BSBI News No. 64
Transcription
BSBI News No. 64
B.S.B.I.NEWS September1993 Editedby R. GwynnEllis No.64 Dept.of Botany,NationalMuseumof Wales CardiffCF1 3NP t+,i\t f1 #*b, .rron-'flotrre+trrr1, L".&- alroff' wfi",&:yrl"e )\ t"rt'\o d!*,tt*c /fi4 f$S. rtula s?ft VVVV 1 lcrn I lktnppu ' urmorutrtnde.r in the Lea Valley, del Brian Wurzell O l99l (see page 39) Administration iri i::i:t!!il i !:ir,:ii r:i )!l,irjjI i ii ii :: :i !:.i:i ii iIii i ii i i:iii i i :i t,:f::ii!i ii il i ii Iii i i ii i i ADMINISTRATION HON. GENERAI SECRETARY (GeneralEnquiries) Mrs Mary Briggs,M B E., 9 Arun Prosoect.PLILBOROUCH.West SussexRH20 IAL Tel.0798-87-1234 Mr MichaelWalpole, HON. TREAST'RER(Paymentof Subscriptionsand changeof address) Leics LEI I ILY 68 OutwoodsRoad.LOUGFIBOROUGH. Tel 0509-2I5598 (Pleasequote membershipnumberon correspondence concemingmembershipor subscriptions- your membershipnumberis on the addresslabelof your mailings). HON. FIELD SECRETARY (Enquirieson Field Meetings) Mrs ElinorWiltshire 62 Canoll House.CravenTerrace.LONDON W2 3PR ri:itiii::ii::a!irsi.::$iiiii:Iii: irj j PLEASE NOTE Changesof addressfor secretaries of TWO PermanentWorking Committees CONSERVATION RECORDS Ms Vicky M Morgan 2 FlaxenWalk,Warboys,HIJNTINGDONCambsPElT 2TR Mr DavidJ. McCosh BaconsthorpeOld Rectory,HOLT, Norfolk NR25 6l-U NB. We now havetwo 'Old Rectory Davids'on our RecordsCommittee. L Hon. Sec.ofRecordsCommitteeand Recorderfor v.c. 78 Peebles(and specialinterestin Hieracium) DAVID McCOSI{ Baconsthorpe Old Rectory,HOI-T, Norfolk NR256LU 2 ScarcePlantsProject 1990-91BSBI/BRCLiaison,NationallyRareSpeciesProject1993(-1996) BSBIiEN/JNCCLiaison, and Recorder'sConferenceOrganiser,York Septemberl99l (and DAVID PEARMAN specialinterestin lVledicagol TheOld Rectory,FromeSt Quinton,DORCI{ESTER"DorsetDT2 0lil' MARY BRICTGS,Hon GeneralSecretary CONTRIBUTIONSINTENDEDFOR RSI'I NEIYS 65 shouldreachthe Editorbefore 5 NOVEMBERI993 Dian / Editorial DIARY N.B. Thesedatesaresupplementary to thosein the 1993Calendar t993 OCTOBER t-) t6 NOVEMBER l6 27 DECEMBER l 6 -t 8 (lareers in the ,b,nvironmezt NationalConference,London (seepage58) ('onservationof the Biospheremeeting,WinchesterGuildhall(seeB,SB1ly'ers 62, page 49) Careersin the Environment Workshop,[,ondon(seepage58) BSBI ExhibitionMeetingat Reading(seepage9) Rehabilitation of Riversworkshop, ICOLE, LoughboroughUniversity (see page57) 1994 FEBRUARY RSRIAbstractsto be distributedwith llatsonia (seepage9) APRIL t4 Plant and Insect RelationsfupsConference,Royal Entomological Society rooms,London (seeBJB./News63: 37) EDITOR : i::::1i:.::1:l:l lli:f:ili:i:ii EDITORIAL It is gratiSringthat Newscontinuesto attracta very mrxedbagofcontributions.Thismeansthatthere shouldbe somethingof interestfor all membersin this issue.My thanksto all contributorsand apologiesto thosewhosearticleshavebeenpostponeduntil the next issue.Pleasekeepyour contributionsfloodinsin. The sfig[tiy delayedmailing of this issueof BSBI Nevs is one consequence of the recentpostal strike in Cardiff Proofs were sent out just beforethe strike but their return was much delayed.It is possiblethat someare still lost in the post and I apologiseto any authorswho find that their corrections havenot beenincoroorated. apologisefor a shortdelayin the publicationof the BSBI'sConference ReportNo 22 -._I musJ-also - Plqnts l|/ild aru{ Gqrden. Proofs havebeensentto authorsand we hopeto havegoneio pressby the time you readthis nolice.Publicationshouldtake placein October(Novemberat the latest).I do hopeall subscribers will bearwith us a little longer. Another apology,I'm afraid, for againnot havingtime to checkthat Englishnanes are used,as well a-sLatin, whereverpossible,and that all Latin namesfollow Staceand Kent. It would be a great help - if contributorscould makeeveryeffort to conform. May I take this opportunityof thankingall thosewho ordereda copy of my'lndex to Stace'. Theyshouldhavereceivedtheir copyby now but ifnot, pleaselet me know. Finally,sincerecondolences to JeffCurtis.a friendandformerRecorderfor v.c. 41, whosewife Chris died in August. JelI, Chris and their two young childrenwere on the first field meetingorganisedforthel;loraoJ()lamorgan projectintheearly1970s. Weusedtojokeaboutherbecominga grandmotherbeforethe l,loro was publishedbut neverdreamtthat "rftewould not live to seeit. May sherestin peace. EDITOR Proflles PROFILES NEW PRESIDENT DR FRANKLYN H, PERRING The new BSBI president,FranklynPerring,is of coursebest known as the co-editor,with Max Walters,of the Atlas of the British I'lora (1962) ln 1954the BSBI appointedFrank, a young CambridgePhD student,as SeniorWorker for the Maps Scheme.He provedto bejust the right personto inspirebotaniststo take up grid-squarerecordingand then pushthe publicationthroughto a successful conclusion.Many readersno doubt havevivid nremoriesof thoseyears,but to my generationthey givesa flavour of the havealreadybecomea time of myth and legend.Readingthe ,flSBI Procee<ling.s period: a small band of botanists,not yet swollenby the massedranhsof environmentalists, learnt how the nationalgrid worked (sometimesagainsttheir naturalinclinations)and attemptedto record leadingfield meetingsin reall the 1Okmsquaresin five years.frank was apparentlyomnipresent, mote areas,headingoff with his bicycle on the pre-Beechingrailway systemto record unworked squaresnearer home or travelling the lanes of lre{and assistingDavid Webb in his alnrostsinglehandedattemptto map the lrish flora. The Atlas is perhapsthe most signilicart tsritishnaturalhistory book to be publishedthis century. Using it every day, I'm struck by the quality of the first edition. This extendsfrom the broad accuracyof most maps,and the soundjudgementwith which problems ofdoubtful identificationsor ofalien statuswere tackled,to the lack ofmisprints - all achievedby the Atlas teamdespitethe limited numberof recorders,a tight timescaleand technologywhich was then the bestavailablebut now seemsvery slow and labour-intensive. After the Atlas, Frank moved to Monks Wood in 1964 as head of the Nature Conservancy's Biological Records Centre. There he set out with his zoological colleaguesto extend the Atlas methodologyto other groups. Atlasesof butterflies,mammalsand many lesspopular groups have resultedfrom the schemes they launchedor promoted.MeanwhileFrankwascompleting(with Peter Sefl)the Crltical Supplementto the Atlas of the British I,loru, andusingBRC as a baseliom which to promote other initiatives.These included the Europeanmapping project which has resultedin Allos l;-loraeEuropaea,network surveyssuchasthe Winter Mistletoe Count (1969-19'72).the establishmentof local recordscentresin manvcountiesand (with Lvnne Farrell)thefirst Britrsh Redl)ata followedvearslater bv the publicationbv tltnk (197'11.The latter was an importantdevelopment. (1991)andby Poyserofa volume NCC/JNCCofvolumesfor insects(1987)andolherinvertebrates for birds(1990) By the late 1970stherehadbeenchanges at Monks Wood. The splitof the NatureConservancy in 1973.into NCC and ITE was deploredby most of thosewho worked for the old organisation,and perhapsleff Frank feeling that in ITE he was on the wrong side of the fence. It also markedthe period when managersof scienceceasedto appoint good peopleand then let them get on with the job, but adopted more intrusive techniques.I suspectthat Frank was not reallv interestedin the developmentof computerdatabases; the plantsand the peoplehad greaterappealto sucha gregarious person.The pioneerwork had beendoneat tsRC,and in 1979Frank left to beconteGeneral Secretary soonto becomeunderhisleaderof the Societyfbr the Promotionof NatureConservation, shiptheRoyalSocietyfor NatureConservation. Back in the voluntarysectorFrank'sspiritsrose. herewas a new challenge.With his background he could start immediatelyto get the bestout of this complexorganisationof nearlyfifty autonomr,rus local Trusts. He had beena founder memberor"the CambridseshireTrust and was chairmano1'the of naturclonservationand a convictionthat its Northamptonshire Trust. He had an understanding How could it posriblybe importancemustbe shoutedfiom the rooftopsto a muchwider audience. that thosein high placesdid not alwaysseethingsexactlyasFrank sawthem? The RSNC's magazineNotural ll'ortd was one of Frank'sinitiatives.During his energetic8% years, the Society lainched its successfulBritish Wildlife Appeal under Sir David Attenb-orough's patronage,raisingll5 million for the Trusts.It also embracedand encouragedthe growth of Urban Wildlife Groups. Once again Frank had shown what was possibleand had openedthe way tbr his successors. On his retirementin 1987he receivedthe OBE lor his services to natureconservation. During his working life Frank had beeninvolved,in his sparetime, in numerousbotanicalprojects (he is co-author of the lloras of Cambridgeshireand Shropshire),and in his retirementhe has beenableto concentrale on his rolesas tour leader,lecturer,authcr,conservationist and Margaret's assistant in the Oundlebook business. The new presidentis aboveall an ideas-man.ldeasflv from Frank like sDarksiiom a Catherine Wheel.The BSBI now providesits presidentwith an EnergisingPanel- in thii casethe memberswill surelybe redundant!ln a Societywheremostofus arecontentto follow established procedures, such a personis a most valuableasset,as the numberof pioneerworks alreadymentionedtestifies.Of course,like all ideas-mensome of Frank's suggestionsare totally impractical- thesehe defendsat meetingswith great mentalagilityuntil the inevitable. gracefulsurrender. He hasalwayshada great driveto get thingsdone:ifhe seesa goalhe will headstraighttowardsit. obliviousofthe fact that he is cuttingacrossmore circuitousofficialpathwavs.This can,of course,lead to heateddiscussions. Hereone of Frank'soutstanding characteristics Howevergreatthe argumenlsin commil.lee. emerges. he will alwaysbe as friendly and charmingat the end of the meetingas at the beginning.He bearsno grudges,harboursno animosities,and alwayscomesup smiling.A valuableassetin a president! It is certainlyfitting that Frankshouldnow be electedas the presidentofBSB|. He hashad its interestsat heart throughout his career,and servedit with as much enthusiasmas anyonehas ever done.We look forward to a productiveand eventfulterm of ofljce. C D PRESTON,BRC. MonksWood, AbbotsRipton,HUNTINGDON,Cambridgeshire PEl7 2LS --**"*-.3 S'l Franklvn Perring on his birthday, photo O C Crompton, l/8/9,i NEW HONORARY MEMBERS JOHN (P.J.O.)TRrST JohnTristjoined the Societyin 1956and wasimmediately cnrolledas an activeworker lor the Distribution Maps Scheme.One of his first field meetingswas a weekendbasedon Bury St Edmunds where althoughhe was a seniorADAS adviserhe managedsomehowto balanceencouragingmore efficient agriculturewith a love of wild flowers and a care for conservation.Perhapseven then his developmentof a keen interestin grasseswas a diplomaticmeansof beingable to work comlbrtably in both camps In Bury he was extremelywell placedto take an interestin the Brecklandand,almostimmediately the Maps Schemewas over, he becamedeeplyinvolvedin a project which was to occupy him for the next 15 years - the preparationof An Ecologrcal Flora of Breckland which he edited and for which he producedinvaluabledetailedhabitatstudiesand rare speciesaccounts,sevenofwhich were for grasses.One of thesewas FestucacctesiaSm.