BY WM. MATHEWS, M.A.
In attempting to describe the more interesting features of the indigenous Flora of the neighbourhood of Birmingham, it is necessary to define the limits of the district intended to be included. A circle of 20 miles radius, with the Town Hall as its centre, has been found convenient as an approximate boundary. This will enclose portions of the three counties of Warwick, Worcester, and Stafford, which meet at a point on the south-western edge of the Borough, and a small part of the County of Salop. The latter, with the exception shortly to be mentioned, will be excluded from consideration. On the other hand, the radius must be extended about two miles on the south-east to take in the town of Stratford-on-Avon, and about the same distance on the west to take in the woodlands west of the Severn from Shrawley Wood to Wyre Forest near Bewdley. A part of the Forest is in Salop, and to this extent only is the latter county admitted. The district thus defined contains an area of about 12,500 square miles. It includes the towns of Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Coventry, Leamington, Warwick, Stratford, and Alcester, in the County of Warwick; of Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Stourport, Bewdley, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Halesowen, and Dudley, in Worcester; of Wolverhampton, Walsall, Penkridge, Cannock, Rugeley, and Lichfield, in Stafford.
The vegetation of any district depends partly on the nature of the soil, as determined by its geological structure, partly on altitude and drainage areas, and partly on the character of the surface, whether water, bog, heath, arable, pasture or woodland. The geology has been treated of in a previous part of this volume. It will be sufficient to say here that the red rocks of the Trias occupy by far the largest portion of the area, and that calcareous soils are rare. An elevated line of country, commencing north of Wolverhampton, runs in a southerly direction, by Sedgley, Dudley, and the Rowley Hills, to Frankley Beeches and the Upper Lickey, where it attains an altitude of about 900 feet above the sea. This is the great water parting of central England which divides the drainage areas of the Trent and Severn. From the Lickey, a line of lower elevation runs in a westerly direction and divides the tributaries of the Trent from those of the Avon. The subordinate river basins and surface characteristics will be noticed in the special articles.
A brief outline of the history of the Botany of the Midland Counties may be useful to students, and is therefore included in these remarks. It commences with the honoured name of William Withering, one of the most eminent of British Botanists. Born at Wellington, in Shropshire, in 1741, he practised as a physician in Birmingham, where he died in 1799. The first edition of his well-known “Botanical arrangement of British Plants,” in two volumes, was published in 1776; the second, in three vols. in 1787; the third, in four vols. in 1796. It passed through five further editions, in four volumes, after his death. Numerous references to localities in the neighbourhood of Birmingham are contained in these volumes.
Scarcely less distinguished was Thomas Purton (1768-1833), surgeon, of Alcester, the author of “The Midland Flora.” The first two volumes of the work appeared in 1817, the third in 1821. They contain copious descriptions of local habitats in the counties of Warwick, Worcester, and Stafford.
Nash’s “History of Worcestershire,” 1781, contains (Introduction p. lxxxix.) a list of forty-three rare plants, two only of which, Vaccinium Oxycoccos and Comarum palustre, recorded as growing at the Lickey, belong to the Birmingham district. The Supplement (1799) has a further list of forty-seven plants, four of which belong to the district.
The late W. G. Perry, bookseller, of Warwick, published at Warwick, in 1820, the first Flora of that county, under the title of “PlantÆ Varvicenses SelectÆ.” He also contributed to the Magazine of Natural History, Vol. iv., p. 450, 1831, a list of some of the rarer plants of Worcestershire, chiefly from the neighbourhood of Kidderminster and Bewdley.
The “History of Stourbridge,” by William Scott, Stourbridge, 1832, contains a list of plants from the neighbourhood of that town, in the counties of Worcester and Stafford.
For a knowledge of the plants of the immediate vicinity of Birmingham, and particularly of the once celebrated “Moseley Wake Green,” Botanists are chiefly indebted to the late William Ick, Secretary of the old Philosophical Society of Birmingham. Mr. Ick published two lists; the first in “The Analyst,” for 1837, Vol. vi., p. 20; the second in the “Midland Counties Herald,” Aug. 1838.
The present Mrs. Avery, then Miss M. A. Beilby, was a frequent visitor to Moseley at about that date, and has obliged the writer with a list of the rarities gathered by her at Moseley Bog and Common in 1835 and 1836.
A list of some of the rarer plants of the neighbourhood of Birmingham, by Saml. Freeman, appeared in the first series of the Phytologist, Vol. i., p. 261.
The Rev. W. T. Bree, Rector of Allesley, near Coventry, was a well-known Botanist. He contributed to Purton’s Midland Flora, to the Magazine of Natural History, and to the first series of the Phytologist, many notices of the plants of the northern part of his county.
The first volume of the last named serial, 1844, pp. 508-514, contains an account of the ferns of Stafford, Warwick, and Worcester, from the pen of the Editor, the late Edward Newman.
The second series of the Phytologist, 1855 to 1863, was edited by the late Alexander Irvine of Chelsea. Several plants from the neighbourhood of Clent and Churchill are recorded by the Editor, in an article on the “Botany of the Clent Hills,” Vol. ii., p. 385, April, 1858.
The Studies of Warwickshire Fungi, made by the late Mrs. F. Russell, of Kenilworth, will be noticed in the article on that group of plants.
The County Botany of Worcester has been associated for upwards of half a century, with the name of the veteran Worcester Botanist, Mr. Edwin Lees. His first observations, made in conjunction with the late Dr. Streeten, were published in Hastings’s “Illustrations of the Natural History of Worcestershire,” (1834). These, together with a further list supplied by him to the late H. C. Watson, are incorporated in the Catalogue of Worcestershire plants in “The New Botanists’ Guide,” (1835). The same work contains lists of the plants of Warwick and Stafford. In 1867, Mr. Lees published his “Botany of Worcester,” the only complete record of the flowering plants and ferns of the whole county, which has yet appeared. His “Botany of the Malvern Hills,” which has passed through three editions, relates to a part of the county outside the limits of the Birmingham district.
The plants of the north-east of the county are enumerated in the “Flora of the Clent and Lickey Hills,” by the present writer. First edition, 1868; Second Edition, 1881. He has been indebted for assistance to many friends, too numerous to mention in this notice.
“The Natural History of Stafford,” by R. Garner, 1884, contains a list of the rarer plants of that county. Our more recent knowledge of its botany is due to Dr. Fraser, of Wolverhampton, whose discoveries are published in the Reports of the Botanical Record Club, 1873-1883. These reports contain also many district records communicated by the Editor, Dr. F. Arnold Lees, and by Mr. J. E. Bagnall.
The modern geographical botany of Warwick is the work of members of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopal Society, and especially of Mr. J. E. Bagnall, Mr. A. W. Wills, and Mr. W. B. Grove. The volumes of “The Midland Naturalist” have been enriched by numerous papers from these Botanists, for one of which, the monograph on the PilobolidÆ, published in Vol. vii., 1884, the Darwin Gold Medal of the Midland Union of Natural History Societies was awarded to Mr. Grove. Those relating to the Botany of the county are, by Mr. Bagnall, “The Distribution of the Roses,” (Vol. i, 1878), “The Moss Flora,” (Vols. ii. and iii., 1879-80), “The HepaticÆ,” (Vol. iii., 1880), and “The Flora of Warwickshire,” (Vols. iv.-ix., 1880-86); by Mr. Wills, “The DesmidiÆ of Sutton Park,” (Vol. iii., 1880); by Mr. Grove, “The Fungi of the neighbourhood of Birmingham,” (Vols. v.-vii., 1882-84.)
The works of the late Hewett Cottrell Watson, the founder of the Science of the Geographical Botany of Great Britain, must not be passed over. Those containing provincial or comital records, besides the new Botanists’ Guide already mentioned, are the Cybele Britannica, 1847-1872; Topographical Botany, 1st edit., 1873-4, 2nd edit., 1883.
It may be interesting to mention that a Students’ Garden for economic and medicinal plants was laid out in 1882, in the Edgbaston Botanical Gardens, from the plans of Professor Hillhouse, of Mason College, and that a Students’ garden of British plants has been laid out, in the present year, in Cannon Hill Park, from the plans of Mr. J. W. Oliver, teacher of Botany at the Midland Institute. For the establishment of the latter garden, students are indebted to Mr. Alderman White, chairman of the Baths and Parks Committee of the Town Council.
County boundaries have been so generally adopted as the limits of local Floras, that it has been thought desirable to adhere to them, and to tabulate the plants separately for Warwick, Worcester, and Stafford, whenever the materials at command have admitted of this division. The flowering plants and ferns present no difficulty, but with respect to the lower forms of vegetation it has not always been found possible to determine their comital distribution. The plants indigenous to the district are described in the following articles:—
The Flowering Plants and Ferns by Mr. J. E. Bagnall, assisted, as to Worcester, by the editor of the section, and, as to Stafford, by Dr. Fraser. The Mosses, Hepatics, and Lichens, by Mr. J. E. Bagnall. The AlgÆ, by Mr. A. W. Wills. The Fungi, by Mr. W. B. Grove.
Chapter I.
The Flowering Plants, Ferns, &c.
BY J. E. BAGNALL, A.L.S.
The flowering plants, ferns, and fern allies of the Birmingham District will be described, as stated in the Introductory Remarks, under the heads of the three counties of Warwick, Worcester, and Stafford. The total flora of the district comprises upwards of 1,116 flowering plants and ferns; of these 844 are native, 143 are varieties, 14 aliens, 42 colonists, and 73 are denizens. The nomenclature adopted is that of the 7th edition of the “London Catalogue of British Plants.”
