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A FLORA OF HIGH WYCOMBE. 



By James Britten. 



I. Iktroduction. 



The county of Bucldngliam is to a very great extent terra incognita; 

 to the Botanist ; and it is in the hope of throwing some light on, and 

 making some additions to its floral productions that the following pages 

 have been written. While many at least of the neighbouring counties 

 have been comparatively well investigated, and their treasures brought to 

 light, Buckinghamshire has been overlooked — few, indeed, are the printed 

 records of its rare plants, and those " few" very " far between." Although 

 I hope, at a future period to publish a complete Flora of Bucks, my atten- 

 tion has been at present restricted to the southern portion of the county, 

 or to the district which is comprised within a radius of five miles from 

 the town of High Wycombe, which district also embraces small portions 

 of three other counties: — Oxon, Herts and Berks ; and as I have had the 

 assistance of one or two friends in working out the Botany of this neigh- 

 bourhood, I have thought it better to publish a localised list, as nearly- 

 complete as possible, of its plants without further delay, hoping that this 

 may form the nucleus of the Flora of the whole county. 



II. Geological. 



The close connection which exists between the plants of any district 

 and the soil upon which they grow, cannot be overlooked ; and I have 

 therefore obtained from my friend Mr. Ullyett the following sketch of the 

 Geology and general aspect of the country round Wycombe, which being 

 entirely devoted to the description of localities subsequently mentioned, 

 will in no way interfere with the paper already published by Mr. Browne, 

 upon the same subject. : — * 



High Wycombe is situated in one of the numerous valleys of the 

 Chiltern Hills, which form a portion of the Chalk System of England, as 

 it stretches from the Thames in a N.E. direction till it sinks beneath the 

 sea at the Wash. The valley lies neaily E. and W. and is bounded 

 laterally by hills rising to the height of two or three hundred feet. In 



* Naturalist vol ii. p. 266-. 