(l;. ktngrfulia Thuill.). A studyof this teasingtaxon 'l'ransactions led to severalpapersin l{atsonia and the of lhe Suffolk Naturalists' Society. TheseBrecklandhabitat studieswere part of John'sgeneralinterestin habitatsand rare species and their conservationand, as ConservationOfficer of the Suffolk Trust, he carriedout and published surveyson severalSuffolk specialities,notablylirifillario meleagris, Orchis militarr,s and'Iulipa sylvestris. But the Gramineaehavecontinuedto be his major interestand he has publishedpaperconMolinia caenrlea, Festuca anmdinacea and Festuca trachyphylla (F. brevipila) in the last decade continuing until the presentday with a paperon (orynephorus canescensin the latestissueof Ll/atsonia (Vol. 19, part 3). His knowledgeof Festuca utd Bromus (sensulato) led to the Societyinviting him to becomethe refereefor thesegeneraand he servedin this capacityfor manyyears.In carryingout his duties he habituallywent out of his way to offer more thanjust the nameof the specimenssubmitted to him, as many memberscan testiit. His readinessto passon to noviceshis profoundknowledgeofour nativegrasses,clearlyderivedfrom long familiaritywith theseplants,hasensuredhim the gratitudeof manygrassenthusiasts. A1l merpbershave reasonto be eratefulbecausenot onlv was he a refereehimselfbut for manv yearshe maintainedthePanel of Refireesand Spetialistswhich ensuredwe hadpeopteto turn to for all critical groups. It is most appropriatethat the Society shouldhonour John Trist in his 86th year when he has reluctantlyrelinquishedhis duties as one of our most respectedReferees.That we shallmiss his expertiseis obvious- the Societyhasnot yet beenableto find anotherrefereeforBromus or Festucal RONALD PAYNE and FRANKLYN PERRINC DrcK (R.H.)ROBERTS R.H. Roberts was a school teacherby profession.Earlv on in his careerhe had a post in Sussex where he botanisedenensivelyon th; SouthDowns. li was herethat he first witnessedextensive habitatdestructionas downlandwas ploughedfor the war effort and the experiencegave rise to his great interestin conservation.After sewingin the RAF during the war, Dick ieturnedio North Wales to teach.He continuedhis botanicalactivitiesand becamea close friend ofEvan Roberts.Between (v.c. 49) and the peaksof Snowdoniaand pubthem they surveyedthe plantsof SE Caernarfonshire lishedtheir recordsin severaliournals lt was at this time. in the earlv 1950s-that Dick ioined the BSBI. He moved to Bangor in the mid-1950sand was appointedvice-countyrecorderfor Anglesey (v.c. 52). He continuedto botaniseas ferventlyas before,both on the mainlandand on the'island,for the BSBI's mappingscheme(thoughhis effortswere curiouslynot acknowledgedintheAtlas). Severalplant gtoups have attracted his specialinterest,namelyfems, monkeyflowersand orchids.He hasactedas BSBI Refereefor Polpodium andDactylorhiza,hashad an activeand critical interestin Dryopteris (though he has publishednothing on this genus)and has remarkablefield and lab experience ofmost othergeneraofferns and orch.ids. ln additionhe was the first to discoverthe Prohlcs / The Partnership Calc presenceof Mimulus hybridsin Britain and has actedas Refereetbr this genusas well. His expertise in two of these senerahas recentlvbeen markedbv the namineof two hvbrid taxa in his honour Mimulus " rober"tsiiSilversideand'Dactylorhiza" dinglensisnoihosubsp.iobertsii F. Horsman. Apart from being an outstandingbotanist,Dick hasbeen,and still is, an influentialplant conserfor the establishment of the North Wales vationist.He and Prof. Bill Laceywerejointly responsible Naturalists'Trust in 1963, specificallyfor the purposeof safeguardinga particularlyimportantwetland areain Anglesey- the Gors Goch NatureReserve. In recognitionof his outstandingcontributionto botanyand conservationin North Wales,Dick was awardedan HonoraryM.Sc. by the Universityof Walesin 1979andin 1982,the NationalMuseumof Wales publishedhis F-knering Plonts and Ferns of Anglesey.Despitehis years,he is now 81, he worked actively on the BSBI's Monitoring Schemeand the ScarcePlant Project and is an enthusiasticsupporter of the Society'sAtlas 2000 project and intendsto co-ordinatethe effort in v.c. 52 of which he is still a very activeRecorder. There can be few more fitting personsthat the Societycould honour and we wish him many more happyyearsbotanisingin Anglesev. NIGEL BROWN andGWYNN ELLIS iir.ilr.ti:: itli:]:::::lr:::.::i:::i:i: THE PARTNERSHIPCAKE Cake-decoratedto svmboliseco-oDerationbetweenRSNC. The Wildlife Trusts Partnershioand the BSBI. enjoyedby m-embers of the Societyduring the AGM at Lincoln who were invitedto join RSNC Executiveand staff for tea at RSNC'sHQ in the city. The cakewas cut by Dr JohnPhilipson, Chairmanof RSNC Executive,and Dr FranklynPerring,former GeneralSecretaryof RSNC, on his first day as Presidentofthe BSBI Photo O MargaretPerring ImportantNoticcs IMPORTANT N{OTICES WHITHER BSBI? Why do you belongto the BSBI? Are you an actrvememberregularlyattendingfield meetingsin the surnmerand exhibitionmeetingsand conferencesin the winter? Do you enjoy Watsoniaand 1y'eu.s andpossess, anduse,all the Handbooks? When I becamePresident-electI realisedthat, beforeI could decidehow best to servethe Society I have loved during 40 yearsof membershipduring my term of oftice, I would needto klow what other membersthought about it and of any ways in which they would like to see things changed.So, Council agreedto a Publicity Working Party being set up on which John Akeroyd, Brian Galeand PatrickRoperhavejoined me as members, andto our sendingvou the Questionnaire which is enclosedwith this copy of 1y'ew.r. Pleasesparel0 minutesto answerthe questionsandto makeany suggestions for improvements or new directionswhich you think the Societyshouldtake - and if you are family membersplease make separatereturns - the best families disagreefrom time to time and we would like all your oprnrons. Send your completedQuestionnaire(s) to Patrick Roper, South View, Sedlescombe, Battle, E. SussexTNl3 OPE.Patrickwill be analysing the resultsleaningon his experience as Development Director at the NationalMaritime Museumwherehe is responsiblefor marketingand public relations and hasbeeninvolvedin a similarsurveyfor their Friends. The resultsof the surveywill be incorporated in a Reportto be submittedto Council,with recommendations, early nexl year. One thing which is alreadyapparentas I havebeengettingout and about meetingmembersin all parts of the British Isles sinceI took ofiice in May (Dublin, Cheviots,Cornwall and Gower) is that therearestill manyactiveandtalentedfieldbotanistsout therewho arenot members ofthe BSBI and who know very little about us. I am sureyou know someyourself- membersof the botanysectionof your local natural history societyperhaps,or conservationstaffof the Wildlife Trust, or officers of English Heritage, Scottish Natural Heritage,CountrysideCouncil for Wales etc. At the end of the ofpeople like that to whom we shouldbe sendQuestionnaireyou are askedfor namesand addresses ing membershipforms. Pleasemakea specialeffort with this section. I do not believewe shouldbe rushinginto the marketplaceto enrol membersjust for the sakeof members- but the BSBI is an important Societywhich shouldbe servingthe needsof all botanistsin the British Isles(and someoverseas!)with a seriousinterestin its wonderfrrland ever changing,ever fascinatingflora - and I am sure that the numberis many more than the 2,700 or so who presently belong.Please,for our sakeand for thosewho havenot yet 'receivedthe message', help us to increasethat membership. To remindyou herearethe categories rates. andsubscription Ordinaryf 15 00 Opento all over 2l Family12 00 (per member)Opento membersof the familyof the above.Havefull privilegesbut do not receiveseparate mailing. Junior 17.00Opento youngpeopleup to the ageof 2 l, andto studentsin fuli+imeeducationup ro 25. Have full privileges. Institutionalf15.00 Opento schools,colleges,publiclibraries,museums, societies andotherinstitutions. Full privilegesbut only one vote at meetings. N.B. If a memberjoins afl.erlst Octoberthe subscription laststo 3lst f)ecemberthe tbllowingyear. so usethis bait to catchyour first new membersin October FRANKLYN PERRING.President lmponanl Noliccs A REMINDER With this mailing you have a Notice of the 1993 Annual Exhibition Meeting, at the Plant Sciences l-aboratories, University of RIADING, and a map of the campus showing the PSL (no. 35). The available space and lacilities for the exhibition are very good at Reading, and a welcome is being prepared for us at the P.S.l-. It is very appropriate that Dr StephenJury, who is in charge ofthe organisation for this meeting, has this year also been appointed as Chairman oIBSBI Meetings Committee and BSBI Conference Co-ordinator. N{oving the Exhibition meeting away iionr London is possibly the end of an era - Edgar Milne-Redhead. unable to be at the 1992 meetinc told us that it was the lirst that he had missed since the receptions were held in the Marylebone Hoiel. and some of us recall in the early 1960s the Exhibition at Imperial College followed by a supper at Crosby Hall, Chelsea, before we were invited to h o l d t h e E x h i b i t i o ni n t h e D e p t o f B o t a n y , B M . ( N H ) Since, for nearly thirty years the meeting was based in the Department of Botany. but recent visits there have confirmed the wisdom of the decision to move - the DeDartment is considerablv obstructed al present with the scaflblding tbr the roof repairs. and this week sereral wrndows hai been temporarily removed; the staff meanwhile have carried on undeterred through the disorganisation, with only very few herbarium cupboard doors completely blocked by scaffolding poles. But even with these removed the shape of the Herbarium and the large blocks of cupboards no longer make it ideal fbr an Exhibition meeting. The expansion of Dinosaurs into Galleries where we have some years held the exhibition and showed slides elsewhere in the l\4useumhas added to the problems. and we look forward to the new venue fbr this 1993 meeting at Readine. M A R Y B R I G G S . I l o n ( i e n e r a lS e c r e l a r y SCARCE PLANTS PROJECT I)uring the oourse of the above project nreasuresdeemed necessarylo encourage replies were reported and discussedat meetings of at least four BSBI Committees and repeated exhortations were ntade to certain v.c. Recorders. Il is certainly true that without the dedicatedefforts ofthe organising team the coverage would har.ef'allenfar shon ot what was eventuallyachieved. At a meeting of the Executive Committee in April it was consideredthat a positive cornrnentwas called for in respect of the considerableamount olrvork involved and carried out timeously and without complaint by the majority ofthe v.c. Recorders.It was therefore agreed that I should write a brief note emphasisingthis point and expressingappreciationto these Recorders. As a recorder myself, I can report that the exchange of knowledge was not all one-sided. The printouts sent contained. for mv r'.c.. quite a number of sites of which I was unaware. The fact that these were always accompaniedby souice and date made them valuable additions to my records. P E I L . R M A ( P I l l - . R S O N .P r c s i d e n ru n t i l o { q . l B,llll /1ll!;7'RACT',1 23 (FOR 1992) l l S R lA h . s t r a t t . : i s a b o u t t o t a k e o n a n e w l o o k f h c p a s t s e v e n i s s u e s l l 6 - 2 2 ) h a v e b c e n p r e p a r e d o n a word-processor and printed on a daisywheelprinter as camera-readycopy. Parts 2-l onwards will be prepared liom the tsSBl Database (Lercester) and camera-ready copv will be produced tiom it by 'l laser printer his will result irr a rnuch better looking tcxt, but unforlunalely the requisrte progranrnrrng had nol been complcted until very recently. so that there will again be a six-rnonth delay in production this year. flcnce parl ]-i will be distributed with the February 1994 Wal:;onia mailing. We apologise fbr the delay. but hope that the anticipated improved appearancewill justily it. ('t,lVE A. STA('t-., BSBI Database Project. Dept of Botany, Ijnri"ersity of Leicester. University Road.Lil('ES TtrR Lh,l 7RfI Regional Joumals / Hon. General Secretary'sNotcs REGIONALJOTIRNALS IRISH ROTANICAL NEWS Irish Botanical Neus is publishedannually,usuallyin Februaryand is circulatedfree to all members living in Ireland and to non-residentIrish vice-countyrecorders.Sinceits inceptionthreeyearsago, I havebeenaskedby a small,but significant,numberofpeople to providea subscriptionservice.I have resistedthis in the past owing to the uncertaintiesof publicationbut now, with three issuesalready published,I think it may be time to introducesucha scheme.Printing and distributioncosts are approximatelyI1.50 Consequently, cheques,madepayableto BSBI, in multiplesof ll 50, up to a maximumoffour will ensurethat you receivecopiesasthey arepublished. Ifprinting costsare conless.the balancewill be carriedforward. siderably BRIAN S. RUSHTON, Dept. of Biological and BiomedicalSciences.Universityof Ulster, COLERAINE,NorthernlrelandBT52 I SA I}SRI IYEI.SH BUI,I,ETI N The B.lBl llel,sh llulletin (now at No 55) is normally publishedtwice yearly, usually in late spring/earlysummerand in winter/earlyspring.It is circulatedfree of chargeto all membersliving in Walesand to non-residentWelshvice-countyrecorders.All back issuesare still availableon request (originalsor photocopies)and a list of contentsis availableon loan (to be retumedwith ordelsr). Ordersshouldbe sentto Dr G. Hutchinson.Dept. of Botany.NationalMuseumof Wales.Cathays Park,CARDIFFCFI 3NP. speci$ingthe issuenumber(or year.whichwouldhaveto includethe seasonor month),togetherwith a cheque(madepayableto BSBI Wales)@ ll per issue,including p.