WARWICK.
The Warwickshire portion of the district comprises the greater part of North Warwickshire, with a portion of South Warwickshire. It is watered by the Tame, with its affluents the Rea, Cole, Blythe, Bourne, and Anker; and the Avon with its affluents the Leam, Sow, Alne, and Arrow. The greatest elevations occur at Hartshill, Dosthill, Corley, Alne Hills, and Arrow, none of which exceed 550 feet above the sea. As a whole it is well wooded, but the woods are usually small and not productive of the rarer woodland species. Heath lands are mostly reclaimed, and the more extensive marshes and bogs drained, hence ericetal and bog plants are rare. It has been divided into the following sub-districts, bounded by the water partings of the river basins:—I. Tame, II. Blythe, III. Anker, IV. Avon, V. Sow, VI. Alne, VII. Arrow.
In presenting an account of the rarer plants as full a list from each sub-district (as space permits) will be given, but many of the plants cited for one or other sub-district may also be found in one or more of the others.
The plants marked by an asterisk* before the name are probably extinct.
I. Tame.—This sub-district embraces all those portions of the Tame valley not drained by the Blythe or Anker, and includes Sutton, Middleton, Water Orton, Kingsbury, Shustoke, and Arley. The country is generally flat, but is slightly elevated on both right and left banks, near Arley, Middleton, Dosthill, and Shustoke. In this district about 750 flowering plants and ferns are recorded; among the more rare are—
Ranunculus fluitans, R. Lenormandi, R. Lingua; NymphÆa alba; Viola palustris; Moenchia erecta; Ornithopus perpusillus; Comarum palustre; Rubus Schlechtendalii, R. rosaceus; Rosa sphÆrica; Callitriche obtusangula; Parnassia palustris; Galium uliginosum; Valeriana dioica; Chrysosplenium alternifolium; Dipsacus pilosus; Carlina vulgaris; Carduus nutans; Leontodon hirtus; Jasione montana; Vaccinium Vitis-IdÆa, V. Oxycoccos; Menyanthes trifoliata; Mentha rotundifolia; Calamintha Acinos; Scutellaria minor; Pinguicula vulgaris; Polygonum maculatum; Empetrum nigrum; Salix fusca; Juncus diffusus; Scirpus pauciflorus; Eriophorum vaginatum; Carex dioica, C. curta, C. Ehrhartiana, C. lÆvigata, C. fulva; Agrostis nigra; Botrychium Lunaria; Nephrodium Thelypteris; Chara opaca.
II. Blythe.—The Blythe, which rises on the borders of East Worcestershire near Earlswood, takes its course through Solihull, Knowle, Hampton-in-Arden, Packington, and Coleshill, to its confluence with the Tame, near Whitacre; with this is included the Cole, running through Marston Green and Coleshill. This sub-district is mostly flat, the soils are usually sand, marl, and clay. Heath lands occur near Earlswood and Coleshill; bogs and marshes near Coleshill and Barston. The recorded flora is about 820 flowering plants and ferns, the following being the more noteworthy:—
Thalictrum flavum; Aquilegia vulgaris; Drosera rotundifolia; Cerastium arvense; Sagina ciliata; *Elatine hexandra; Hypericum elodes; Geranium pyrenaicum; Genista tinctoria; Vicia tetrasperma; Rubus suberectus, R. adornatus; Rosa micrantha, R. surculosa, R. obtusifolia, R. Reuteri; Pyrus torminalis; Cotyledon Umbilicus; Œnanthe crocata; ChÆrophyllum Anthriscus; Sambucus Ebulus; Carduus pratensis; Anthemis arvensis; Bidens cernua, B. tripartita; Solidago virga-aurea; Lactuca muralis; Hieracium umbellatum; *Pyrola media; Linaria minor; Limosella aquatica; Veronica Buxbaumii; *Orobanche major; Mentha piperita; Stachys ambigua; Myosotis repens, M. sylvatica, M. collina, M. versicolor; Lysimachia vulgaris; Littorella lacustris; Populus canescens; Lemna gibba; Potomogeton rufescens; Orchis Morio; *Gymnadenia conopsea; Narthecium ossifragum; Rhynchospora alba; Scirpus multicaulis, S. cÆspitosus; Carex elongata; Agrostis canina; Calamagrostis lanceolata.
III. Anker.—The Anker rises about 3 miles S.E. of Bedworth, drains the country about Bedworth, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth and Tamworth, and enters the Tame at Tamworth. The country it waters is usually flat, but on its left bank at Hartshill and Polesworth there is rising ground about 500 feet above sea level. In this sub-district the Warwickshire coalfields occur, and it is possibly due to the great prevalence of smoke that its flora is meagre and the plants often depauperated. The recorded flora is about 680 flowering plants and ferns, and among the more rare are:
*Myosurus minimus; Cardamine amara, C. impatiens; Viola Reichenbachiana; Stellaria aquatica; Tilia parvifolia; Rhamnus catharticus; Genista tinctoria; *Vicia sylvatica; Prunus insititia; Potentilla procumbens; Rubus calvatus, R. mucronulatus, R. Bloxamii, R. foliosus, R. Bellardi; Rosa andegavensis, R. bibracteata; Epilobium roseum; Œnanthe fluviatilis; Cornus sanguinea; Matricara Chamomilla; Wahlenbergia hederacea; Atropa Belladonna; Veronica polita; *Orobanche elatior; Rumex pratensis; Salix pentandra, S. rubra; Sparganium neglectum; Sagittaria sagittifolia; Butomus umbellatus; Potamogeton pusillus; Epipactis latifolia; Fritillaria Meleagris; Scirpus acicularis; Nardus stricta; Ceterach officinarum; Equisetum maximum; Chara Hedwigii.
IV. Avon.—This sub-district includes that portion of South Warwick within the area not drained by the Leam, Sow, Alne, and Arrow, including Milverton, Stoneleigh, Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon, Bidford and Salford Priors. This valley is beautifully undulating and well-wooded, watered by many minor streams, with very varied soils and usually highly cultivated. Its flora is peculiar from the absence of bog and heath plants, the records comprising about 970 flowering plants and ferns, of which the following are the rarer:—
Ranunculus parviflorus; Papaver strigosum, P. Lecoqii; Sisymbrium Sophia; Erysimum cheiranthoides; Cheiranthus Cheiri; Diplotaxis muralis; Viola odorata; Dianthus Armeria; Hypericum dubium; Medicago maculata; Astragalus glycyphyllus; Trifolium subterraneum, T. scabrum, T. fragiferum, T. filiforme; Vicia lathyroides; Potentilla argentea; Rubus Guntheri, R. tuberculatus; Rosa stylosa; Poterium Sanguisorba; Geum intermedium; Epilobium tetragonum; Petroselinum segetum; Senecio erucifolius; Crepis biennis; Solanum nigrum; Mentha cardiaca; Myriophyllum alterniflorum, M. spicatum; Salix Hoffmanniana, S. Helix; Potamageton flabellatus; *Carex Boeninghauseniana; Carex acuta, C. pendula; Agrostis spica-venti; Bromus commutatus.
V. Sow.—The Sow, rises near Astley, and receives tributaries, draining Combe fields, Brinklow and Sow Waste on the east, and Allesley, Corley, and Kenilworth on the west. The high land about Corley divides the watersheds of the Tame and Avon. The flora of this sub-district is about 691 flowering plants and ferns, the more noteworthy being—
Ranunculus penicillatus, R. radians; *Arabis perfoliata; Geranium columbinum; Rubus humifusus, R. hirtus, R. Balfourianus, R. Guntheri; Rosa Doniana; Epilobium obscurum; Myriophyllum verticillatum; Callitriche hamulata; Saxifraga granulata; Pimpinella magna; Silaus pratensis; Arctium intermedium; Serratula tinctoria; Inula Conyza; Erigeron acris; *Lactuca virosa; Campanula patula; *Cuscuta EuropÆa; Verbena officinalis; *Mentha gentilis; Nepeta Cataria; Lamium maculatum; Cynoglossum montanum, C. officinale; Chenopodium rubrum; Potamogeton obtusifolius, P. mucronatus; Acorus Calamus; Paris quadrifolia; Calamagrostis Epigeios; Lolium temulentum; Aspidium angulare; Chara contraria.
VI. Alne.—The Alne, rises near Tanworth on the west border of Warwickshire, the high land there forming in part the watershed of the Avon and Tame. Its course is through Henley-in-Arden, near here it is joined by an important tributary draining the country between Henley, Lapworth, and Rowington. This sub-district is somewhat hilly, the Alne Hills being the highest elevations. It includes Tanworth, Henley-in-Arden, Bearley, Alne, Wilmcote, Claverdon, Hatton, Rowington. The Lias soils prevail in southern part of the district. The flora is about 745 flowering plants and ferns, the following being the more rare—
Clematis vitalba; Ranunculus Drouetii; Helianthemum vulgare; Viola hirta; Geranium pratense, G. pusillum; Melilotus officinalis; Lotus tenuis; *Lathyrus Aphaca, L. Nissolia; SpirÆa Filipendula; Agrimonia odorata; Rubus thyrsoideus; Rosa rubiginosa; Sison Amomum; Caucalis daucoides; Galium tricorne; Valeriana Mikani; Scabiosa columbaria; Carduus acaulis; Centauria Scabiosa; Anthemis nobilis; Arctium majus; Picris hieracioides; Helminthia echioides; Gentiana amarella; Linaria spuria, *L. repens; Thymus ChamÆdrys; Ophrys apifera; Juncus obtusiflorus; Avena pratensis; Bromus erectus; B. secalinus; Chara longibracteata.
