VOL. XIX. (>) FLORA OF THE GLOUCESTER DOCKS 
I J9 
SOME NOTES ON THE FLORA OF THE 
GLOUCESTER DOCKS 
BY 
J. W. HAINES 
(Read March 21st, 1916.) 
I am quite aware of the fact that to the purist many, 
perhaps most, of the flowering plants of the Gloucester Docks 
are suspect, denizens, aliens and so forth, but they are, at 
worst, friendly aliens and a great many have been so long 
naturalised that we may well give them a place in our roll 
of citizens. No doubt many other field botanists have for 
years past scoured the neighbourhood of the Docks for speci- 
mens, but, for some considerable time, the exigencies of 
business and the fact that I lived in the vicinity, combined to 
make me traverse this area more frequently than most people. 
This emboldens me to set out a list of the less common plants 
that I have met with there. The ground is very dry, and, in 
consequence, in hot summers the flora gets completely burnt 
up, with disastrous results. Again, doubtless for a like reason, 
the ground is more prolific in the plants of late summer and 
early autumn than in those of the early year. Plants, 
especially alien plants, have a way of luxuriating there and 
causing the annihilation of their tenderer brethren. To the 
terrible overgrowth of Medicago arvensis and that peppery 
ogre Lepidiuni dvaha I ascribe the loss of many more pleasing 
species. I am glad to say that this last year (1915) showed a 
considerable relaxation in the onslaught of these tyrants. 
Of the Ranunculus group, R. sceleratus, R. auvicvmiis and 
R. arvensis are usually to be found about the Docks. For a 
year or two tlie rare poppy, Glaucium phoeniceum, a scarlet 