& p. For long runsthe priceis negotiable- contactme at the addressbelow.lf you would like to subscribeto the lltelshRulletin, sendyour cheques,to cover as manyyearsas you wish, to me and I will inform you whenyour subscriptionis due to expire GWYNN ELLIS, Dept of Botany,NationalMuseumof'Wales,CathaysPark,CARDIFFCFI 3NP TH E SCOTTISH NEWSI,ETTER The ScotlishNeu,sletterhasnow had l5 issues.It is publishedeachspringand sentto menrbersresidentin Scotland.Membersoutwith Scotlandwho would like to receivea coovareinvitedto oDena.n accountliom which the cost ofpostagewill be deductedeachyear Those'interested shouldsenda remittance(of not lessthan 12 00) madeout to me at the addressbelow.As is the caselbr members who havealreadysubscribed, theywill be informedwhena top-upis necessary. PETERMACPHERSON(JointEditor). l5 LubnaigRoad.Newlands,GLASCOWG4-l2RY HON. GENERAL SECR.ETARY'S NOTES Congratulations to D.H. Kent, who was awarded the O.B.E,. in the Queen'sBirthday llonours List a w e l l d e s e r v e d a w a r d t o D u g g i e w h o s e w o r k f o r t h e S o c i e t y i n c l u d e s e d i t i n g t h e Y e a r R oi no k1 9 5 3 , then for many years he was Editor of l'rocecding,s rt the lJotanical Society rf the llritr,sh Lyles. and now Compiler and Editor of RSRI Ahstracts currentl\,, and since Part I in 1970. All these have been achieved as vofuntary work. and also the l.isl of lh,sculur l'lonts of the Rrttish Lsle.s,1992. Duggie 'seems writes that the award to have given me a new status in the eyes of my two granddaughters! It) H o n C c n c r a lS c c r e t a n ' sN o t c s C-ongratulationsalsotoDrFvaCrack]eswhowas.*.a.a,r"*ffi ljst lor servicesto botanyand nature.onsenation-"S-ile attendedBuckinghampuiu.. on July I4th to recervethe honour Ailhe ceremony,the eueencamea"*" ii"n,,lr" ;;il;; ;; Eva who wasin a wheelchairHer Majestymentioned'botanv herthat shehadbeena naturalistall her life and the Queenwas-interested ""JE*-iora As a disabieJperro",'gyuruase*trernely*"iil""r"o after palace by otiicialswho were attentive..supporrive and g";q h"r"r,Jd-E;,rli^;i;;;;; .n.,ywe1 indeed; It wasa mostmemorable and happyday.The"!f Hutfoaity wlail'sreportoittit" iirit *"* entitled,Botantst'sday at the Palace' In conneition with the otTt"iut ,it"tion the ieporter had added:'throughouther life Dr crackles hasworked to increasethegeneiur'fiuir;.t awareneisof natureandthe environment,. congratulations also to David Mcclint6.l F.!r""trg nr. il*.""--s".i"iv or London HH Bloomer Award for Botanv-to David chariesv.CiintoJt Fts, neanSocietysaid 'DavidMiclintock haslivedin x"ni to.-n"arty i" ivr"v,i[J'i1.ria"nt of the Linfifty yearsbut his paternalroorsare in Ireland,where his famiryhas lived for centuriesHis fatheA;;t;;;r-;;iergyman rook rhe f'amilyto variouspartsof Ensrandi" o*;o,rl"ui-t."but his mother, il;;;;;. w;re provideda firm link with Hertfordshireand lid to,hisjri"i"y'rh;i;fordshire yeomanrybeforethe Second world having no il}ii"fiil|:* biorogicar rralning,"he rr^ r"o. '"i""ui" i"nt.i6rffi;; ,; bothbotany and "r.,.i"Tlf,T'r:xll,',ixt'[,r';:{;",1[ff,"ff1'#,fii;,."*:l**tti."1 cil He haspuisued hisinreresr.in pl;"i; i;;;;;;;i'dl...rion. but alwayswithvigour His detailed floristicknowledge or thep{isl rsles_;; .;;;;r;;il; ;;',h"'p.ipri;;'i;;L, (juide to rrttd !'lrn'er' thatheivrotewith Richard-Fitt"i i"'isi6'irt" Crr""""rirr^,ia!rio*,'pu.tt"ulurty thatof Guernsey, hashelda const,rnt attraction for himandt" trasueensoteor1.Li'"rir,Ji.rrevenpublicatlons on them. His other botanical publications have ra nomencratuie, and incruoei .""i;i;;ii;";r;;1ff13ff:T:"JjiX",'::.?illlii'j;r,fii',Xl tign 'I 3na he Luntpean (iorden l. loru developedfrorn an iOeaoi fris Davidgardenson three.ac-res ol'dry sandyrentlh soilon whichhe hasproducedan unusual and tascinating kaleidoscope of nativeand exotic'planrs, with emptrasi;";hi;K;;; systematrc con_ cerns' hardy bamboosand heather.s.ofEri"p'" MeditenaneanTn.r. gi"rp, figure pronri""J'trr! *'l;*y,n]::*,;t*,.f:m:[i"".*## l,'Jllt;lq'::ji:':t"n::iff::",T,11',1:["#tt boos,panicular.ly on their erraticflowerinq David Mcclintock's outsranding^ *ojt -for botanicaland horticulturalorganisatrons has been bv honotrrsfrom the"noyaiH"'tiJiri.r s".;"ty""J *,. s".iii3ijr"-"iuire l:ll"^*:!gd and by rxghotIIcetn sereralother societie^s including. gsilt,iir. frilj rtorr., Socjetv. pasr-President the HeatherSocietv.the Bamboosocietvaniihe tnie"rationiiD;";r"I";i'i;;r;-i;;h'; "ith. i;"";;; Societvhe hasserv'ed on council ( ts7l-jv;.;" Fi";;;; c_ommitree. ti;;-p*;il; nt g97 t_74) and FditorialSecretary( 1974-78)u;s contnbuiion.io'*.i*rin. ", r.nowledge.in all fieldsoi'naturalhistory tnto wluch he has ventured.as well as tire inspiialion ol hrs pen, his broadcasts and his inlbctious havegiven pleasurero rnanv,makehim a very worthy ,e.ipGni or:th" HH tsroomei "^TifitfiT#i'ch congratulations to prof-essorJim Dickson on being elected a Feilow of the Edi"E;eh,;;;.-LJiu,]ii.t r"i.l C"r,g.r'trrrrilr,.?'Vi.r,y - - -'Morgan, Honsec l i o n ( ' o m m i t t e e ,o n t h e b i r t h o 1 ' as o n ,E * u n "rntfi{%.r""r!'ijJ: Memorial Tree .lhe tsedfbrdshire Naturai History societv has planted a lilru ttndara in the grounds of l-uton Mul?yr1',f,ili#""J;j'i*i}.gry chrisDonv t"ili melnat sher.vas ,"',t''3*ln'ir'"n,,tipuo.rrr ".i.4 menrbers Peterlavlor'bothfounder uitr',.g.arJrarnii. Natural - .r'r}f;io#i,ild t{istorySociety In Memorianr \\ith sadness sc rcpurrtliat.Dicr Daviddied rn April .thisvear A past-presiden Mcmber irr.so."rv,ol.t r,oat a""pil:ri"rr."i'*th.our publications and.-..ffi1j*?t:H?,? "i ""n :';ffi',:iillff,i*,".fi":f ;i:",i#.#:,:;'il,xl1J;i,[#lfli F.',ii:iiii::'ilff A,idatt,Bradv B Ag 'Sc. l-1.S.I)irectorottt,e NatiirnJ-Botanic Gardens, cilasnevin. liublin obituaries ot both.togetherwirh thoseof the deceased Re{brees r.ee'pag.l2) wilr appearin w,o/.s.rtru \{AR\' tsRI(;GS.Hon GeneralSecretary II Recordcrs tnd Rccording RECORDERS AND RECORDING Supplementno. 2 to List of Recordersin I 993 Year Book v.c. 72 Dumfriess Mrs M.E.R. Martin - resigned. Dr M G B. Hughes.SNH. Cairnbaan, Lochgilphaed, Argyll PA3 I SSQ - appointed. v.c. 91 Kincardine Dr D. Welch,EastFembank.WoodsideRoad,Banchory,Kincardineshire, ABI 4BY - appointed(in additionto v.c 93 N. Aberdeen) v.c. l0l Dr MarianHughes- resigned Mr & Mrs B.D. Batty,KirnauFarm.KilmichaelGlen-Lochgilphaed. Argyll - appointed Welcomeand thanksto the newly appointedRecorders.and to Mary Martin we sendour sincere thankslbr being v.c. Recorderfor Dumfriesfor l8 years.In her letter of resignation,Mary writes'l havehad a good spellcoveringan interesting numberofyears . . . My last pleasureis now to thank the Committeethat appointedme and those who helpedand encouragedme alon-qthe way. Thank you for my place in your learned Society'srecording fringe which could not have been sustained without the publicationcalledBSBI News containingmanythings fbr Recordersespeciallythe Panel of Refereesand Specialists. I canthink of two or threeunsolvedplantproblemsfor v.c. 72 andit will be nicefbr me if I can 'Ihank you Mary. solvethem and sendword of them on pink cardsfor my successorto dealwith'. Eric Philp,Recorderfor v.cc. 15 & 16. E & W Kent. hastaken earlyretirementfiom his post of Keeperof Natural History at MaidstoneMuseumand Art Gallery.We senta messageof good wishes to his retirementparty at which the Mayor of Maidstonemadea presentation. HappilyEric is not retiringasv.c. Recorder(but we anticipatethat he will now be ableto spendevenmorehoursrecording in Kent?) Supplementno. 2 to Panelof Referecsand Specialistsin l99J Year Book With regretwe report the deathsof three Ref'erees. PTEROPSIDA Asplenium& Pol,vst ichum. Dr Anne Sleepwho sadlydiedthis yearaftermanyyearsof ill healthandpainfulillness. POLYGONACOAE Polygonumm'it:ulare s.|.. Dr Brian Stylesof Oxford,suddenly. CYPERACEAE Carex. Mr R.W.David(seeHon.Gen.Sec.'s NotespageI I). All wereReferees for the Societyfor manyyearsandwill be missed. Specimens of Aspleniumandl)oly.stichum tn'uulurelo can be sentto Miss Alison Paul.I'olyg<ttrrtm Dr John Akeroyd, ('a/ex to Arthur Chateror Clive Jermy- all theseRefereesas listed in IISRI Year Bookfor 1993pages10-14,with their addresses in List ofN4embers. MARY BRIGGS Hon. GeneralSecretarry Rccordcrs and Rccording RED DATA BOOK PROJECT Many thanks to all those who have kindly responded to our request for new and updated records of RDB species. There has becn a good response. and a considerablebulk of data has been received from vice-county Recorders, fiom individuals with a particular knowledge of an area or a species, and lrom staff of English Nature and Scottish Natural Heritage local offices We do appreciatethat Recorders and others are busy people. and we are, therefore, particularly grateful for the efforts made on behalfofthis project. We very much look forward to receiving records from other vice-countiesin oue course. These data are now being entered on the JNCC Rare Plants Database.together with information culled lrom other sources.When data entry and checking has been completed, we will send a copy of the updated printouts to vice-county Recorders. We have been able to support some fieldwork this summer. In Suffolk Breckland, information is being collected from all known sites for l)hleum phleoides, Silene otites and T'hymusserpyllum. In [)urham, afl known localities for (ientiana verna and,]'otentilla.frutico,la have been visited, and new localities for the former species have been found. Commissioned survey in Scotland has been centred in the Braemar area, and localities for montane RDB specieshave been visited. Thanks to all those who have been collecting field data. As mentioned in BIB/ Ael'.s 63. we hope to be able to support further field surveys next year, mainly aimed at checking localities for which there is no recent field record. The databasewill help to identrfy where survey eftbrt might be directsd bu1 we will, of course, remain reliant on local knowledge. ifvice-county Recorders are aware oflikely needs lor surveys in their area, we should be grateli-rl to know. MARTIN J. \I'IGGINTON JNCC,Monklrone House,Clty Road, PETERBOROUGI::-l ,,:" , , I.UDWIGIA PAI,USTRIS - FIRST RI]CORD IN STJSSEXSTN(]E I876 (L ) E,lliott(Hampshire-purslane), A colonyof [.udv'rgiapulu.srri.s about I metrein diameteron nrud and in the shallowwaterofa dew-pondon the DownsaboveSeafbrd,EastSussex,was a surprising f ind for Paul Mauriceon .i I st August I 99I The plantswerefruiting,the specimen wasconfirmedat R.B.G. Kew by Eimearnic Lughadhaand Dr Wheatley,and the associated plantsincluded,ilrcz^s (Toad Rush), llonunculusflammula (LesserSpearwort) and ('rassula helmsii (New Zeabu.fixtitr.s landPigmyweed) Speculating on the sourceof this very rare plant,now restrictedto flampshire,but here well awaytiom its presentknown New Forestlocalities.a) The Seaforddew-oondis not one of the old recordedSusserlocalities.l'he Rcv. Arnoldin Sl.rsex (thenknownaslsnardiopolusliloru (1881)citesBuxtedandCuckfield.andsaysofthis species /r/.\L, the MarshIsnardia)'probably norvnearlyextinctin Sussex'Lieut.