VII. Arrow.—The Arrow enters the county near Redditch, and takes its course through a narrow hilly valley to its confluence with the Avon at Salford Priors, passing on its way Studley, Alcester, Arrow, Wixford, and Broome. This sub-district is well wooded; the soils are mostly Keuper marls and sand, with Lias soils prevailing about Wixford. The flora has not been fully worked out, but the record is now about 706 flowering plants and ferns; among the more noteworthy are:—
Ranunculus circinatus; Berberis vulgaris; Sinapis nigra; Silene noctiflora; Euonymus EuropÆus; Trifolium striatum; Rosa spinossisma; Pyrus communis; *Sedum Telephium; Ribes nigrum; Bupleurum rotundifolium; Torilis infesta; Adoxa Moschatellina; Viburnum Lantana; Carduus crispus, C. Eriophorus; Campanula glomerata, C. Trachelium; Specularia hybrida; Chlora perfoliata; *Hyoscyamus niger; Linaria Elatine; Calamintha menthifolia; *Marrubium vulgare; Galeopsis Ladanum, G. versicolor; Centunculus minimus; Chenopodium polyspermum, C. hybridum; Polygonum Bistorta; Daphne Laureola; Carpinus Betulus; Salix triandra; Orchis pyramidalis; Spiranthes autumnalis; *Epipactis palustris; Chephalanthera ensifolia; Iris foetidissima; *Allium oleraceum; Juncus Gerardi; Carex divulsa, *C. distans; Koehleria cristata; Schlerochloa rigida; Brachipodium pinnatum.
WORCESTER.
The Worcestershire portion of the district extends from Oldbury and Yardley in the north, to Abbot’s Morton on the south. It is watered by the Cole and Rea, tributaries to the Tame, by the Stour and Salwarp, tributaries to the Severn, by the Severn itself, and by the Arrow and minor streams tributaries to the Avon. A range of hills about eight miles long runs across the country from north-west to south-east, and articulates with the central water parting at Bromsgrove Lickey. It includes Clent, Walton and Romsley Hills, Frankley Beeches, the Upper and the Lower Lickey, and rises in Walton Hill, to a maximum height of 1036 feet above the sea. The Worcestershire portion of the district has been divided into the following eight sub-districts, distinguished by the Roman numerals I. to VIII. It has not been found convenient in every case to adopt water partings as sub-divisional boundaries.
I. Rea. II. Clent and Lickey. III. Stour. IV. East Severn. V. West Severn. VI. Salwarp. VII. Arrow. VIII. Avon.
I. Rea.—The north-east angle of the county, drained by the Rea and Cole. Surface strata, red marl, occasionally covered by modern drift.
The flora of this sub-district has, unhappily, mainly an historical interest. Moseley Wake Green and Bog, drained and enclosed in or about 1840, and now partly built upon, formerly produced the following rarities:—
Viola palustris; Drosera rotundifolia; Dianthus deltoides; Alsine tenuifolia; Radiola millegrana; Hypericum elodes; Comarum palustre; Parnassia palustris; Helosciadium inundatum; Hydrocotyle vulgaris; Carduus pratensis; Vaccinium Oxycoccus; Menyanthes trifoliata; Pedicularis palustris; Scutellaria minor; Anagallis tenella; Centunculus minimus; Narthecium ossifragum; Rhyncospora alba; Eriophorum vaginatum; Triodia decumbens; Molinia cÆrulea; Nephrodium Oreopteris; Osmunda regalis; Lycopodium Selago; Equisetum hyemale.
Most of the above plants are certainly, and all probably, extinct. The same may be said of—
Thalictrum flavum; Coronopus Ruellii; Lythrum Salicaria; Ribes alpinum; Œnanthe fistulosa; Veronica Anagallis; Triglochin palustre; Butomus umbellatus; recorded from other parts of this sub-district.
The rarer plants now existing within it are:—
Ranunculus pseudo-fluitans; Chelidonium majus; Cardamine amara; Nasturtium amphibium; Nasturtium palustre; Epilobium roseum; Sium augustifolium; Adoxa moschatellina; Galium uliginosum; Hieraceum umbellatum; Campanula latifolia; Limosella aquatica; Stachys palustris; Rumex Hydrolapathum; Narcissus pseudo-narcissus; Lemna trisulca; Sagittaria sagittifolia; Scirpus setaceus; Carex vesicaria, C. pseudo-Cyperus; Alopecurus fulvus; Triticum caninum.
II. Clent and Lickey.—The Clent and Lickey Hills, with the head waters of the Rea and Arrow, and upper valley of the Stour to Stourbridge. Surface strata; Water stones, Bunter soft red sandstone and Pebble bed, Permian breccia, Permian clays and sandstones, Coal measures, Silurian and Cambrian rocks of the lower Lickey. This sub-district is extensively wooded, especially in the basin of the upper Stour above Halesowen.
The rarer plants are—
Ranunculus circinatus, R. auricomus, R. parviflorus, R. arvensis; Corydalis claviculata; Lepidium Smithii; Cardamine amara, C. impatiens; Barbarea stricta; Nasturtium amphibium; Erysimum cheiranthoides; Cheiranthus Cheiri; Reseda luteola; Viola palustris; Polygala depressa; Moenchia erecta; Spergularia rubra; Hypericum AndrosÆmun, H. humifusum; Geranium sylvaticum, G. lucidum; Rhamnus Frangula; Ulex Gallii; Genista tinctoria; Ononis arvensis. O. campestris; Melilotus arvensis; Trifolium medium, T. hybridum; Ornithopus perpusillus; Orobus tuberosus; Prunus Avium; Geum rivale, G. intermedium; Rubus macrophyllus, R. Sprengelii, R. hystrix, R. rudis, R. Koehleri, R. fusco-ater, R. rotundifolius, R. tenuiarmatus, R. diversifolius; Rosa mollissima, R. tomentosa, R. subglobosa, R. Watsoni; Agrimonia Eupatoria, A. odorata; Alchemilla vulgaris; Sanguisorba officinalis; Poterium muricatum; Pyrus Aucuparia; Epilobium angustifolium, E. obscurum; Callitriche stagnalis; Peplis Portula; Ribes rubrum, R. nigrum; Chrysosplenium alternifolium; Adoxa moschatellina; Hydrocotyle vulgaris; Sanicula EuropÆa; Pimpinella magna; Silaus pratensis; Pastinaca sativa; Torilis infesta; Viscum album; Sambucus nigra; Viburnum Opulus; Asperula odorata; Valerianella dentata; Dipsacus pilosus; Inula Conyza, I. dysenterica; Matricaria Parthenium; M. Chamomilla; Doronicum Pardalianches; Senecio erucifolius; Carlina vulgaris; Serratula tinctoria; Centaurea Scabiosa; Lactuca muralis; Hieracium murorum; Campanula latifolia; Erica tetralix; Vaccinium Myrtillus; ErythrÆa Centaurium; Chlora perfoliata; Convolvulus sepium; Cuscuta Trifolii; Orobanche major; LathrÆa squamaria; Linaria Cymbalaria, L. repens; Pedicularis sylvatica; Veronica montana, V. Buxbaumii; Calamintha Clinopodium; Scutellaria galericulata; Lamium Galeobdolon; Galeopsis versicolor; Stachys Betonica; Myosotis sylvatica; Cynoglossum officinale; Primula caulescens; Lysimachia vulgaris, L. Nummularia; Chenopodium Bonus-Henricus, C. olidum; Polygonum Bistorta; Euphorbia amygdaloides; Humulus Lupulus; Salix pentandra, S. aurita; Paris quadrifolia; Tamus communis; Orchis Morio; Gymnadenia conopsea; Neottia nidus-avis; Habenaria bifolia; Epipactis media; Narcissus pseudo-narcissus; Sagittaria sagittifolia; Butomus umbellatus; Allium ursinum; Colchicum autumnale; Juncus squarrosus; Luzula pilosa; Potamogeton rufescens, P. perfoliatus, P. crispus, P. pectinatus; Carex pulicaris, C. remota, C. pallescens. C. strigosa, C. pendula, C. pilulifera, C. fulva, C. lepidocarpa, C. sylvatica, C. pseudo-Cyperus, C. binervis; Triodia decumbens; Molinia cÆrulea; Festuca gigantea; Bromus erectus; Nardus stricta; Equisetum maximum, E. sylvaticum, E. hyemale; Nephrodium Oreopteris, N. spinulosum; Aspidium aculeatum, A. angulare: Asplenium Trichomanes; Blechnum boreale; Botrychium Lunaria; Ophioglossum vulgatum; Lycopodium clavatum.
Diplotaxis muralis; Buplerum rotundifolium; Hyoscyamus niger; Linaria Elatine; Borago orientalis have occurred as casuals.
Narthecium ossifragum and Drosera rotundifolia formerly grew at the Lower Lickey. The former was destroyed by drainage about 1854, the latter has been recently extirpated by collectors. Ceterach officinarum, which grew in great abundance on the garden wall at the Leasows from 1850 to 1884, was destroyed soon after the latter date.
