few exceptions in the development of their mass. 



List of Plants observed on Silbury Hill, 

 on July 16th, 1857. 



*Anthyllis vulneraria, L. Ladies fingers. 



Apargia hispida, Willd. Rough Hawkbit. 



*Arabis hirsuta, Br. Hairy rock Cress 



*Asperula cynanchica, L. Squinancy wort 



Bellis perennis, L. Daisy. 



Bunium flexuosum, With. Pig, or Earth nut. 



♦Campanula glomerata, L. Clustered bell flower, 



rotundifolia, L. Harebell, 



Centaurea nigra, L. Blackhead. 



* ,, scabiosa, L. Hardhead. 



Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, L. Ox-eye Daisy. 



Daucus carota, L. Wild Carrot. 



*Euphrasia officinalis, L. Eye-bright. 



Galium saxatile, L. Stone Bedstraw. 



verum, L. Yellow Bedstraw. 



*Gentiana amarella, L, Small flowered Gentian. 