-Colonel Wolley-Dod ( 1 9 1 7 ) c i t e s a s p e c i m e n i n t h e h e r b a r i u m o f J . H . A . J e n n e r f r o m B u x1 t8e7d6d. a t e d b) l he Seafordareahasbeendiligentlybotanised in this century,by the lateW H Spreadbury, andby Miss B.A. Kneller.We think it unlikelythat the Lum\igia in this dew-pondwould havebeen overlooked. c) 1'he ('rossulohelmsii alsopresent,suggestsrecentintroduction?Tim Rich confirmsthat most exoticaquaticsare spreadby aquariststippingthe'Ihe contentsoftheir fish-tanksinto a localpond, there is a Car Park adjacentto this dew-pond. recentfashionfor terrapinsamongstthe voungin the Ninja Iurtle era,wasfollowedby a sharprisein terrapindonationsto zoosandpet displays- andvery possiblyan increase in discarded tankcontentsalsol) d) David Coombewas ableto find for me that StapeleyWater Gardens- Europe'slargestGarden Centre,at Nantwich.can supplyLudu,igiapolu.stri.s ar a cost ol"!1.50 per pot or 85p bunched. plus carriage,subjectto availability'(but neitherlhe Ludv'igicrnor the ('rar'.slrla are includedin theircatalogue). e) ('rdssulahelm.siigrowswith l,udu'igiuin its New Forestlocality.givingthe remotepossibilityof both species beingtransportcd fiom Hampshire to llast Sussexby waterfowl, but our considered conclusionis that the Lildv,icruin E. Susseris alrnostceftainlva recentintroductionvia the discarded contentsofa tlsh.or terraDin.tank. tl Rccordcrs and Recording This year, four separHowever the Luu*aigiaarrived at this site, it is certainlynow well established. ate colonieswere counted,the largestbeingabout | 5 metresin diameter. References Amold, F.H (i887 & 1907) Sussex l"krtt Wolley-Dod,A.H. ( 1937). I''loraof Sussex MARY BRIGGS, 9 Arun Prospect,PULBOROUGH,W. SussexRH20 lAL PAUL MAURICE, l, The Spinney,42 WestCommon,HARPENDEN,Herts.AL5 2JW ONONIS RECI,INATA REFOUND IN ALDERNEY The smallcolony which had existedfor manyyearsin a singlespot, had not beenseenfor at leastfive years despite careful searchingeach year by severalindividualsseparately,on different occasions during its flowering period The habitat is a short, rabbit grazed, slightly calcareousturf bank about l5m above FIWM on Alderney'slow, rocky, eastcoast,at an elevationof5-8m with thin soil over sandstone. This vear about 8 olantswere seenin flower on 2l st Mav and reoortedto me. The followins dav I found only four plantsthat were in flower. but abouta doren other smallplantsnearbyseimei likely to be the annualplant and not our very commonOnonisrepenswhich is alsofound in this area. On 5th June I returnedto take more photographsand after careful searchingaround the spot found over 100 plants in an area about l0 x 2m with 25-30 in flower, and severalwith seedpods formed. The plantswere growing in companywith Bupleurumhqldense,(lirsium acaule,Phleumarenaria, Destnazeriamarina. etc., and only a few metresltom one of our coloniesof Thesiumhumifusum whichnow extendsabout l00m from this spotalonga lineaboutl-2m wide. BRIAN BONNARD, The Twins, Le Petit VaI, ALDERNEY, ChannelIslands THE T992 CROCKENHILL TREE SURVEY - A TEN YEAR UPDATE Crockenhill,in the north-west corner of Kent, is a thriving village with about 1,500 inhabitants. Though set in rural surrounds,its closenessto GreaterLondon and even more so to the town of Swanley and the M25lM20 road network makesvillagers aware of its vulnerability.It was this awarenessthat led a team to undertakea full tree surveyof the village and its surroundingcountrysidein 1982. At the time it was publisheda numberof expertssaidthat the real value would comeif, after ten years,anothersurveycould be undertakenso that changes,includingthe growth rate oftrees, could be quantified.The 1992surveyis the response. Within the built-up areatreesbecomingtoo big for gardenshavecome under threat, minor developmentshavetakentheir toll as havemajor developments like the buildingof the M25. In the countrysidedamageby stubbleburning was a regular occurrenceuntil stringentbyJaws passedby SevenoaksDistrict Council led farmersto drop the practice.An increasingworry hasbeenthe use of hedgeslashingmachines,which can weakenanddamagetreesifthe hedgeis cut too closely. The vast majorityoftree lossesoccurredon that traumaticnight of l5-l6th October1987so vividly etched on many memories. Familiar landmarksdisappearedovernight and people were stunnedby the extent of the devastation.Two hundredtrees were lost within the village itself and changeofatticountlessothersin hedgesand woodlands- but out ofthe shockcamea remarkable tude. After the Great October Storm there was a definiteslowdown of the deliberatedestructionof tree featuresand a greater awarenessand appreciationof the importanceof trees in the landscape developed. The tree warden schemefor Kent \4'asset up by Treeslbr Kent and Crockenhillhas taken an activepart in this. The Men of the Treescompetitionfor the villagein Kent whrchtakesbestcareof t4 Rccordcrs and Rccording its treeshasgonefrom strengthto strength- Crockenhilltakingits shareofthe honours.Many new trees have beenplanted - the tree surveynoting at leasttwenty-four major schemesundertakenby 1ocalcouncils,larmerand individualla.ndowners CrockenhillParishCouncilalonehasplantedabout onethousandtreeson its land. While cataloguingthe All in all the picturewhich has emergedafter ten yearsis encouraging. losses,the 1992 tree survey also highlightsthe hopeful trends. Much remainsintact and new trees havebeenestablished to enjoy. to beautifovillageandcountryfor futuregenerations ('rockenhill-IreesandShrubsofaKentishL'illoge(tenyearupdate)publishedbyCrockenhill ParishCouncilwith I 05 pages,| 8 mapsand45 illustrations costst4 + 70p postageand is available 'Ihe liom CrockenhillParishCouncilOffice, VillageHall, StonesCrossRoad,Crockenhill,Swanley BR8 8LT. Mrs SUSAN PITTMAN, Tree Warden and Tree Survey Organiser.2J Old Chapel Road, Crockcnhill.SWANLtsY.Kent BR8 8LL LYME DISEASE: SOME TIiOIjGIITS FROM THE SHARP END OF A TICK No doubtI readwith interestthe noteson LymeDiseasepublishedin BSRINers in 1990by fucher (54.l5) and Lang (55.8) but, perhapsbecauseI haveneverbeenassaulted by a tick in this country, despiteextensivefield work in appropriatelocalities,thesepublications had slippedmy mind until remindedof them by a colleague,when I returnedrecentlyfrom an exlendedbotanicaltrip to the UnitedStatesto find that I hadacouiredLvmeDisease. Having had my awarenessrudely awakened.I leel that it may be timely to bring the matteragain to the attentionof members.I cannotadd to the excellentadvicegivenin the notes,but perhapsa first handdescriptionofthe highly characteristicprimaryrashmay be ofvalue. It appearssomeweek to ten daysafterexposureto tick bites(not all ticks in an areaareofcourse infected- one out ofsix in my case).The rashappeared as a circularflushedarearoundthe bite andhasa'target-like'concentric zonation.with a palezone round the bite, then a red-flushedareaand finally a very dark blackishred ring round the circumference.I locatedit on my rear the day after my return home,as the area f'elt somewhatsore - like a moderatebruise.I understandthat this rashdoesnot necessarilyoccur in all cases. I haveno wish to alarmmembersbut, as the diseaseseems|kely to becomemore prevalentin this country,as it has in the USA and, as field botanistsare ideallysituatedto encounterthe tick vectors,I do urge membersto bearthe possibilities in mind and to seekmedicaladviceif in doubt without delay.While it seemsreadilysusceptible to earlyantibiotictreatment.delayor failureto obtaintreatmentcan havevery seriouslong term results.Amongthese,chroniclassitude and debility are the leastworrying, while meningitis,cardiacconditionsand arthritisetc. may alsooccur. All these are difficultto treat; while we were in the USA, we saw a televisionnewsitem which reportedthat someinsurancecompanies are decliningto fund the indefinite,long-termtreatmentof Lyme disease, a very clearindicationofthe severityofthe condition. To be forewarnedis to be forearmedand I offer this contributionin the hopethat it will help in fieldwork. members to furtherawareness of the potentialrisksof tick bitesencountered reviervarticlehasbeenpublishedin Science Sincewritingthe above.a very extensive andinfbrmatrve 260 I 610- 16I 6 ( 1993), by A G Barbour & D Fish, underthe title TheRnktgical and Socittl PhenomenonoJ l..ymel)rsea,se.ltmakesplainthe considerable ambiguitythat remainsaboutthis condiof laboratory tion, cautionsagainsthastydiagnosisand indicatesthe needfbr betterunderstanding for the identification agent.It hasan extensive bibliography andshouldbe techniques ofthe causative consultedby any memberseekingfullerinlbmationon this subject. LastSussex, BN7 .lttF JOHNF M CANNON.RarnCroft.Rodmell.LITWBS, l5 Rccordcrs and Rccording NEW ZEALAND BITTERCRESS, C7RD,4MINE CORYMROSA Dr StephenJury at Readingkindly sentme MichaelBraithwaite's articleon New Zealandbittercress from B.\B/,rVc'vrr andillustrationshowclearlya Nerv 58 (Septemberl99l) The excellentdescription Zealzndnativespeciesof (-ardominethat is a commonweed in our experimentalnurseryat Landcare Research, Canteibury,New Zealand.A nativeof coastalturl anddry fbrest.it growsin rockeriesand shadedlawns in manyparts ofNew Zealand.The plantsthrive in pots. planterbags,gravel pathsand rockeries,and are difficult to removeby weeding.Staffin our experimentalnurseryhavefound that spotting them with vinegar kills them effectively - also, incidentally,an effective way of killing llverwons. As MichaelBraithwaiteDointedout. ('ordamineis in needof revisionin New Zealand.There appearto be somewherebetween20 and 25 recognisableentities,many of which are probablygood species, but only six speciesnamesare avaiiable. Linfortunately, the nanrethat hasbeenappliedto the speciesnow naturalised in Scotland,C. unifloru (Hook.f) Allan, is illegitimateWhenAllan (196l) raisedHooker's (. hirsutctvat. unillora to speciesrank. he was una\!'arethat the name('ardamine unifTorahad alreadybeenused by Micheaux'(1803)for a differentspecies(now Leaverworthiauniflora(Michx.)Britton)Inaddition,thetypespecimenof(1.corymho,saHook.f,anearliernamethan Allan's(L uniflora, is clearlythe samespecies.ln my treatmentof ('ardamine for l;kra of Neu'ZealandYoI IV (Webb et al 1988),I grouped a numberof different forms under C. corymboso The is the sameone illustratedby Miform that bestmatchesHooker'stype specimenof ('. corytmbosa chaelBraithwaite,so ('. corymhosais the correct namefor this new introductionto Scotland The few New Zealandplantsnaturalised in Britainare a drop in the bucketcomparedwith the hundreds of British and European plants, among them (.ardamine hirsuta, (.-.flexuosa. and C. pratensis,that have establishedin New Zealand(Webb e/ crl. 1988) They camewith the people and their seedsand animals,and establishedbecauseof similar climatesand land uses.