III. Stour.—Country from the foot of the Clent Hills to the east bank of the Stour, near Kidderminster. Surface strata—Waterstones, soft red Bunter, Pebble bed. This sub-district is distinguished by the steep scarps of the waterstones, the sandy soils of the soft red sandstone, and the numerous pools on the brooks which flow from the Clent Hills into the river Stour. The rarer plants are—
Rananculus circinatus, R. fluitans, R. Lenormandi; Aquilegia vulgaris; Chelidonium majus; Nasturtium palustre; Cardamine amara; Barbarea prÆcox; Thlaspi arvense; Teesdalia nudicaulis; Viola palustris; Sagina ciliata; Arenaria leptoclados; Cerastium aquaticum, C. semidecandrum; Spergularia rubra; Malva moschata; Hypericum dubium, H. humifusum; Geranium columbinum; Erodium cicutarium; Trifolium arvense, T. filiforme; Ornithopus perpusillus; Potentilla argentea; Comarum palustre; Rubus suberectus, R. affinis, R. umbrosus, R. rhamnifolius, R. Lindleianus, R. diversifolius, R. ternuiarmatus; R. spinosissima, R. mollissima; Lythrum Salicaria; Epilobium angustifolium. E. obscurum; Myriophyllum spicatum; Ceratophyllum aquaticum; Bryonia dioica; Sedum Telephium, S. album; Ribes rubrum, R. nigrum; Saxifraga granulata; Chrysosplenium alternifolium; Parnassia palustris; Hydrocotyle vulgaris; Sium angustifolium; Conium maculatum; Galium uliginosum; Valerianella olitoria; Gnaphalium sylvaticum; Anthemis arvensis; Tanacetum vulgare; Bidens tripartita, B. cernua; Carduus nutans; Leontodon hirtus; Hieracium murorum, H. umbellatum; Jasione montana; Campanula patula; Menyanthes trifoliata; Echium vulgare; Myosotis versicolor; Solanum nigrum; Verbascum Thapsus, V. nigrum, V. virgatum; Veronica Anagallis, V. polita; Pedicularis palustris; Verbena officinalis; Salvia verbenaca; Mentha sylvestris; M. piperta; Calamintha menthifolia, C. Acinos; Nepeta Cataria; Rumex Hydrolapathum, R. pratensis; Polygonum Bistorta, P. pseudo-dumetorum; Anacharis Alsinastrum; Orchis mascula, O. latifolia, O. incarnata; Alisma Plantago; Polygonatum multiflorum; Luzula sylvatica, L. pilosa; Typha augustifolia; Acorus Calamus; Sparganium ramosum, S. simplex; Potamogeton zosterifolius, P. flabellatus; P. lucens; Zanichellia palustris; Scirpus sylvaticus; Carex axillaris, C. disticha, C. muricata, C. paniculata, C. Boeninghauseniana, C. pilulifera, C. pseudo-Cyperus, C. ampullacea, C. paludosa; Nardus stricta; Aira caryophyllea, A. prÆcox; Avena pubescens; Festuca sciuroides, F. Myurus; Bromus erectus; Triticum caninum; Equisetum maximum; Asplenium Trichomanes; Ceterach officinarum.
Camelina sativa, Silene anglica, Anthoxanthum Puelii, have been found as field casuals. Mimulus luteus is established in the brooks at Churchill. Medicago maculata, Xanthium spinosum, Polypogon monspeliensis were growing in 1875 on wool waste at Hoo Mill.
Sium latifolium, which grew in Blakedown Pools, in Purton’s time, has been long extinct in that locality. Osmunda regalis, which grew in this sub-district in 1852-3, has disappeared. Asplenium Adiantum-nigrum and Scolpendrium vulgare have been all but exterminated.
Elatine hexandra and Hydropiper, reported by the late Mr. Alexander Irvine in a “Mill Pond near Churchill station,” in 1857, have not been seen by any other botanist.
IV. East Severn.—Country from the west bank of the Stour to the east bank of the Severn near Bewdley and Stourport, including Hartlebury Common east of Severn, below the junction of the Stour at Stourport. Surface strata: Waterstones, Bunter sandstone and Pebble bed, Permian breccia, Coal measures, Old red sandstone; covered at Hartlebury Common and elsewhere with modern drift. The sand and bog plants of Hartlebury Common are the most interesting features of the flora of this sub-district. It contains—
Ranunculus fluitans; Teesdalia nudicaulis; Brassica Cheiranthus; Viola canina; Drosera rotundifolia; Cerastium arvense; Spergularia rubra; Radiola millegrana; Erodium maritimum; Geranium pratense, G. lucidum, G. pyrenaicum; Trifolium striatum, T. arvense; Ornithopus perpusillus; Vicia lathyroides; Potentilla argentea; Comarum palustre; Rubus suberectus, R. fusco-ater; Rosa spinosissima; Pyrus torminalis; Lythrum Salicaria; Sedum dasyphyllum; Cotyledon Umbilicus; Hydrocotyle vulgaris; Helosciadium inundatum; Œnanthe crocata; ChÆrophyllum Anthriscus; Lonicera Caprifolium, L. Xylosteum; Valerianella carinata; Carduus nutans; HypochÆris glabra; Inula Conyza; Erigeron acris; Campanula Trachelium; Erica tetralix; Monotropa hypopitys; Menyanthes trifoliata; Myosotis collina; Verbascum Lychnitis, V. virgatum; Nepeta Cataria; Veronica scutellata: Salvia verbenaca; Calamintha menthifolia, C. Acinos; Scutellaria minor; Marrubium vulgare; Rumex maritimus; Potamogeton polygonifolius, P. obtusifolius; Juncus squarrosus; Rhyncospora alba; Eriophorum augustifolium; Scirpus fluitans; Carex curta, C. pilulifera, C. divulsa; Agrostis canina; Triodia decumbens; Nardus stricta; Equisetum sylvaticum; Asplenium Adiantum-nigrum; Botrychium Lunaria; Lycopodium clavatum, L. inundatum.
Melilotus alba, Carum Carui, Arnoseris pusilla, Crepis NicÆnsis, Linaria minor have been found as casuals near the Railway Viaduct over the Stour, south of Kidderminster, and Centaurea solstitialis at Hartlebury; Lycopodium complanatum was gathered on Hartlebury Common in 1836, but has not been seen since.
V. West Severn.—Country west of the Severn, from Wyre Forest on the north, to Shrawley Wood on the south. Surface strata: Waterstones, soft red Bunter, Permian breccia, Coal measures, Old red sandstone. This sub-district extends somewhat beyond the twenty miles radius. It is chiefly remarkable for the large area of woodland known as Wyre Forest, which produces a number of rarities not found elsewhere within the County. Part of the forest is in Salop. The following list includes plants from both counties:—
Thalictrum flavum; Ranunculus fluitans; Aquilegia vulgaris; Cardamine impatiens; Nasturtium sylvestre; Polygala vulgaris; Saponaria officinalis; Hypericum montanum; Tilia parvifolia, T. grandifolia; Geranium sylvaticum, G. sanguineum; Rhamnus catharticus, R. Frangula; Vicia sylvatica; SpirÆa salicifolia; Pyrus torminalis; Rubus saxatilis, R. villicaulis, R. hirtus, R. pyramidalis, R. Guntheri; Rosa mollissima, R. micrantha; Sedium Telephium; Galium erectum; Hieracium murorum; Campanula latifolia, C. Trachelium; Pyrola media, P. minor; Gentiana campestris; Mentha Pulegium; Pedicularis palustris; Melampyrum pratense; Scutellaria minor; Myosotis repens; Lithospermum officinale; Centunculus minimus; Juniperus communis; Convallaria majalis; Orchis latifolia; Gymnadenia conopsea; Habenaria chlorantha, H. viridis; Epipactis latifolia, E. palustris; Cephalanthera ensifolia; Neottia nidus-avis; Spiranthes autumnalis; Scirpus pauciflorus, S. setaceus; Eriophorum latifolium; Carex pulicaris, C. divulsa, C. fulva, C. montana, C. strigosa; Melica nutans; Nephrodium Oreopteris; Equisetum maximum, E. hyemale.
A single tree of Pyrus domestica, once a celebrity of Wyre Forest, and reputed the only wild one in Britain, was destroyed by fire in 1862. Spiranthes Æstioalis has once been gathered in the great bog in the Forest; Coronilla varia occurs as a casual on the right bank of the Severn, about a mile above Bewdley.
VI. Arrow.—Country between Barnt Green and Redditch, surrounding the village of Alvechurch. With the exception of a small patch of Waterstone, this sub-district is entirely on the Red marl. Several large reservoirs belonging to the Worcester canal are situated within it.
The following are its characteristic plants—
Ranunculus Drouetii; Lepidum ruderale; Viola palustris; Drosera rotundifolia; Lotus tenuis; Rosa micrantha, R. sub-cristata, R. Hailstonii, R. Borreri, R. bibracteata; Rubus adornatus, R. thyrsoideus, R. pilosus; Lathyrus Nissolia; Pyrus torminalis; Epilobium angustifolium; Myriophyllum spicatum; Valerianella dentata; Anthemis arvensis; Artemisia Absinthium; Serratula tinctoria; Carduus crispus; Campanula patula; Myosotis repens; Pedicularis palustris; Limosella aquatica; Veronica Anagallis, V. scutellata; Primula caulescens; Anagallis tenella; Euphorbia amygdaloides; Rumex Hydrolapathum; Triglochin palustre; Butomus umbellatus; Sagittaria sagittifolia; Acorus Calamus; Potamogeton polygonfolius; Ophrys apifera; Juncus squarrosus; Eleocharis acicularis; Scirpus setaceus; Calamagrostis Epigejos; Nardus stricta; Equisetum sylvaticum; Ophioglossum vulgatum; Chara flexilis.
