170 
REPORTS OF MEETINGS 
REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL SECTION 
A mong the plants that grow in the neighbourhood of 
Bristol are a large number of aliens or “ introduced 
species.” The latter term, as opposed to natives, indicates 
plants which owe their presence to man’s doings as distinct 
from other more natural agencies. The distinction can 
often be made without difficulty, and in the case of Bristol 
aliens the great majority are obviously casuals, dropped 
from foreign forage or derived from imported barley now 
much used in malting, the siftings from which are scattered 
far and wide in feeding poultry. Station-yards, sidings 
where trucks are swept free from rubbish, and tips of 
town refuse produce many of these plants. St. Philip’s 
Marsh, now unhappily almost entirely enclosed and 
utilized (the circumstance that suggested the writing of 
this note), has for many years shown an interesting vegeta- 
tion to those who cared to brave the vile odours that 
environ it. Here was one of the earliest British stations 
for the Hoary Cress (Lepidium Draba), which during the 
last half-century has greatly spread throughout the country 
until one begins to fear that in time it may become as great 
a pest to our agriculturists as it is now in Southern Europe. 
Here also in former days I gathered many specimens of the 
rare and beautiful grass Polypogon litoralis. This grew 
upon the original alluvium twenty feet or so below the 
surface of the made ground one sees to-day ; and I could 
never feel quite sure that it was not native in the locality. 
The natural orders Cruciferse and Leguminos^ have 
always been well represented at St. Philip’s : the former by 
Sisymbrium pannonicum, Erysimum repandum, Lepidium 
Draba, L. latifolium, L. perfoliatum, Alyssum campestre, 
A. dasycarpum, Rapistrum perenne, etc. ; and the latter 
order by Trigonella coerulea, Melilotus arvensis, M. indica, 
Vida hybrida, F. hyrcanica, V. lutea, V. varia, F. villosa, 