('aniamine corymbosaandEpilobium brunnescenshave becomenurseryweedsin both New Zealandand Britain,whichmightindicatethat suchNew ZealandplantsareenteringBritainwith nurserystock. References Allan,H H (1961) F kra of NewZealand,Vol I Wellington ('ardamineunifl<tru Braithwaite,M. (1991):The Scottishcabbagepatch New Zealandbittercress, BSBINews58:38-39. Micheaux(1803): l.'lora boreali-americona(2nd ed.). Paris. P J. ( 1988) liktra of Nev'7,calmrl,Vol IV Christchurch. Webb,C J , Sykes,W.R., Garnock-Jones, Research,P O Box 6e, Lf NCOLN New Zealand PHIL :ARNOCT;I]NBS, fndcare CERASTIUM BRACHYPETAI,UM FACING DESTRUCTION IN S.E. ENGLAND In the Bulletinof the Kent FieldClub No. 24 (Jan 1979) | reportedfinding('erastiumbrach-vpetait in a total of sevenseparate lum Pers.in W Kent on l6th April 1978,and subsequently discovered locationsin old chalk grassland. though all in the areawest of Longfield.Sincethen it has disap'Dearedin oneat leastoftheselocationsdue to chansein landuse. The remainingsitesfor this /{c/ Ittttu Rook splcies(exceptlbr one possibly)witl all be totally destroyedby the proposednew routeofthe ChannelTunnelRail Link. Otherplantsin the pathofthe railway and certainto be destroyedarel)yrola rotilndi-folioL. subsp.mLrritima(Kenyon)E. Warb. in what I believeto be its only locality in easternEngland(see page l7), and l:pipaclis palustris (L) rich EbbsfleetValley,with the interesting aquatic Crantzin its only localityin v c I6. The botanically habitatofNorthfleetBrooks.is alsoa routefor the new line. ('erastiumhrachypetulum rs nativeto Britain,at leastin W Kent, and is probablythe last new nativeplantto be discovered in L.nglandA futurearticlewill treatthislopic in moredetail. JOHN R PAI-MER, l9 Water Mill Way. SOU'IH DARENTII, Dartfbrd,Kent DA4 9BB Recorders and Rccording PRIMROSE VARIATION AND DISEASE I now live on the coast betweenFishguardand St David's in Pembrokeshire(having moved from Warwickshire)and nowhereelsehaveI seensucha variety of Primroses(Primula lrlgarls). In Shakespeare'stime Warwickshire,where I usedto live, did boastoccasionalvarietiesbut not, I believe, on this scale.Reds,pinks,mauves(l am not too good on "reds")andyellows,solitaryor umbellate inflorescences imperfectlyshapedsepalsor sepalswhich do not unite, leavinggaps,my list ofvariationswould be longerbut for my idlenessbeyondnoticingjust the most obviousones.However, well away from cottages,housesand farms as, for example,along the coast,Primrosesstay conventional, apartfrom the occasionalFalseOxlips alonga PrimroseiCowslip'frontier'. In other words gardensare the sourceof the variation to be seenalong the nearbyhedgebanks and of course in the gardensthemselves,as in my own where it is quite diflicult to grow normal Primroses. but I believeit lnitially I puzzledover this differencebetweenWarwickshireand Pembrokeshire, to be due to two major differences:a climatic difference,Pembrokeshire being so much damperso that Primrosesand many other woodland plantsgrow outsidewoods, and hedgebankswhich, provided they are shadedby grass-discouraging trees,make an ideal local habitatfor Primroses.Hence wild Primrosesfind themselvesgrowing muchnearerto gardenvarietiesof Primula. As to genetransfer,locally this serviceis provided by Anthophoraretusa - a rapid and reliable pollinator, Rombushorlorum and occasionallyBombyliusmajor. In my own gardenA. retusa visits plants over and over again and maximumnumbersof seedare produced.Along the coast probably onlyRombushorktrum is to be relied upon. I don't think that genetransferis any more effectivehere than in Warwickshire. As a result of local conditions,my garden,where I only grow wild flowers, includingcowslips, should now be a solid massof Primroses.But it isn't. As rapidly as they are producedthey die of what appearsto be root rot. The rootsbecorneblack,the leavesbrown andin effectthe plantsdie of 'drought'. I would be gratefulfor two piecesof informationfrom members. l) Whereelsein GreatBritaindo Primroses showthis incredible variety?Devonfor example? 2) And what is known about the root rot? I{ow importantis it in populationcontrol and what is the causativeagent? PYROLA ROTUNDIFOLL4 subsp.MARITIMA lN E ENGLAND On lOth July 1976,I found a quantity of I'yrolu rotundtfolie L. growing in a previouslyunexplored chalkpit between Swanscombeand Northfleet, W Kent. There were also 200 plants of l:pipacti.s palustris (Marsh Helleborine),some of which were var. ochroleucaBarla, and someDoctyktrhiza proe termi ssa andAnacampli s pyram i dal i s. On anothervisit, in September1984,I lookedat the Wintergreenagainand noticedthat it was Pyrola rotundifolla subsp.maritimq, previouslyknown only from the west coastof England.(Leaves round;scaleson stem3 to 5; calyxteethshort,broadandblunt;antherslessthan2mm;pedicelsless than 5mm; were the charactersobserved).Determinationlater confirmedby E.G. Philp on a visit (specimen in MaidstoneMuseum).Colonieson the NW coastof Europeare not far away,for wind or bird dispersal. Due to tipping of building materials,the Orchid and Wintergreenare now confinedto a small preserved patch,whichis howeverin the directrouteofthe proposednew ChannelTunnelRailLink. Owing to other development,this is now the only known location for Marsh Helleborinein W Kent (vc l6). JOHN R PALMER l9 Water Mill Way. SOUTH DARENTH, Dartford, Kent. DA4 9BB l1 Recorders and Recording HERBARIA: TOWARDS A BETTER USE Are someofthe older herbariabursting at the seams?| imaginethat thought hasalreadybeengiven to future spacerequirements,so perhapsit may be timely to considersomeaspectsof existingcollections ofsheetsand the acceotanceofsoecimensin future. It seemsclearthat linei of eliminitionwill haveto be drawn.lt is not alwaysthe numberof duplicatesin a collectionthat is open to criticism.for specimensliom differentareasin a county or in Britain and thosefrom unusualhabitatsmay well be worthy ofretention. It is the unnecessary number of specimensof very common taxa, some of which havebeenpoorly collectedand badly mounted, perhapstakenlatein the seawhichis oflittle value,exceptin casessuchas whena poor specimen, son,is the solevoucherfor a first vice-countyrecord. Someduplicatesrepresentingtaxonomicranks recognisedby Victorian and Edwardianbotanistsare probablyworthy of consideration,as they illustrate part ofthe written history recordedin the old countyfloras. We are in a period of change,and attitudestowards many facets of educationare undergoing scrutiny.New schoolsarisewith new bannersover the door. What is going to be left behind?So is it not time to considera new attitude to the botanicalsheet?Do we retain museum-pieces on which remnantsofa badly mountedplant are saidto be Rellis perennis,or shallwe store good specimens whichdisolavthe characters Is this consideration ofthe determination? a wasteoftime? On sirmi:of my sheetsI sometimesfix a photographof the habitatand record full detailsof location together with a list of associatesand any significantnotes from my field book. For mountain grasses,I note the facing position and altitudewhich are guidesto further searches.When I start to work on the ecologyand distributionofa grasstaxon,I know that much ofthe informationI shall useis annotatedon my collectionofsheetstiom differentareas. Is thisjust the approachofan old manwith plentyoftime, or canit be a signalfor the subjectto be reviewed? JOHN TRIST. Glovers.28 Hieh Street.Balsham.CAMBRIDGECBl 6DJ ANOTH ER DANISH INVASION? Unlike the first, which sweptup our rivers fiom the coast,this appearsto preferto leavethe coastvia our motorwaysand dual carnageways. I wasnot awareof this advanceuntil the 27th March I993.Jim BevanandI usedthe M4 motorway to reachthe National Museum of Wales in Cardiff where,with George Hutchinsonwe would pour over v.c.35 Hawkweedsfor the day. The conversation was interrup'ied suddenlyby Jim's'Is that Oochleariadanica?'Other topics were forgotten as linear coloniesof the Danish Scurvygrass were observedmainly along the centralreservationwith scatteredpatcheson the verge as well. Oh for a specimen to confitmour identification. wasnecessunfortunatety an earlyarrivalat the museu-m ary to ensurea parkingspace. Confirmationdidn'toccuruntil l8th Aoril whenthe weatherrelentedand I hada freemomentto collectspecimens recorder,I on the M4 at Caldicotand Magor.Now armedwith a personalcassette undertooka numberofjourneys to ascertainthe extentofthe invasion. Exceptfor a stretchbetweenthe middleof Newportto the A48(M) turn offto Cardiffwherethe central reservationhad been asphaltedover or had been treated with weed killer the scurvygrass occurredin everytetradthroughwhichthe M4 passed,with the planttightlypackedfor hundredsof metresin places.On the way back,I divertedup the A449 Newpon to Raglandual carriageway via Usk. The centralreservationheld lone stretchesofthe scurwsrassin evervtetrad and this continued all the way alongthe A40 to Monmou-th This was intriguing as the only native sites lor ('ochleoria danica in v.c. 35 were in the Bristol Channel,on DennyIsland,halfin Walesandhalfin England,andon the coastat Sudbrook. A casualrecordhad beenreportedat Abersychan by Bob }{ewitt in 1985,probablyassociated with winter road gritting. HeatherColls had recordedseveralpatchesnearMitchell Troy, on the A40 'Ihese in 1988and Brian Gregoryhad seenit on the sametrunk road nearMonmouthin 1990 last 'Where 'How two recordshadn'trung any bellsat the time but now the questions else?', Far?','ln whichdirectionwasit travellins?'. demanded to be answered. l8 Rccordcrs and Rccording F.0tt'?.t<r41 aest-o *J 4+ 80 Tetrad distribution ol ('ochlearia dani<ct Malor roads Back fiom my )ounger son's olr 22nd April via the A40 Ross to MonrnoLtthdual carriageway, only grass and the odd British weed in Heretbrdshire but there it was as soon as I crossed into Wales a n dv . c 3 5 A 2lrd April visit to Jack Evans at Cefn Coed, N{erthyr T1'dfiI, enabled the scunygrass to be plotted along the A40 from Raglan to Abergavenny but on beyond to Merthyr nothing but grass and t h e o c c a s i o n aw l eed. Next day, a visit to my olher son. involved a journey into England along the M4 to the M5 and up to Cheltenham. ('ochlearta tlqniccr soon appeared on the central reservation and less liequently on the verges. Long stretcheswere to be seen in the central reservationofthe M5. but not on the verges until the Stroud exit. From there to the Gloucester erit, plant colonies appearedless frequently and beyond to ('heltenham. even less so. On the Lnglish part of the M"l and on the N45Stellariu media appearedwith the scurvygrassbut was dominated by it. My final trip along the 4465 fiom the county boundary to Abergavenny revealed no central reservationand no scurvygrass.My distribution map was complete Jhere must be hundreds of thousands.if not millions, of plants on the roads l've looked at How manymorehaveturnedinlandfromthecoasttlnvc -l5itcouldbearguedthatthc'prevailingwindis driving the invading lbrce eastwards and north eastwards. Horvever, the prevalence of ('ochleariu danrt:a on the central reservation suggeststhat turbulence caused by the speedingtraffrc in the fast 'only lanc is aiding progress in both directions. Wade inhis Iiloru ol lt&nmutthshrrc says of it certain 'also record for the county is from ballast' (''fW states.apart liom coastal, on railwav ballast inland'. 'bv railwavs ( Stace savs and salt treated roads inland' Rich in ('ntttlers o/ irettl Britain and Ireland says 'ln Engiand and Wales widely..distributed inland on railwav ballast and roadsides'.Yet. neither the Atlus nor thc Monitoring Schenre map indicates how pervasive the scunrygrasshas become. Adrian and Elsa Wood have added that it is extensivedown the M5 south of the M4 interchange.In the superstitiouspast the doom-mongers would nou bc warning of a pending shortageof Vitamin C and the scun'vgrass was sent to save us. l hen again - perhapswe will all be nrunching our way along tne molonvaY I R E V O R G . B V A N S . L a ( u e s t a .N 4 r i u n t o nR o a d . ( ' l l H l ' } SI O W . C i v n ' e nNt P O 5 B S l9 Recordcrs and llecording BASTARD CABBAGE IN CHALK GR{SSLAND that the spreadof this specieswithin an SSSIat GrahamSteven'sletter in BSBI News62 suggests Amberlev.Sussexis recentandmav be dueto slobalwarmrnq. I haveknownrhe species at ihis siresinr'elq6-{and it may havebeentherelong belbrethis. though it was certainlymuch lessabundantand widespread.We usedto call it Rapistrumrugosum subsp.orientale (but may have been wrong). There can be little doubt that excessivestockingby cattlehasso erodedthe areathat ifthis plantdid not invadethen someotherequallyunwelcomeone would.The lastremaininsstandofJunioerin rheareais alsoat risk lrom the sameciuse Board)and it may be also ESA All this is within an SSSI and AONB isouth Downs Conservation (thoughthis is a Statesecret!).The SSSIcitationstatesthat'it containssomeofthe richestgrassland in Sussex... and severalnationallyrestrictedinvertebrates'.This particularlyconcernsbutterfliesand snails.However, unlesssteps are taken promptly its importancewill not endureand this has been broughtto the attentionofEnglishNature. FRANK PENFOLD.Morels.Burpham,ARUNDEI. BN l8 gRR TRANS LO(lATl ONS AGA I nI can understandthe argumentunderlyingMr Payne'sobjectionto translocations(B^\4./Neu's62. Dec. 1992)but I am puzzledby his premises.ls it so certainthat 'the studyof the distributionand 'fhe urbanelanguagebringsto my naturalspreador declineof species'will alwaysbe opento us? mind a pictureofa broadequilibriumin whichreplacements havethe opportunityto take over gradually from formernatives.All my field experience, and al! too manyof the itemsI read.tell me that piecerrealand continuallygiving way. ln the what equilibriumremainsto us is