VII. Salwarp.—Country from the S.W. foot of the Lickey Hills, to the Salwarp below Droitwich. Surface strata: Red Marl, Waterstones. The most noticeable features are the extensive tract of woodland known as the Randans, and the Salt Works of Stoke and Droitwich. The latter have rendered the canals and streams in the vicinity more or less saline.
The characteristic plants are—
Geranium lucidum, G. Pyrenaicum; Rhamnus catharticus; Dipsacus sylvestris; Sison Amomum; Scandix Pecten-Veneris; Picris hieracioides; Senecio erucifolius; Carduus crispus; Inula Conyza; Vaccinium Myrtillus; Melampyrum pratense; Plantago media; Scirpus TabernÆmontani; Calamagrostis Epigejos; Aspidium angulare; Nephrodium spinulosum; Lycopodium clavatum.
Polypodium Dryopteris, and Cystopteris fragilis, which grew at Catshill up to 1861, are believed to be extinct. The plants of the saline waters of Droitwich deserve separate mention. They are—
Lepidum ruderale, L. latifolium; Spergularia salina: Apium graveolens; Samolus Valerandi; Glaux maritima; Juncus Gerardi; Sclerochloa distans.
VIII. Avon.—The country about Feckenham on the streams tributary to the Avon, is situated partly on the Lias, and partly on the Red Marl. It is the only one of the eight sub-districts in which the Lias occurs. The following plants are principally characteristic of the calcareous soil of the Lias—
Trifolium fragiferum; Lotus tenuis; Melilotus officinalis; Astragalus glycyphyllus; Lathyrus Nissolia; Poterium muricatum; Sison Amomum; Conium maculatum; Pastinaca sativa; Torilis nodosa; Picris hieracioides; Helminthia echioides; Campanula latifolia; Lithospermum arvense; Daphne Laureola; Ophrys apifera.
A large tract of bog land known as Feckenham Moor existed in this sub-district in the time of Purton, and produced the following plants, recorded in his “Midland Flora”—
Parnassia palustris; Hydrocotyle vulgaris; Carduus pratensis; Pinguicula vulgaris; Triglochin palustre; Alisma ranunculoides; Schoenus nigricans; Cladium Mariscus.
The moor was drained many years ago, and its plants are all extinct.
STAFFORD.
The Staffordshire portion of the district extends from Upper Arley, on the west to Penkridge and Rugeley on the north, and to Tamworth on the east. The parish of Dudley, which, although in Worcester is entirely surrounded by Stafford, will be treated as part of the latter county. The principal elevations are the Silurian Hills of Dudley Castle, 550 feet, and of the Wren’s Nest, 500 feet above the sea, situated on the central water parting. West of these are Kinver Edge, 550 feet, and on the east Barr Beacon, 654 feet. It is watered on the west by the Severn, on the north and east by the Trent and Tame, and other tributary streams. It produces on the whole an interesting flora, notwithstanding the fact that the South Staffordshire Coalfield with the collieries and iron works, so destructive to vegetation, is included within its limits. The sub-districts adopted are: I. Severn, II. Trent, III. Tame.
I. Severn.—This sub-district comprises Upper Arley, Kinver, Enville, Dudley and Sedgley, with much of the country W. and N.W., of Wolverhampton. The Coal measures extend over a considerable area, and Silurian limestones and shales occur about Sedgley and Dudley.
The more interesting plants are:—
Ranunculus circinatus, R. fluitans, R. parviflorus; Berberis vulgaris; Sinapis nigra; Cardamine amara, C. impatiens; Teesdalia nudicaulis; Viola palustris; Saponaria officinalis; Silene Anglica; Cerastium arvense; Sagina ciliata; Hypericum AndrosÆmum, H. dubium, H. humifusum; Geranium pyrenaicum, G. columbinum; Erodium moschatum, E. maritimum; Euonymus EuropÆus; Rhamnus catharticus; R. Frangula; Genista tinctoria; Ulex Gallii; Melilotus officinalis; Ornithopus perpusillus; Vicia sylvatica, V. lathyroides; Prunus insititia, P. Padus; Sanguisorba officinalis; Potentilla argentea; Comarum palustre; Pyrus Malus, var. mitis; Saxifraga granulata; Chrysosplenium alternifolium; Helosciadium inundatum; Œnanthe fistulosa, Œ. crocata; Torilis nodosa; ChÆrophyllum Anthriscus; Viscum album; Viburnum Opulus; Carduus nutans, C. eriophorus, C. pratensis; Carlina vulgaris; Gnaphalium sylvaticum; Doronicum Pardalianches; Inula Conyza; Solidago virga-aurea; HypochÆris glabra; Leontodon hirtus; Picris hieracioides; Helminthia echioides; Hieracium umbellatum; Campanula Rapunculus, C. patula; Monotropa hypopitys; Gentiana Amarella; Chlora perfoliata; Atropa Belladonna; Verbascum Thapsus, V. Lychnitis, V. Thapso-lychnitis; Linaria Elatine; Limosella aquatica; Mimulus luteus; Nepeta Cataria; Scutellaria minor; Galeopsis Ladanum; Echium vulgare; Lithospermum officinale; Myosotis sylvatica; Cynoglossum officinale; Parietaria officinalis; Ulmus montana; Chenopodium polyspermum; Salix decipiens, S. cÆrulea, S. vitellina, S. undulata, S. purpurea, S. Woolgariana, S. acuminata, S. laurina; Sparganium neglectum; Orchis mascula, O. Morio, O. latifolia; Epipactis latifotia; Colchicum officinale; Carex pulicaris, C. pallescens, C. strigosa, C. pendula; Poa nemoralis; Nephrodium Thelypteris; Botrychium Lunaria; Lycopodium clavatum.
II. Trent.—Comprises much of the country lying N. and N.E. of Wolverhampton, including Codsall, Penkridge, Cannock Chase, Rugeley, Abbotts Bromley and Alrewas. Much of this sub-district has a sub-Alpine character in its physical features and flora, and is beautifully undulated throughout. The rocks are mainly Triassic, but the coal measures prevail over a considerable area. The more rare plants are:—
Thalictrum flavum; Ranunculus circinatus, R. trichophyllus, R. Drouetii, R. Baudotii v. confusus, R. Lenormandi, R. flamula var. pseudo-reptans, R. Lingua, R. hirsutus, R. parviflorus; Caltha Guerangerii; ActÆa spicata; Papaver RhÆas v. strigosum; Chelidonium majus; Thlaspi arvense; Erysimum cheiranthoides; Arabis perfoliata; Nasturtium amphibium; Viola palustris, V. Reichenbachiana; Drosera rotundifolia; Polygala depressa; Tilia parvifolia; Montia fontana; Prunus Padus; Potentilla argentea; Rubus rhamnifolius, R. villicaulis, R. Schlechtendalii, R. Sprengelii, R. Bloxamii, R. rosaceus, R. infestus, R. Guntheri, R. Bellardii; Rosa scabriuscula, R. tomentella; Epilobium roseum; Hippuris vulgaris; Chrysosplenium alternifolium; Hydrocotyle vulgaris; Œnanthe fistulosa, Œ. Phellandrium; Bidens cernua, B. tripartita; Hieracium maculatum; Wahlenbergia hederacea; Vaccinium Oxycoccus, V. Vitis-IdÆa, V. Myrtillus; Menyanthes trifoliata; Mentha piperita; Lamium Galeobdolon; Myosotis palustris; Pinguicula vulgaris, Lysimachia Nummularia; Anagallis tenella; Polygonum Bistorta; Rumex maritimus; Empetrum nigrum; Salix pentandra, S. triandra, S. Forbyana, S. Smithiana, S. holosericea, S. hyppophaefolia; Typha angustifolia; Potamogeton lucens; Fritillaria Meleagris; Narthecium ossifragum; Scirpus lacustris, S. sylvaticus; Eriophorum angustifolium, E. vaginatum; Carex dioica, C. curta, C. disticha, C. muricata, C. pilulifera, C. binervis, C. pseudo-Cyperus, C. vesicaria, C. ampullacea; Calamogrostis Epegeios; Milium effusum; Molinia cÆrulea; Avena pubescens, A. fatua; Triticum caninum; Nardus stricta; Osmunda regalis.
III. Tame.—This sub-district, includes Walsall, Lichfield, Shenstone, Barr and Handsworth. The surface rocks are Trias, Permian and Coal measures, and the limestones of Walsall, Rushall, and Hay Head. The greatest elevation is Barr Beacon. Both the source and the mouth of the Tame are within the limits of this sub-district. The principal plants are:—
Thalictrum flavum; Arabis perfoliata; Cardamine amara, C. impatiens; Nasturtium sylvestre; Teesdalia nudicaulis; Reseda Luteola; Silene noctiflora; Malva moschata, M. rotundifolia; Erodium cicutarium; Genista Anglica; Lathyrus Nissolia; Orobus tuberosus; Prunus insititia, P. Padus; Geum rivale; Rosa subglobosa, R. micrantha, R. collina; Rubus suberectus, R. rharmnifolius; Pyrus Aria; Sedum Telephium; Saxifraga granulata; Chrysosplenium alternifolium; Parnassia palustris; Helosciadium repens; Myrrhis odorata; Apium graveolens; Œnanthe crocata; Dipsacus pilosus; Valerianella dentata; Galium Witheringii; Carduus nutans, C. pratensis; Anthemis nobilis; Erigeron acris; Campanula Trachelium, C. latifolia, C. patula; Solanum nigrum; Linaria minor; Veronica Buxbaumii, V. montana, V. scutellata, V. Anagallis; Limosella aquatica; Pinguicula vulgaris; Utricularia vulgaris; Lysimachia vulgaris; Centunculus minimus; Parietaria officinalis; Ulmus montana; Salix pentandra; Acorus Calamus; Epipactis palustris; Convallaria majalis; Typha angustifolia; Lemna gibba; Narthecium ossifragum; Colchicum autumnale; Scirpus sylvaticus, S. cÆspitosus; Carex pallescens, C. pseudo-Cyperus; Calamagrostis Epegejos, C. lanceolatus; Milium effusum; Avena pubescens; Triticum caninum; Asplenium Ruta-muraria; Aspidium lobatum; Osmunda regalis.