being underrnined increasing numberof caseswherewe watch a plantdwindlelou'ardsextinctionwe are hardlvlikely is to look for replacements; often,indeed,it would seemthat any suchstudyas l\'lr Payneenvisages Small-scale instances alreadya luxury of the past. sincethe habitatsthemselves are disappearing. perhaps, andrelevantasyet, fortunately, to onlv a comparatively smallproportionot'our flora,but on the long view and the global scalethat he favours I can seeno reasonto expectan).tiungother than the sametrend writ large. Behindhis equanimitythere is a curiouslyhazardousassumption.Of coursewe havealwaysbeen agentsof'continuousunintentional changesin plan1distributron'But to rely upon the futuresurvival of this give-and-takerelationshipbetweennature and ourselvesseemsto me quite unrealistic.The changeard a greatlyincreased combinalionofan unprecedented accessofefficiencyin accomplishrng pressurefor land development has createdan altogethernew situation,and raisesgucstionswhich could hardlyhavebeenconceivedin formertimes.l1-,willy-nilly,as Mr Payneimplies,u,e are inexandrt seenrs tricablya part ofnature.we arenevertheless a part with a senseofresponsibility, to me presentsorrypassandthento inconsistent with a respectfbr our muteassociates to bringthenr 'l 1othe refusethem the possibilityof any remedialactionwhatsoever. he very cogentlyarguedletterfiom MrWalls (BSBI News63, April 1993)indicatesa basisfbr considering suchactionrationallyandin strictly limited circumstances,and if - supposingthe caseto be one of an undoubtedlyendangered species- this shouldleadto the resultthat'we shallneverknow whetherthe plantin questioncould have spreadto the site by naturalmeans',I can only ask, what is the point of suchpurelyclinical curiosityanyway? On the face of it, the orchid incidentdescribedby Nlr PaynervascertainlyindelbnsibleBut it also seemsto have been in a quite different category fionr that ol the situation envisagedby Mr Walls,whosesuggestion that we might considerthe provisionof 'steppingstones'for geneflow wherea habitatis badlydisruptedseemsentirelyreasonable. 'few,ion. JAMES ILIFF. L,ithin Cilvcwnr.LLANDOVF.RY.DvtbdSA20LtI F 20 Recordcrs and llccording INTRINSICAI,LY POOR HABITATS Most papers in the botanical literature not concernedwith the diffrcultiesof taxonomy and identification usually relate to rare species or habrtats of high diversity This is all very exciting, but rather a blinkered view of botany and it may well be biasing our view of conservation. The climate and edaphic f-actorsconspire to prevent manv scmi-naturalhabitats liom having great rarities (or at least not recognised) or fiom developing a level ofdiversity comparable with that achieved by the more sexy habitats. Should we regard these areas as being unworthy of consen'ation? To disregard such habitatswould be to ignore large tracts ofgood countryside and the speciesthat are ordinary because they are successful.With the pressureson the countryside I don't think we can afford to do this. Not very long ago heathland and hay meadows were common in England. I have become aware of our proclivity in Dorset over the last two years whilst we have been developing our thinking on sites ofnature conservation interest (SNCIs). Two aspectshave emerged which are basic to our strategy and may be wonhy of a wider discussion.These are the use of indicator species'and how to deal equitably with habitats that are intrinsically poor in plant species(lPHs) - they either have low diversity or they have few scarce species.F'or reasonsofobjectivity we use the term Notable Species instead of indicators. The latter ternr implies that something is indicated and that there is an establishedcorrelation lbr the counn,. At worst the implication may be unfounded and at best it is trivial or a tautology (e.g.. calcicolous speciesgrow on chalk) I will explain the two aspectsseparatelvto start with although the second dependson, and may be a consequenceofthe first Notable species It is inevitable, especially if time is short, that the initial assessmentof a new site as a SNCI will 'Ihis is not ideal for a.llmanner ofreasons, but it is what often usually be based on the vascular plants. happens.The site report may be assessedin two wavs: either by looking lor rare speciesor by seeking recognisable assemblages of species. The second of these may be to identifr communities which are themselves rare or decreasing, or the plant community is used as a surrogate lor scarce fauna or flora which would not have been obsen'ed at the tine of the survev. In oractice the conservation v a i u e o f a s i t e i s p r o b a b l yd e c i d e do n a m i x t u r e o f t h e s e a p p r o a c h e s . To make the assessmentmore objective it is useful to have a clear idea of the significanceof the species.We have found the tbllowing categoriesare uscful RDB - Red Data Book, speciesrecorded from I to l5 hectadsin the British tsles NSS - Nationallv Scarce Species,recorded tionr l6 to 100 hectadsin the British Isles. CSS - County Scarce Speiies. recorded tiorn -i or i-ewersites within the county (excluding RDB & NSS) C'RDB - County Red Data Book. an account o1'all RDB, NSS and CSS species CNS - County Notable Species,not in the CRDB, but of interest for reasonsother than extreme rarlty (a hcctad is a lOkm grid square,as defined by K.G Messenger, IISRI News45, April 1987). T'he first ibur categories are precisely deflned and self explanatory; it is the last that is of con'l'he CNS list consisls of all specieswhich we e\Dect to see in sood habitats.but which are not ccrn rare enough to hr in the CRDB. for ins(ancel.uph,rht<t unlg<laktirIr'.t. Lathl'ru.smtntanus. (ialium rrkratum in u'oods Such species are being used to help us choose good habitats and in this sense 'indicator they could be called species'. 'I'hc characteristicswe mrght expect of'a CNS. if it is to assist in habitat selection,are fbr it to l a l l i n t o a t l e a s lo n e o l ' t h e s ec a t c g o r i e s a) morc or iess confined to a particular habitat (probability greater than 0 75 say). b) a componcnt ofthc defining assemblage c) fairlv scarce.but too fiecluent to be in the CRDB. d) known to support rare speciesin other 1axa. Speciesmay be added fbr other reasons.such as a plant having an unexplaineddistribution, but these are beyond the scope ofthis note Some examples iionr Dorsel Notable Specieslist would be ('urex strtgoso rvhich is almost contined to darno woods. manv of which have charactenstics of ancient woodland. Helianthemum rrumnulurtuti is rarcly found elsewherethan in cdcicolous glasslandanclusually in associationwith a group of similar and rarer plants which may not always be as visible. ln contrast Succisa pratensis occurs in a numbcr of habitats. but it is an imoortant food olant fbr the marsh fiitillarv. Mercurialis l , ( ' r ( t i l i l . \i s n o l o n t h e l i s t b e c a u s er t i s t o o w i d e s p r c a di n a l l i o n s o l ' s h a d r p l a c e s 2l Rccordcrs and Rccording Intrinsically poor habitats it as a good exampleofits type.This is morereadily The first stepin conservinga siteis to recognise done for somehabitatsthan others.It hasbeenfound, for instance,that manyspecies-richwoods and unimprovedcalcicolousgrasslandsare readilyselectedas SNCIs. Heathlandsare poor in plant species,but they are readily acceptedas SNCIs becauseoftheir associatedfauna,all that is askedis woodlandsand scrubon poor soils are whetherthe site is a good exampleof heathland.Grasslands, rarelychosen,becausethey haveno rare speciesand few, ifany, CNS. Are they beingjudgedfairty? Even the richest of acid grasslandswill have fewer speciesthan a chalk downland.A glance through the NVC books will demonstratethis. To compoundthe effect,it is likely that there will be fewer CNS listed from, for example,acid grasslandthan calcicolousgrassland.The net result is that somehabitats,whilst scarceand as'natural'assomemore popularhabitats,are not conserved.In Dorset,unimprovedgrasslandsnot on chalk or limestonehavedeclineddramaticallyand almostunnoticed,I suspectbecausewe are not valuing them properly.We are effectivelyreinforcinga prejudice that chalk soils should have grassland,sandysoils shouldhave heathlandand loams should supportwoodland. As I imolied in the introduction.I considerit importantthat all naturaland semi-naturalhabitats arejudgedin a comparablemanner.Simplyto seta criterionbasedon the diversityor the presenceof rare specieswill guaranteethe exclusionof somehabitats.What is neededis a more equitablescheme which relatesto the bestexamoleofthat habitat. I would be interestedto hear of any schemesfor appraisingsiteswhich avoid the bias I have outlinedabove. 1o",1 ,t. valeRoad, So",:::.,:".luou*EMou-r]DorsetBH6ILR **LS, 16Lefeham CONYZA CANADENSIS I C. SUMATREN.II.' INTERMEDIATES betweenthesetwo species, In August l99l I first noticedplantswhich appeared to be intermediate v c. 16,wheretherewere very largenumbersof bolh (lonyza on a former rubbishtip at Swanscombe (anadenstsand(-. .tumafrensts. In July 1993a plant on wasteground near NorthfleetCemetery(alsoW Kent) caughtmy eye as the sterq branchesand leaveswere intermediatein colour betweenthe lime-greenof ('. canadensis The other featureswere:andthe grey-greenof (-. sumatren.sis. l. The hairs on the leaf-edgeswere intermediatein length and thickness,patent near the stemthen curvedto run oarallelwith the stem. 2. The hairs on the ohvllarieswere much fewer in numberthan in the caseof ('. ,utmatrensis.but more than one would expectwith (. canadensrs. 3. The main stem snappedeasily and almost cleanly like ('. sumatrensl"rdoes. (This is a character distinguishingit from ('. canadensis,which I don't think hasbeenmentionedelsewhere). JoxNR..PALMER.]9waterM1llwav.SouthDarerrth.DART IS POA INT-IRMA MOVING EASTWARDS? This springI havebeensurveyingthe cliffs of PooleBay, Dorset within the Boroughof Bournemouth (v.c. ll). Thereare many interestingaspects,but paradoxically the most importantfeature a wide botanicallymay be the worn out grasslandsat the top. Here can be found, in someabundance, range of annualswhich arc scarcein the British lsles (severalrare clovers, (erastium semidecandrum, C. diffusum,Lotus.suhhiflorusand ('ras,sulatillca).lndeed theseplants are only to be found where the grasshasbeencompletelyworn away by the continuoustramplingof residentsand visitors throughoutthe year. Whilstrecordingthesein May this year I noticedmanypatchesof deadgrass.Giventhe healy use ofthe areaby dogsthis might be unremarkable,but on HengistburyHead,an SSSI at the eastern One patchdid proveto extremeofPoole Bay,I'oa hulhosais readilydetectedby this characteristic. 22 Rccordcrs and Recording be I). hulhosa.but the others wereP. ailnn I thought until it dawnedon me that most plantsof this elsewherewere still green.Closerinspectionsuggestedthat it looked very like ltoa infirma andJohn Edmondsonat Liverpool has confirmed the soecimens.Earlier in the vear Felicitv Woodheadhad found1'. inJirmaat Fiengistbury Headand sheiuspectsits presence elsewhere. To the best of my knowledge,prior to 1989,this grasswas only recordedfrom Cornwall.In that year, during the BSBI symposiumin Exeter, Ro FitzGeraldfound plantsat Dawlish and I noticed a fbw plantswhile on the outine to Berrv Head. Fortunatelvthere were exoertson handto confrm the find without removingspecimens. Sinte then I believeother sitesin D'evonhavebeenfound.The findsthis yearadvances the rangeacrossonevice-countyand into the next.The speciesis presentin somequantityin this communityand hasprobablybeentherefor sometime. Many peopleare known to have introducedplants to the Bournemouthcliffs, but mainly gardenvarietiesof more colourlul sDecles. I supposeI'. infirma could have travelledliom Cornwall on the boots ofan enthusiasticclover twitcher returningfrom the Lizard, but in view of the similaritywith one of the commonestand least regardedgrassesin the British flora it is highly likely that P. itfirma has beenvery under recorded. An altemativeis that aided by a changein the climate it is indulging in a rapid expansion,which would be most interesting.Whateverthe reasona thorough searchalongthe southcoastnext Spring will most likely bring in a host of new records. After drafting this note I learnthat BournemouthBorough Councilis planninga major development for the cliffs which will undoubtedlyresultin the lossof a long stretchof this interestinghabitat. 'Ihe final irony is that part ofthe developmentis designateda botanicgardenl ROBIN M. WAI-LS. l6 LeichamVale Road.Southbourne. BOURNEMOUTH.DorsetBH6 3LR PLANTSFOUND IN A LEICESTERSHIREQUARRY Introduction I haverecentlymadea list ofthe plantsseenin a quarryat Groby,Leicestershire duringthe past23 years.The site measures280 yardsby 75 yards,with an extensionat a lower level of 80 yardsby 60 yards.This latter part consistsof KeuperMarl from whichthe top soil was removedin 1960when prospectingfbr more stone (Markfieldite). 'Ihe larger areawas lbrmerly a hill, 'BunneyHill', which was quarriedtowardsthe end ofthe last century.ln 1889the nearbyGroby Pool overflowed,the water pouring acrossthe road and into the quarry hole, fbrming a good-sizedpool. As quarrying extended,boulderclay overburdenand'rammel'weretippedinto it, graduallyfilling it until in 1955 the fish it containedwere caughtand placedin the main Groby Pool. Tipping of soil, old machinery, liquid concreteand tar macadarn,plus someunolicial rubbishdumping,continueduntil the site was fbncedoffin the 1970s. Native plants There are severalwet depressionsin which grow Common Spike-rush(Iile<tcharispalurlrir') Common Club-rush (Schoercplectus tacustn.t), Bulrush ('lypha latilolia) and Lesser Bulrush (1..ongrslifttlia). Thread-leavedWater-cror.doot(llantnculu.strichoph.y'llus) seemsableto sun'ivein quitedry conditions.Theseplantsare relicsofthe good-sizedpond mentionedabove.Seedlings and saplingsof common native trees and shrubs,suchas Ash (I;rtxitrus excel:sior),Sllver Birch (Betula perufula), F.lder(Samhucu.tniger) and Broom (( y/r.ru.r.sct4turius)have appeared,whilst wild roses are plentifuland bramblesabundant- liableto trip up the unwary.So far 8 speciesand hybridsof willow havebeennamed. lall nativeherbssuchas Hemlock(('oniummaculalum)andPloughman's-spikenard (lnulu conyza) arecommon,the former up to 8 fbet tall. Weld (lleseduluteola), formerlygrown as a yellow dye plant,reaches5 feet.Fat-hen(('henopodtum goosefoot,growson soil heaps. ulbum),our commonest Great Lettuce (Lactuca vtrosa) has appearedin recentyearsand is spreadingover the county as a whole.Althougha lettuce,its juice is poisonous.Mugwort (Artcmistttwlgaris), formerlyusedas a strewingherbto keeplliesaway,growsheretoo, but in smallquantity. Strong-smellingBlack Horehound (.lJallotarrrglrr) occurs, whilst Great Mullein (L'erbascum rhdp.tus)with its flannellyleavesgrows in good numberson the patchesof tipped concreteand asphalt. Rccordcrs and Rccording Smallernative plantswhich have appearedincludePrimrose(.|'rimula wlgaris), CommonDogviolet (L'iola riviniana), Silverweed(l'otentillo anserina),and abundantWild StrawberryQ;ragaria ve.sca).Common Centaury(('entaurium erythraea)is a delight with its starry pink flowers. Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis amensis) dates from Roman times. The oil of Perforate St John's-wort (H.ypericum perfbratum)was usedto soothethe scratchesof a cat on Don Quixote'sface.lt was also formerlv used to improve the secretionof bile and the circulationof the blood, for the treatmentof diarrhoea,and externallyfor wounds,haemorrhoids,andburns! The yellow flowcrs ofthis and Comspp.)make monRagwort(Senecio'jacohaea)togetherwiththedeeppinkofWiliowherbs(lipilobium a colourful display,along with the deepblue of Selfheal(Pnttella wlgcrris). Wild Teasel(l)ipsacus fulknun), whilst prettywhenin flower,hasbecomea pricklynuisance. Grassesrangefrom the 4-5 feet tall Wood Small-reed(('alamagrostisepige.jos)down to the 2% inch Fern-grass(('atapodiumrigidum). Plantsof the red-fruitedsectionof smalldandelions arefrequenton theKeuperMarl areaof the site, with Blue Fleabane(l'.rigeron acer), Fairy Flax (.l.inumcalharttcum),daisiesand occasionally CommonSpotted-orchid(Daclyl orhiza fu chsi i ) Aliens Plantsof alienorigin havebeenintroducedinto this countryfor their medicinalor culinaryqualities and have become naturalised.Such are Greater Celandine((helidonium majus) and Good-KingHenry (Chenopodiumbonus-henricus).Also found in the quarry in the I 970sbut not later was Soapwort (liaponaria officinalis). which was usedby our forebearsfor washingand is still cultivatedfor washingwoollensin Syria.A popularnamefor the doublevarietyis Bouncing Bett'. Oxford Ragwort has an interestinghistory. lt is native of Sicily where it grows on soils formed fiom the volcanicash of Mount Etna, lt escapedfrom the Oxford Botanic Gardenand was first'recordedon walls in Oxford in 1794. Later the wind-borne fruits were carried along the Great WesternRailway by trains, soonreachingLondonand then spreadingwidelyto almostall partsofthe country.In 1978a patch ofabout l0 plantsofBastard Cabbage(Rapislntmntgosum subsp.rugosum)appearedon this quarry site.Until recentlythis plantwas recordedoccasionally asa casual,but in recentyearsit seemsto be (see,BSRINev,:;62, p 43 for an accountof its invasionof a chalkgrasslandSSSI).An increasing alienwhich is very much at home in Britain is the Sycamore(.Acerpseudoplatdnus),rhe seedlingsof whicharevery plentifulhere. Garden escrpes Bushesofgarden origin establishedon this site are numerous.FloweringCurrant(llihes sanguineum) is common, Lllac (Syringa wlgaris) and Butterfly-bush(Ruddle.jada,rdii) less so On one steep slopefacing the former railway track is a patch of'Iwo JapaneseKnotweed(ltalkryio.japonlca), about 8 fect high, a vigorous pest, difficult to eradicate. of the bramblespeciesfound are gardenescapes.Rubu.slaciniatus has finely dissectedleavesbut nondescriptfruit, whilst Ruhus qrmeniacu,s (formerly ll. procerus), the HimalayanGant has large lusciousfruit. One of the 7 willows named, SiberianViolet-willow (Salix acuty'blia),has an attractivemauve-bluebloom on its twigs. White Dogwood (('ornus alba) and ShrubbyCinquefoil(Polentilla.frulicosa)havealsobeenseenrecently. Alien herbs which have appearedrecentlyon the site vary in quantity. There are severalbalm plants (Mellis.saof/icinalis), formerly grown for its lemon-scentedleaves.The most flourishing garden plant here is the Large-floweredEvening-primrose(Oenofueraglazioviana).Cushionsof a hairy-leavedLady's-mantle(Alchenillo mollis) arevery common.lt hasyellowish-greenflowers and was introducedfrom Asia Minor. White Stonecroo(Sedumalhum) and CaucasianStonecrop (.\;..\punumlare in stonyplaces.aisoDovedaleVoss or MossvSaxilrags(.\uxtJrugu h.VrtttLlc:land plant of Celandine Saxifiaga(SuxtJraga Londonpride(5. x urhium) 'lolmiea 'fhisIn the spring of 1992one tiny menziesir. with its cymbalaria)was found. is occasionally a persistentgardenweed 'pick-a-back' young shootson top of the old leaves,grew for a few recentyears,whilst two other short-livedinvaderswere ShastaDaisy (Leucutrthemum wperhum) and I)ame's-violet(He.sperts matronalis).Thereare severalclumpsof Dotted Loosestrif'e(l.ysimachiapunctete).a nativeof Auson roughdampground. tria, the Caucasusand Asia Minor which is becomingregularlyestablished Opium Poppy (I'apaver somntferum)bloomedfbr severalyearsin the early 1970s,making a lovely displayon a largeheapofsoil If this site weregivena chance,it would becomesorubwoodlandin quitea shorttime,but there areplansto build a new entranceroadto the mainquarrywhichwill cut throughthe centre. Many thanks to Mr A NeMon, Mr R D Meikle, and Mr D Mc('lintock lor identilying brambles,willows and gardenescapesAlso to the Rev.A [- Primavesifor helpfuladviceand fbr typing the MS, to the former managerof the quarry Mr S. Percivaland the prcsentmanager Mr Maruringfor kind perrnission to wanderat will. al Rccordcrs and Rccording List of plants found in the quarry ,1cer pseudoplatanus. .lchillea millefolrum. ,lgrostts canina.,1. capillans. A. stolonilera. Aluga replans. Alchemilla conJugoto. A. nolli,s. tllliana peholala, Alnu.s lqlulinoso. Anagollis on-ensi,\. Anisonlha slerilis, Anlhriscus s.ylvestris.Tphanes onensrs-,lquil<1a vulgaris..4rabidopsis lhaliana, /lrctium minus, Armoracia ruslicana.,4rrhenathemm elolius..lrlemisia villgaris. Atriplex pr(rstratd, Ralloto nigra, Rarbarea verna, Betula pendula. Brachypodinn (-alamagroslis epigejos, Calystegia sepium, s.ylvattcum, IJromus hortleaceus. Rryonia dioica. Buddleja dwidii. ('. .\ilvatica. ('ardamine hirsuta. ('.. pralensis. (.'arex ('. nigra. (latapodium rigidum, Centaurea nigra, J1acca('enlaurium er.ylhraea- ('eraslium Iontanum. (1. glomeratum. ('. k)mentoflm, (lhomerion angustrfitlium. (lhelidonium ma1us. Chenopodium olbum, ('. bonui'-henricus. ('. pol.vspermun, ('irsium qnense. C. vulgare, (lonium maculatum. ('omus albq- ('orylu"' avellana. (:oloneaster W., (:rataegus monogna, (lrepk capillaris, C. vesicalia, (lynosums cri)-latus. (.'.vlisus scoparius, Daav-lis gbmerota, l)act.ykrhiza fuchsii. D. praetermissa. Deschampsia cespitosa, I).Jlexuosa. Digitalts purpurea. Dipsacus./illlonum- l)ryopteris filix-mas. Eleocharis palustris. Elttrigia repens, Epilohium ciltalan. 1.. hirsulum. [,. nontanurn. F:. tetragonum, ]'.qui.\etum druense, Lrigeron acer, Ert;phila verno, I;allopia 1ap<truca, liesluca rubra- F-ilago vulgaris, F-ragaria x ananqsso, Ii. vesca. Fruinus excelsior, Galium (i. tentm. (ieranium disseclum. (i. nolle, (i. pnsillum. (ieum urbanum, I{elichtotrichon aparine, (i..suolile. pubescens. Heracleum;phondvlium. llesperis matronalis. Hieracium maculatum. Ilolcus lanatus, Ilumulus lupulus, It.vacinthoide,\ non-'cripto. Htpericum cal.vcinunt. lt. hirsuturn. H. maculotun stbsp. ctbnn'iusculun- H. perforatum, Iberis. Inula coryza- Iris sp.. .Juncus cengk)meratus- J. eJJusus, J. inflexus. Lactuca virosa. Lamium alhum. L. purpureun, I.apsana ttlnnunis. Lalh.yrus protensts- Leucanthemum x superbum, L. vulgare, Linum calharticum, Lolium perenne- Lontcera periclvmenum. Luzula campestris. Lvsimachia nummularia, 1,.punctala. Meconopsis canhrica. illelilotus allis.simus. \lelis.so ulfcmaln. ]ly<tsolis an,ensis. lf. discolor. I,[. s.vlvalica. Narcr.r'ws pseudonarcissus. Oenolhera gluiovmna, Papm,er somniJbmm. Persicaria maculosa, Phleum pralense. Pilosella ofticinalis- I'lanlago lanceololo. l'. ma1or. I)oa annuo. l'. nemoralis. l'- trivialis. Potentilla anserina. P.Jiuticosa. P. replons. I'rimula vulgaris. I)mnella vulgaris- I'runus avium. Quercus robur. Ranunculus acris. R../icaria. R. repens. Il. trichoph-vllu.s. Ropishltm nrgosilz subsp. ntgosum- lleseda luteola. Rheum x h.vbridum" Ribes sangtineum. R. uva-crispa, Iloso glauca. Rubus armeniacu.s. Il. caesrus, If. calvatus- 11.dawphyllus. ]1. idaeus. R. laciniatus. Il. lindleianus- R. tubercvlolus- R. ulni.fitlrus. Rumex crtngl<nrerolus. ll- crh-pu,t, ll. ohlusi/blius, Sagina apelola, S. procumbens. Saln ocutiJblia- S. aurila x S. caprea. ,\. aunla x S. cinereq stbsp. oleifolia, S- caprea, S. capreo x ,\. <:inereo slbsp. olerlitlio, ,\. r'rnereo subsp. c/rs,?a" S. cinereo subsp. olei/blia. S. t'iminali,s, S. yiminalis x S. ourita x S. caprea- S. vrminalrs x S. cinereo x S. aurita, Sombucus nryra. Saponalia olJicinals. SaxrJiaga cymbalana. ,\. h.vpnoides- S..spalhulori:- x ,\. umbrosa. ,\choenoplaclus lacu,tlris. ,\crophularia auriculala, ,\. nodosa, Sedum alhum. S. spurtwn, Senecio Jacobaea. Senetto squaldus. S. vulgaris. Silene dioica- Sisymhrium olfcinale. Solanum thtl<nmoro. ,\onchus osper. ,\. oleraceus. Sloch.ts s.yltotica. Stelldria nrcdta. ,\telldrio pallida, Sytnphytum x uplandiatm. S.vringo vulgaris-'laraxacutn spp..7'eilcriun scorodonia.'lolmiea menziesii. TriJblium campestre. 'l 'l 'l '[ypho tlubrunt. . pral<'n.se. . rcp?ns.'lorilrs laponrctt. 7riplt:urosp<,nnum intxlumn- Tulipa sp..'l ussilagofar;/itro, ongustilbliq.'