Chapter II.
The Mosses, Hepatics, and Lichens.
BY J. E. BAGNALL, A.L.S.
In describing the rarer Mosses, Hepatics and Lichens, to be found within the district, the materials at command are not sufficient to admit of so minute an analysis of distribution as that given for the flowering plants in the preceding pages. For the mosses four sub-districts will be adopted: I. Warwick, Tame; II. Warwick, Avon; III. Worcester; IV. Stafford. For the Hepatics and Lichens, the enumeration will be restricted to Warwick only; information for Worcester and Stafford not being within reach. The nomenclature of the Mosses and Hepatics is that of the “London Catalogue of British Mosses and Hepatics,” 2nd Edit., 1881. The nomenclature of the Lichens is that of “The Lichen Flora,” of the Revd. W. A. Leighton, 1871.
MOSSES.
The Moss Flora of the whole district under review, so far as records are available, is about 272 species and varieties; that of Warwickshire alone being about 261. Its comparative poverty may be attributed, partly to the absence of great elevations, partly to the prevalence of smoke over large portions of the district, and partly to the draining of bogs and marshes, and reclamation of heath lands.
I. Warwick, Tame.—This sub-district includes that portion of the country watered by the Tame and its affluents, the Cole, Blythe, Bourne, and Anker. The following are the more noticeable mosses.
Sphagnum fimbriatum, S. squarrosum, S. rubellum, S. papillosum, S. cymbifolium, var. squarrosulum; Systegium crispum; *Dicranum spurium, D. fuscescens, D. majus; Campylopus flexuosus; Archidium phascoides; Pleuridium alternifolium; Leucobryum glaucum; SphÆrangium muticum; Pottia minutula; Trichostomum tophaceum; Tortula aloides, T. marginata, T. rigidula, T. spadicea, T. insulana, T. tortuosa, T. subulata, T. papillosa; Encalypta streptocarpa; Racomitrium canescens; Zygodon viridissimus; Ulota intermedia; Ephemerum serratum; Funaria fasciculare; Bryum pallescens, B. roseum; Mnium rostratum, M. stellare, M. subglobosum; Polytrichum gracile; Fissidens adiantoides, F. exilis; Leucodon sciuroides; Amblyodon dealbatus; Philonotis fontana; Homalia trichomanoides; *Hedwigia ciliata; Brachythecium albicans; Eurhynchium speciosum, E. Teesdalii; Plagiothecium sylvaticum, P. elegans, P. latebricola; Amblestegium fluviatile; Hypnum commutatum, H. exannulatum; H. Cossoni, H. vernicosum, H. falcatum, H. giganteum, H. stramineum, H. revolvens.
II. Warwick, Avon.—This sub-district includes that portion of Avon within the area, and its affluents, the Sow, Alne, and Arrow. The following are the more rare mosses:—
Sphagnum auriculatum, S. subsecundum; Gymnostomum tenue; Dicranum montanum; D. scoparium; Campylopus pyriformis; Pottia intermedia, P. cavifolia, var. incana; Tortula rigida, T. ambigua, T. atro-virens, T. Brebissoni, T. lÆvipila, T. intermedia, T. papillosa; Grimmia crinita; Orthotrichum saxatile, O. stramineum, O. tenellum, O. leiocarpum, O. Lyelii, O. rivulare; Leptobryum pyriforme; Bryum pendulum, B. murale; Mnium undulatum; Polytrichum formosum; Fissidens Lylei, F. incurvus, F. pusillus, F. inconstans, F. tamarindifolius; CryphÆa heteromalla; Anomodon viticulosum; Thamnium alopecurum; Climacium dendroides; Camptothecium lutescens; Scleropodium cÆspitosum, S. illecebrum; Brachythecium rivulare; Eurhynchium pumilum; Rhynchostegium tenellum; Hypnum Lindbergii, H. stellatum, H. chrysophyllum, H. cordifolium, H. splendens, H. brevirostre, H. loreum, H. palustre.
III. Worcester.—The moss flora of this sub-district has not been published; but the moss herbaria of Mr. Mathews and the writer afford records of about 127 species. Many of these have already been recorded for Warwick, and are therefore omitted here. The following, which are mainly from the Stour sub-district, are the more noteworthy:—
Sphagnum auriculatum; S. cuspidatum, S. intermedium; Dicranum scoparium; Leucobryum glaucum; Pleuridium nitidum; Pottia Wilsoni, P. intermedia; Tortula cuneifolia, T. convoluta; Encalypta vulgaris, E. streptocarpa; Racomitrium aciculare, R. lanuginosum, R. fasiculare; Ptychomitrium polyphyllum; Ulota intermedia; Orthotrichum Lyellii; Ephemerum serratum; Physcomitrella patens; Amblyodon dealbatus; Philonotis fontana; Leptobryum pyriforme; Bryum pendulum, B. roseum; Mnium stellare; Aulacomnium palustre; Fissidens exilis, F. adiantoides; Fontinalis antipyretica; Neckera crispa; Homalia trichomanoides; Pterygophyllum lucens; Climacium dendroides; Brachythecium populeum; Rhynchostegium murale; Hypnum commutatum, H. palustre, H. chrysophyllum; *H. scorpioides.
IV. Stafford.—The record given in Garner’s Natural History of Staffordshire, of the mosses of that county, refers to localities which are all outside the area. Hence it is impossible to do more than mention the rarer species collected by myself, mostly within a ten mile radius of Birmingham, and a few additional records supplied by Dr. Fraser. They are as follows:—
Dicranella cerviculata, D. rufescens, D. crispa; Dicranum Scoparium, D. palustre, D. majus; Pleuridium nitidum; Tortula Hornschuchiana, T. ambigua, T. aloides; Didymodon rubellus; Pottia lanceolata, P. intermedia, P. minutula; Ephemerum serratum; Encalypta streptocarpa; Philonotis fontana; Bartramia pomiformis; Webera carnea, W. annotina; Bryum pendulum, B. atro-purpureum, B. cuspidatum; Polytrichum strictum; Fissidens adiantoides; Tetraphis pellucida; Entosthodon fasciculare; Brachythecium populeum, B. albicans; Eurhynchium murale, E. Teesdalii; Plagiothecium elegans, P. undulatum; Hypnum intermedium, H. chrysophyllum, H. vernicosum, H. giganteum.
HEPATICÆ.
The HepaticÆ and Lichens are poorly represented, and as no available record of these plants occurs, only those of the Warwickshire portion of the district will be given.
Of the HepaticÆ only about 41 species have as yet been found, the more noteworthy being:—
Fossombronia pusilla; Madotheca platyphylla; Radula complanata; Scapania nemorosa, S. irrigua; Plagiochila nemorosa; Aplozia crenulata, A. sphÆrocarpa; Gymnocolea inflata; Jungermannia ventricosa; Cephalozia byssacea, C. Starkii, *C. curvifolia, C. connivens; Trichocolea tomentella; Metzgeria furcata; Aneura multifida, A. sinuata, A. pinguis; Lunularia cruciata; Conocephalus conicus; Anthoceros punctatus, A. lÆvis; Riccia glauca; Ricciella fluitans.
LICHENS.
So far as experience serves the Lichen flora of the district appears to be very limited. From Worcestershire I have seen no records except that probably exhaustive one by Mr. Edwin Lees in his “Botany and Geology of Malvern,” where we find about 240 species recorded for the Malvern district, but outside the area under notice here. For Staffordshire, Garner records about 51 species, few of which are localised, and those few are outside the area.
In Purton’s “Midland Flora,” a fair record is given of these plants for the Midland district, several of the species there recorded are, however, now either assigned to other orders as algÆ or fungi, or are considered to be imperfect states of other lichens. So far as it is possible to judge from Purton’s records, and the observations of the present writer, the Lichen flora of that part of Warwickshire within the area here adopted comprises about 100 species, of which the following are some of the more noticeable:—
Collema nigrescens; Calcium trichiale, C. hyperellum, C. trachelinum; Trachylia tympanella; Cladonia alcicornis, C. furcata, C. rangifera, C. uncialis; Stereocaulon paschale; Usnea hirta; Alectoria jubata; Evernia furfuracca: Ramulina fraxinea, R. fastigiata; Cetraria aculeata; Peltigera rufescens, P. polydactyle; Sticta pulmonacea; Parmelia olivacea, P. caperata, P. lanata, P. perlata; Physcia ciliaris, P. pulverulenta, P. stellaris; Pannaria pezizoides, P. nigra; Lecanora candelaria, L. pruinosa, L. parella, L. atra, L. sulphurea, L. ferruginea; Urceolaria scruposa; Pertusaria communis; Phylictis agelÆa; Lecidea Æruginosa, L. quernea, L. parasema, L. fusco-ater; Graphis scripta, G. serpentina; Opegrapha atra, O. notha; Arthonia astroidea, A. Swartziana; Verrucaria gemmata, V. epidermidis, V. nitida.
Chapter III.
The AlgÆ.
BY A. W. WILLS.
The great class of AlgÆ includes the sea-weeds, together with a large number of plants, mostly of microscopic size and of simple cellular structure, which abound wherever fresh water is found, whether in the form of running streams or stagnant pools, or even as covering damp surfaces of ground.
A broad subdivision of the AlgÆ into three groups has been generally accepted by botanists, these being the RhodosporeÆ (red-spored), MelanosporeÆ (dark-spored), and ChlorosporeÆ (green-spored). The marine genera are distributed over all three of these groups; the freshwater ones belong almost exclusively to the last. The classification of the freshwater Chlorosperms is by no means satisfactory, but it is impossible to discuss it within the limits of this article.
It is to be regretted that scarcely any of the botanists of Birmingham have made the AlgÆ their special study; hence the information at our disposal is insufficient to enable us to group the recorded species with reference to their occurrence in the several adjacent counties. This is, however, the less important because the distribution of this class of plants is not dependent, to the same extent as that of PhÆnogams, either on climate or soil, though it is probably not altogether independent of either. Their abundance, therefore, is in pretty direct proportion to that of such spaces of water as afford favourable conditions for their growth.
Hence, as the neighbourhood of Birmingham is mostly characterised by light and porous soils, the habitats in which AlgÆ are to be found are somewhat restricted. There are, however, two conspicuous exceptions. The tract of land about seven miles from Birmingham, known as Sutton Park, embraces a singular variety of scenery and presents conditions highly favourable to algoid growth in the shape of clear springs and streams, large sheets of water, and a considerable area of peaty bogs. Again, the mining district of South Staffordshire and Worcestershire, popularly known as the Black Country, affords among its pit-banks a great number of pools which are seldom dried up even in the hottest summer, and many of which are partially fed by water from adjacent mines or engines. Their number has been much diminished during the last few years by the operations of the South Staffordshire Mines Drainage Commission, but is still very large and these constitute a rich hunting ground to the student of freshwater AlgÆ.
The brief notes which follow must be regarded merely as an indication of the general character of this branch of the Midland Flora. Any attempt systematically to enumerate the recorded species would far exceed the necessary limits of this notice.
The great group of so-called Unicellular AlgÆ is universally distributed, and the familiar forms included under the ill-defined genera of Pleurococcus, Gloeocystis, Tetraspora, Pediastrum, &c., are found abundantly in this district wherever conditions favourable to their growth are present. Among these low forms may be mentioned Apiocystis Brauniana, parasitic on larger AlgÆ in stagnant pools; the extremely rare Mischococcus confervicola, recorded as found near Stafford, and Polyedrium tetrahedricum found on decaying leaves in a small pit near Sutton. Ophiocytium cochleare, until lately regarded as a very scarce plant, is not uncommon in similar habitats.
The remarkable Hydrodictyon utriculatum, popularly known as “Water Net,” appeared some years ago in Blackroot Pool, Sutton Park, in enormous quantities, but shortly disappeared and has not been seen there since. It has also been recorded by Mr. T. Bolton as found in Bourne Pool, near Aldridge.
The large tribe of VolvocineÆ is represented by the well-known forms of Gonium, Pandorina, and Eudorina, and by the typical Volvox globator, which, as is its wont, occasionally appears in some of the pools of the district in great profusion, only to vanish as capriciously. Mr. Bolton has recorded the rare and interesting Volvox globator ?,—the SphÆrosira volvox of Ehrenberg—as occurring in the small pool in the gravel pit near Blackroot Pool, Sutton Park.
Passing to the ZygnemaceÆ, VaucheriaceÆ and other filamentous AlgÆ, we find a large number of species of Zygnema, Spirogyra, Zygogonium, Mesocarpus, Staurocarpus, Vaucheria, &c., occupying ditches, small pools and other stagnant waters; it is scarcely possible to take a bottleful of water from these stations in summer and autumn without finding examples of the curious modes of reproduction characteristic of these genera.
In running streams and in the still ponds of the district the long fronds of Enteromorpha, the dense tresses of brilliant green CladophorÆ and the graceful tufts of Stigeoclonium and ChÆtophora abound. The exquisite Coetophora endiviÆfolia reappears at intervals in Keeper’s Pool, Sutton Park; this species has also been found by Mr. Bolton in an old gravel pit at Hill Hook and in Earlswood reservoir.
The elegant Bulbochoete setigera is met with in small fragments in stagnant pools, and the singular Coleochoete scutata is to be found adherent to submerged water weeds.
The tepid waters of the South Staffordshire coal district are specially favourable to the growth of OscillatorieÆ, which form on their margins immense sheets of the deepest green velvet.
Several species of Batrachospermum (among which B. atrum is locally the rarest, having been found at Halesowen only) occur in small masses in clear streams, but they must be regarded as somewhat scarce plants. Lemania fluviatilis should be mentioned as common in the Avon and Severn, and the very rare Bangia atropurpurea as occurring on a water wheel in the former river at Stratford-on-Avon, although these habitats are somewhat beyond the limits contemplated in this sketch.
The DiatomaceÆ of the neighbourhood do not appear to have been the objects of systematic study, and the only species of special interest which we remember to have found is the wonderful Bacillaria paradoxa, well known as a remarkable microscopic object from the strange manner in which its linear frustules glide over one another, so that the whole plant is incessantly assuming a different form. It has been found by Mr. Bolton, along with many other species, in a disused arm of the canal near Albion Station, and by the writer in a small stream near the same spot. A careful search would doubtless result in the discovery of a large number of representative species of this class.
In conclusion, we turn for a moment to the very beautiful tribe of DesmidieÆ, and, although the district by no means abounds in the peaty bogs which are their especial haunts, a goodly list of ordinary species has been recorded. Sutton Park is the best locality for these plants, and in addition to the commoner forms of Micrasterias, Euastrum, Closterium, &c., which are here found in abundance, this habitat has yielded many rare and several new species, among which the following are worthy of special notice, viz.:—Micrasterias papillifera, M. Cruxmelitensis, M. angulosa, M. denticulata, var. lichmoides, and M. Americana, forma major; Cosmarium coronatum, Closterium directum, Cl. angustatum, and Cl. Pritchardianum; Penium closteriodes, P. Jenneri, and P. NÄgeli.
A more detailed list of species is inadmissible, but the foregoing brief sketch will suffice to show that the Freshwater AlgÆ of the neighbourhood are tolerably abundant, and by no means devoid of interest.
Chapter IV.
The Fungi.
BY W. B. GROVE, B.A.
The district of which Birmingham is the centre is in some ways peculiarly interesting to a British Mycologist. It was the scene of the labours of two students of British Fungi who will always hold an honourable place in the history of the development of the science in this country—William Withering and Thomas Purton.
Withering was in his time (1741-1799) the foremost physician of this town. He lived for many years at Edgbaston Hall, a residence still situated among picturesque scenery just on the edge of the town, and then no doubt a wilder and more productive spot than now. Many species and varieties of Fungi new to Britain or new to science rewarded his constant researches in the park surrounding the hall, and some of the forms which he described still linger in this retreat. Packington Park, about ten miles from the town, is another locality frequently quoted by him; in fact by far the great majority of the species found by Withering himself came from these two places.
Withering enjoys the distinction of being one of the earliest authors on the British Flora, who devoted to the Fungi a space even decently comparable with that devoted to the Flowering plants. In his “Arrangement of British plants” (3rd edition), 1286 species of Phanerogams are recorded, and 566 of Fungi, which thus fill more than one-third as much space as their superiors in rank.
Thomas Purton was a surgeon of Alcester, a town about 18 miles from Birmingham. In his “Midland Flora” (1817-1821), he gives descriptions of over 400 species of Fungi, found chiefly in the neighbourhood of Alcester, especially in Oversley Wood and Ragley Park. He provides moreover excellent coloured engravings of 35 species. Since the whole number of Flowering Plants recorded by Purton from the Midlands is only 798, it will be seen that he surpasses Withering in devoting more than half as much space to the Fungi as to the Phanerogams.
Mrs. Russell, of Kenilworth, made, a few years since, a nearly exhaustive study of the Hymenomycetes of Kenilworth, Stoneleigh, and Warwick, and bequeathed to the British Museum her valuable series of over 300 coloured illustrations. But with this exception little has been done recently to elucidate the Fungi of the neighbourhood of this town, until the subject was taken up, within the last few years, by Mr. J. E. Bagnall and the writer. On reckoning up the number of species now known to occur in this district it will be found that they considerably exceed 900. It is probable that the district is as productive as any other in the smaller and microscopic kinds, but the larger species of Fungi are, with few exceptions, not to be found in any great abundance.
From want of sufficient material, it is not possible to treat this group successfully, as has been done with the Phanerogams, according to the counties. It will be preferable merely to string together short notices of a few of the more remarkable or uncommon kinds, according to the orders into which the class “Fungi” is divided. The names are those of Stevenson’s “Hymenomycetes Britannici,” so far as it is published, and of Cooke’s “Handbook” or “Grevillea” for the rest.
The first and most conspicuous of these orders is the Hymenomycetes, the mushroom and toad-stool family, of which the common mushroom may be taken as the type. These are all distinguished by having the spore-bearing cells arranged in a more or less continuous exposed surface, even or variously folded. In the more typical species, this surface assumes the form of the flat laminÆ which are termed gills. Of these, Agaricus nitidus has been found at Coleshill Pool; the yellow variety of Ag. cepÆstipes at Sutton Coldfield; Ag. polystictus and Ag. pessundatus, near Kenilworth; Ag. stans in Edgbaston Park; Ag. virgatus, both there and at Coleshill Pool; Ag. inornatus at Kenilworth; Ag. tuba, at Middleton; Ag. ditopus, there and in Edgbaston Park; Ag. platyphyllus frequently in and near Sutton Park; Ag. rancidus at Middleton; Ag. pullatus, at Coleshill Pool; Ag. leucogalus, at New Park, Middleton; Ag. electicus, on rush stems in Sutton Park; Ag. subpalmatus, at Kenilworth and near Studley Castle; Ag. petaloides, var. spathulatus, at Oversley; Ag. volvaceus, Ag. speciosus, and Ag. umbrosus, at Kenilworth; Ag. jubatus, near Barnt Green; Ag. heteroclitus, many striking and well developed specimens at Sutton Coldfield; and Ag. lanuginosus, in Oversley Wood. Ag. horizontalis is said by Purton to be “not rare” near Alcester, and he records Ag. erinaceus and Ag. pezizoides from the same locality. Ag. echinatus, with its remarkable blood-red gills, is found frequently at Sutton Coldfield. At this point in the systematic order comes in the mysterious Ag. versicolor of Withering, of which he found only a few specimens in Edgbaston Park, and which has never since been seen by any other author; yet neither Fries nor the others venture to omit it, because Withering gives so clear and unmistakeable a description as almost to preclude the possibility of error. Ag. luteonitens and Ag. sarcocephalus have been found at Kenilworth; Ag. udus is common in Sutton Park and the neighbourhood, and is also found among the Lickey Hills, accompanied in the latter place by the variety polytrichi. Ag. areolatus has been found at Warwick; Ag. atrorufus at Sutton; Ag. retirugis at Kenilworth and Middleton; and Bolton’s Ag. cinctulus (“History of Funguses,” tab. 152), which is omitted by Fries as possibly incorrectly figured, is said by Purton to be “not rare” near Alcester.
Of the genera allied to Agaricus, the rare species found here are rather few. The district seems to be especially ill supplied with the larger Cortinarii. Scarcely more than thirty species of this genus are recorded, of which the following may be mentioned:—Cortinarius cyanipes, from Kenilworth; C. callochrous, from Edgbaston; C. scaurus, from Packington; C. violaceus, which seems to have been found by Purton; C. callisteus and C. ochroleucus, from Kenilworth; C. sanguineus, in Sutton Park; C. bulbosus, from Oversley; C. armillatus, at Coleshill Pool; C. brunneus (recorded only by Withering among British authors), in Packington Park; and C. hemitrichus, in Sutton Park.
The other gilled genera may be briefly dismissed. Gomphidius viscidus and G. glutinosus have both occurred in the district. Lactarii are not uncommon. L. deliciosus is frequent in a certain part of Sutton Park, and is recorded by both Withering and Purton; it also occurs at Hagley and at Bromsgrove Lickey, but is very local. L. turpis, of large size, abounds in several woods in the neighbourhood of Sutton; L. cilicioides, L. uvidus, L. hysginus, L. zonarius, L. pyrogalus, L. glyciosmus, and L. camphoratus, in addition to the more common species, have all been found; as also Russula delica, R. rosacea, R. citrina, R. lutea, and the very rare R. drimeia, Hygrophorus chrysodon and H. russo-coriaceus have been found at Kenilworth; Purton found the pretty little Marasmius Hudsoni; Lentinus tigrinus is recorded by Withering, from Packington Park; L. adhoerens by both Withering and Purton; and L. lepideus and L. cochleatus have been met with several times. Panus conchatus was found by Withering at Edgbaston, and by Purton at Studley, and the writer has found P. torulosus in Packington Park.
Among the pore-bearing Hymenomycetes, the most striking and rare is Boletus (Strobilomyces) strobilaceus, found at “the Valley,” Bromsgrove, in 1861. Boletus badius is rather common, and is an edible species. The rare B. parasiticus has been found at Middleton; B. striÆpes and B. olivaceus are also on record. The writer has found the true Polyporus frondosus Fr. once in Sutton Park, and fine specimens of P. giganteus in Edgbaston Park. Purton records P. heteroclitus from Oversley, and P. molluscus is occasionally found at Sutton and Coleshill Pool. The curious Ptychogaster albus, which is now usually considered a conidial form of a Polyporus, called P. ptychogaster, has occurred in Sutton Park on stumps of firs. Trametes gibbosa is found at Sutton; DÆdalea confragosa in the coppice near Windley Pool; and the edible Fistulina hepatica is occasionally met with on old oaks in Sutton Park, Hagley Park, and elsewhere.
Dismissing the rest of the Hymenomycetes, in which there is little worthy of mention to record, we come to the Gastromycetes, or Puff-ball family, in which the spore-bearing surface is more or less concealed within an outer coating, and most frequently breaks up into a dusty mass. The Myxomycetes, which were formerly included in this group, will here be placed in their proper position at the end of the Fungi. Of the aberrant group to which the common Stinkhorn (not very common in this district) belongs, the more brilliant Cynophallus caninus is recorded by Purton, from near Bridgnorth, and was found at Bromsgrove Lickey, in 1856. The very rare and remarkable Earth-star, Geaster coliformis, has not been found in the district to which this notice is limited, but it has been twice found in the county of Worcester. The localities are given as “near Hanley Castle, Worcestershire,” Mr. Ballard, by Withering; and “Hanley Common, Worcestershire,” Mr. Rufford, by Purton. In the same place Geaster fornicatus occurred, and this is said by Withering to have been found also “at Birches Green, near Birmingham.” G. limbatus is recorded from Edgbaston Park, Stonebridge, Allesley, Oversley, and Rushford.
Another group of Fungi is that which grows upon living leaves, the various forms of which are known as Cluster-cups, Rust, Smut and Brand. These are what are usually called Leaf-Fungi. Many species are common here; but, as most kinds grow only upon certain specified plants, it follows that their range is determined in great measure by the presence or absence of their hosts. Podisoma sabinÆ and P. juniperi have been found in the district. The only rare cluster-cup recorded is Œcidium depauperans, which occurs every summer on cultivated Violas in a few localities, and in one of these it is uniformly accompanied and followed by the Puccinia, to which the name of Puccinia Ægra has been given by the writer. Till lately this Œcidium was not known to occur out of the United Kingdom, but Professor Trelease, of St. Louis, in a private letter says that he has recently seen in the United States specimens apparently identical with it. Puccinia sonchi was found by Mr. Hawkes, near Great Barr, on seedlings of Sonchus, and as yet has not been found anywhere else in Great Britain.
The species of the next group, the Discomycetes, or Cup-fungi, are not uncommon, though few of the showy forms are to be seen. The common Morell occurs, sparingly in the district, and Morchella semilibera is recorded from Badsey. Helvella crispa, H. lacunosa, H. elastica; Mitrula paludosa; Spathularia flavida; Leotia lubrica; Geoglossum glabrum, G. hirsutum, and Rhizina undulata have all been found, though rarely. Among the minuter species may be mentioned Peziza dematiicola, of which the writer found a few specimens at Sutton two years ago, this being the first and at present the only locality cited, since the place where the original specimens of Berkeley were discovered is unknown. P. asperior has been found at Berkswell (the only British locality); the curious P. Curreiana, on rush stems in Sutton Park and elsewhere; and the rare P. Crouani, P. Dalmeniensis, P. stereicola; Ascobolus minutissimus; Vibrissea leptospora; Propolis pyri, and a new species which Mr. Phillips has named Dermatea nectrioides, at various places in the neighbourhood.
The next group of Fungi is the Pyrenomycetes or Globe-fungi. They occur usually on dead bark and wood, or stalks of plants, and are mostly black, more rarely red or brown. Several common species look like grains of gunpowder scattered over the wood. Among these Withering mentions no species at all rare from this district, and Purton only three—Melogramma Bulliardi, M. gastrinum, and SphÆria pomiformis. To these may be added Nectria mammoidea and Hypomyces candicans from near Sutton; Eutypa velutina and E. scabrosa from Berkswell; Valsa cincta Fr., V. aglÆostoma, and SphÆria ampullasca, from Sutton; Lophiostoma angustilabra, from Middleton; and the interesting Gymnoascus ruber, which affords a glimpse of the mode by which the Pyrenomycetes were evolved, has appeared in Birmingham itself.
Of the Mucorini or Pin-mould family, to which belongs the pin-shaped mould, so common on decaying meat—two species of Pilobolus, P. oedipus and P. Kleinii, remarkable for their extraordinary explosive power, have been found here and nowhere else in the kingdom. The same is true of two species of Mortierella, M. Candelabrum and M. polycephala, of which even the genus is not known from any other British locality.
Lastly we come to the Myxomycetes, a group which, though distinctly fungal, approximates in some degree to the animal kingdom. These are rather abundant here, nearly one third of the British Species having been found; including the rare Didymium pertusum; Badhamia hyalina; Enerthenema papillatum; Dictydium umbilicatum; Cribraria aurantiaca; Arcyria cinerea, and Prototrichia flagellifera. Worthy of especial notice is Physarum leucophÆum Fr., hitherto only known as British by specimens published by Cooke in his “Fungi Britannici.” The writer has found this at Sutton in abundance, and identifies it with the heretofore unidentified Trichia rubiformis of Purton, whose description is accompanied by an exceedingly accurate and picturesque plate (“Midland Flora,” tab. 37.)
Besides the groups of Fungi enumerated above, there are others more obscure and consequently less interesting to many students, of which no mention will be made here, although numerous rare or undescribed species belonging to them have been found in the district within recent years.