!. luti.lolro. L.rtKo dioica- l'erbascun phl<nnides- I.lhopsus. l'(roniut qn'ensis. l'chamaedrys. t . ol/idtloli.t. l'. perstut- I' .;erpvllr/blio. I iburnun opulus- l icia hirsuld. l'..ra//yd s.1..I. .tdtld subsp.nigra, L'iola EDITIlHESSE'LGREAVES:28Wood1andsDrlve.GJoby]LElCE'ST!'RI-b60 THE SPREADOF I]RA('HYPODIUM PINNATUM IN WALES Rruch.ypothum pinnutum has beenrecognisedas havingthe potentialto becomean aggressivelyinvasivespeciessincethe 1950s(NatureConservancy AnnualReport,1955)whenit was foundto be spreadingover ungrazedareasof the chalk downlands.If uncheckedthis grasscan rapidlybecome dominant,typically spreadingoutwardsin enlargingclumpsto form a densemat with growth of up to lm high (Junghanns, 1988),studiesin Hollandhaveshownthat it can eventuallyrepresent80% or more of the abovegroundbiomass(Bobbink& Willems,1987).In the latterstudy,increasing dominanceof B. pin,olum was shownto be stronglycorrelatedwith a rcductionin speciesdiversityand that species numbercouldbe reducedby morethan50% withina f-ewyears. TodayB. ptilnotumrepresents problemofcalcareousgrassland a Inajormanagement throughout westernEurope (Ratcliffe, 1984, Bobbink & Willems, 1987, l99l; Junghanns,1988) especially wheretherehas beena declinein tradrtionalgrazingmanagement. Many of thesegrasslands, which are amongthe most species-richcommunitiesin westernEurope and supporta large numberof rare andendangered species(Rodwell,I992) arenow underthreatfiom the increasing dominance ofths species. Furthermore, accordingto Bobbink& Willems(1987)manymanagement regimes,including IJ Rccordcrsand Rccording mowing in autumn.burning and sheepgrazinghave not preventedinlbstaticrnThey also.suggested that the depositionof atmosphericniirogenmay be furtherenhancingits abilityto dominatethese However,on a n)oreoplinristicnoteBobbink& Willems(1991)haverecentoligotrophicgrasslands. ly indicited ihat it may be possibleto reducethe dominanceof this speciesby cutting it back in mid-summer. To datetheredoesnot appearto be any evidenceof B. pinildlumbecontinga.problemon inland in Wajesand it may still be a relativelyuncommonspeciesin Wales.Ellis calcicolousgrasslands in thirteenlOkn squares(Fig._i, page27). However. (1983),for example,only recordedits presence on certainbase-richdunesystems ii hasrecentlycometo light that the specieshasbecomeestablisbed in Walesand-thatthereaie now large'standsoccurringwithin the forestedareasof PembreyBurrows. Carmarthenshire(v.c. 44), and Newborough Warren, Anglesey(v.c. 52) and the open dune gras(v.c. 45). In fact,concernsover the threatto the nature slandsat StackooleWarrenin Pembrokeshire vilue of the latler two siteshaspromptedactionto eradicatethe speciesfrom these conservation areas.At StackpoleWarrenattemptshavealreadybeenmadeto eliminatethe speciesby handdigging (pers comm.R. Haycock; At the Newboandthe applicaiionof the herbicideGlyphosate'Roundup' rough sitf it is proposedto artemptfo eradicateB. piinatum also usingweed wipe application.of' Glfrhosare(peri cbmm.J Ratclitfe)Table I (page27) showswhenB. pinna|umwasfirst recorded at the three Welsh sand dune sites and the estimatedareasof infestationprior to any eradication programme. ^ -lt is of interesrthat the coastaldune systemsin Walesratherthan inlandlimestonegrasslands have beeninvadedby R. pinnotum since,as yet, it doesnot appearto be to be a problenron coastal is that it-mayhavebeenintrodunesystemsin England(pers.comm.Dr G. Radley)One suggestion duced'to the forestid areasduring hydro-seedingoperationsto stabilisethe forest trackways.The sanddunesin Walesalsotendto be morebase-richthanthosein England.l{owever,the community compositionof the Welsh dune communitiesdiffer significantlyf'rom the more typical R. pir.t.ntum (Rodwell,l9q?) which so describedin the NationalVegctationClassification dominatedgrasslands far, in Walei appearto haveonly beendescribedai occurringon thc Limestoneclifls ol Stackpole Warren (Coop6r, te8al lhe differencein the dune B. putnalum communitiesis partly explainedby ofa woodlandclementat two ofthe sites the Dresence ofa sandduneelementand alsothe presence (see Table2, page28) but in additiorr,at Newborough, there is the addedcomplication.that I). piwnlum appearsto be closely associatedwith a number of calcifugoustaxa such as ('alluna wigaris andlbb,tichum sp. lts piescncewith thesespecicsand the fact that.it appearsto be thriving in that it seemsto be extending in the semi-shade of woodlandridesin Walesis slightlydisconcerting beyondits normalecologicalrange.However,it is hopedthat the prompt actionto elintinatethese do'minantstandsof R. pinnalum in Waleswill preventthe speciesspreadinginto other semi-natural in the Princioalitv. calcicolous communities References pltuuniln 1L ) Beauv. dominance o| Brachyptilrum Bobbink,R. andWillems,J H ( 1987).lncreasing 14. lliohrytcal('on.\endltotl40.3l-1 inchalkgrasslands.athreattoaspecies-richecosystem. of Bobbink,R. ind Willems,J H (199lj Impactof dilferentialcuttingregimeson the perfbrmance Riologic<il('on.sen'ation56. l-2 | Rrachypodiumpinnalum in Dutch chalk grasslands. Brown.N H. and Roberts.R.tl (19s2) PlantRecordsllat.sonrul9(2| 2. E A (1988) L'egetatunmap.srll the lJriti:h seacltlls ond t'lilf ttrys. 5 Stockpgle,l'eyCooper, 'hrokeshire; BullslaughterRct.)'to lJant/utrdleRuy. Naturc ConservancvCouncil and University (unpublished report) of l,ancaster. Davis-T W. (1969).FieldNotesNolurctrtlValesll(3\ l1 in the S.l'..i{cgrrlr English pinnatumm(mo4em(:nt D (1988) Ilct'tet rf Brachvpodium Junghanns, NaturelSouth-EastRegionl 16(3) 213 Kay, Q O.N (19'79a).FieldNotes Nuturein Wale.s Kay, Q O.N (i979b) PlantRecordsllut.sonral2(1) 363 (1955) Ik'portJbr lhe]'ear etuled30 Septemher 195i HN'ISOLondon NaiureConservancy Ratcliffe,D.A. (1984) Post-medieval and recentchangesin British vegetation.the culminationol 98 7l- 100 humaninfluence.Nev'Ph.y'toktgr.t/ .t)mmutlilt!.r. and morrlttrtc Rodwell,J.S.(1992) Rritr.shI'lunt ('omnuvlia.\, I.iiluma-l ()nt.;sluncls Press CambridgeUniversity 'Ncvhr<nrgh Surva.t'Forestrv('ommissionlunpublished !'<re:t L:egetation Ct I toS-t1 Studhotme, report) /o Rmorders and Rccording D ct'ibfrtior ot Btdch\pndtum .I'ABLE ptFnarun rn Wale. I Ihe lirst records cll'Bruth.1'yxnliumptntutum and its presenl extent at the three sand dune sites in W a l c s w h c r c r c l a t i l c l v c x l c n s i v cs t a n d so c o u r Sitc Nt u hororrgh\\'rrrrcrr S t r r u L p o l\c, \ ' . rrre r r Pcnlbrc\ ( ountn Prrk l'irst rccords ol I). pinnotum 'lbtal l ( ) X l ( S l r t d l l o l n t c| ( ) x t . llr0\\ n & Rohcrls l 9 9 t ) cstimatcd arca (ha) ()+ I')(,')l 05 l 9 ? l ( K a \ . l 1 ) 1 9 rb. ) 0tl l ' ) ( ' l lt l ) i t \ i \ Numher ol maior stands 21 'l Recordcrs and Rccording Associates Agrostiscaruna Ammophila arenaria Anthylliswlneraria Anthoxanthumodoratum Arrhenathenrmelatius Bellispcrcmis Behrlapendula Brach)'podiumsylvalicum Bri;zamedia Bromuserectus Bromusmollis Callunavulgaris Chamerionangustifolium Carexarenaria Carexflacca Cerastiumfontanum Ccnlaureanigra Cenlaureascabiosa Cirsiumarvensc Cirsiumvulgare Clematisvitalba Conopodiummajus Cotoneastersimonsii ? Cratacgusmonog.vna Crepissp. cristatus Cynosurus Cltisus scopanus Dact-vlisglomcrata Dryoptens spp Epipactishelleborine Equisetumpalustris Erodium cicutarium Eupatoriumcamabinum Euphorbiaportlandrca Festucaspp Galiumaparine Calium vcrum Geraniummollc Geraniumrobertianum Hederahelix Heracleumsphondylium Hieraciumspp Holcuslanatus Homalotheciumlutescens Hyacinthoidcsnon-scripta H)p€ricumpulchrum H)'pochocrisradicata Hippophaerhamnoides lns foetidissima Lcucanthemum vulgarc s P * * + * Assftiates Liguslrum \ulgarc Linaria vulgaris Lithospcrmum ollicinale lnlium percnne Lonicera periclymenum Lotus comiculalos Ononis repcns Ocnothera sp. Pcltigera sp. Pinus ntgra Pinus radicata Pinus sllvestris Plantago lanceolata Poa pratensrs PolJtrichum sp. Primula \rolgaris Pnrnella wlgaris Prunus sprnom Pseudosclcrapodium purum S fteridium aquilinum * * * * * + * * * * * * * Quercus sp. (sapling) Ranunculus bulttosus Ranunculus rcpens Rh1'tidiadclphus squanosus Rhl.tidiadelphus triquetrus Rosa canina agg Rosa pirnpinellifolia Rubus fruticosus agg Rubus caestus Rumex acetosa Salix rcpcns Sanguisorba minor Scnccio jacobaea Solanum dulcamara Sonchus oleracca Stachl-sofficinalis Taraxacum sp. Tcucrium scorodonia Thuidium tamarisclnun Thvmus praccox Tortula ruraliformis Tnfolium campestrc Tnfolium dubium Trifolium rcptars Ulcx europacus Unica dioica Vicia satila Viola canina Viola tricolor TABLE 2 PETER M. RHIND, CoastalEcologist,CountrysideCouncilfor Wales,Plas Penrhos,Ffbrdd Penrhos,BANGO& GwyneddLL57 zLQ 28 Recorders and Recording STINGING NETTLE II - MIDWINTER GROWTH The StingingNettle ({,/rlrcadioica) is the most widely recordedplant in the new WiltshireFlora, and is the most abundantfarm weed. lt is also the most frequentlyprevalentriversidespeciesfor the Rivers Ebble,Upper (W. Wilts.; Avon and tributaries,Upper Kennet,and many(or most?)other Wiltshirerivers. Frost in Decemberhalts vertical growth of nettle and brownsthe leaves- but horizontal growth of stemswhich root at the nodes con-tinues at the expenseof surroundingvegetation.This G most obvious under carpetingput around young trees in December(to protect them from weedsin the following spring).Buries residualnettle rhizomesconvertin Januaryand Februaryto surface-rooting pink or creamstolons,growing from nothingto l0-40cmseithermid-Dec.to mid-Jan.,or mid-Jan.to mid-Feb.In uncoveredgrassland, this processis lessobvious.only 2-lOcmsper monthin mid-winter. However,understonesand insulatingdebrisofany sort,5-30cmsper wintermonthcanoccur. The creamy-pinkwinter stolonsnot only give the nettle a head-startfor next spring, but they usually divide into numerousshooting branches.Other weeds such as Broad-leavedDock (Rumex obtusifolius)only have one shoot, and, CreepingTtrstle (Cirsium arvense)may put up 2 or 3 fiom the undergroundrhizomes.However a buried segmentofnettle rhizomecan put up 4 to 20 shootsall round the edgesof a 30 x 30cm obstructingflat stoneby late February,readyto form the monopolostic clump of densevertical stemswhich occludeall other competingvegetationby mid-summer. Vertical stemsbent over to ground level can also (in any season)give rise to axillary creamy-pink surface-rootingstemswith multiple new verticalshootsfollowing. Do anv other olantsconvert resourcesfrom rhizomes(or other stems)to surface-rootingstolons in the winter months? fsw:ffi ' I r , .+ , . i ." ! - "1 l,sl Rootingstolons ofnettle,photoO J.Oliver,Feb 1993 JACKOLMR. HighView RhVfsLane,LOCKERIDGE, MarlborouehWlltsSN84ED I,EMNA MINUTA III - MONOCTILTURES Two adiacent ponds, A & B. were partiallv cleared out in 1990 ['ond A was covered by Lemnamtnula,Bby L. mnor. but after clearanceA became thel.. mrn<trpond and Bthe L. minuta one. Despite frcquent mixings. neither specicswill survive in the other's pond. 29 Recordersand Rccording Lemna minuta is spreadingrapidly in Wiltshire, coexistingin the rivers (Thames,Kennet,both Avons) with L. minor - but in enclosedor stagnantwatersand in long stretchesof the Kennetand Avon Canal,there are onl)' vast densesurfacemonocultures.Wherethe water is sluggish,only one of these 2 vigorous speciessurvives.This all implies chemicalinhibition by one speciesof the other, tlvithL. minutagettingthe edgebecause The sameconsiderations apply ofits greaterllost-resistance. to Elodea nuttallii appearingto 'drive out' 1,.canadensls(againincreasedfrost resistance,and dense underwatermonocultures). If there are indeed subtle biochemicalinhibitors. these would seemfar. far more effectivein weed-control than broad-spectrumherbicides,skimming, cutting, and all other artificial controls together. JACK OLIVE& High View, RhylsLane,LOCKERIDGE, Marlborough,Wilts SN8 4ED I.EMNA MINUTA IV. GREEN ROOTS Do (many)speciesoutsidethe Lemnaceaehavegreenroots?Underthe (dissecting)microscope,both Lemna mimtla andL. minor roots seemto be greenas a consequence of?chloroplastsin the cortex and epidermis.Thereare often smallepiphyticfi]amentousalgaeon both thalli and'roots,but thesedo not account for the greenness.Serried ranks of active L''orticelletwere seenon all the L. mimtta (pond) roots. Might this indicate symbiotic association;oxygenatingrootlets in stagnantanoxic water, with Ihe krticella moppingup noxiousbacteriaand debris? JACK OLIVER, High View, RhylsLane,LOCKERIDGE.Marlborough,Wilts SN8 4ED BEE ORCHIDS AT LANDBEACH The correspondencein B.SR1News 62. 32, about the occurrenceof Bee Orchids (()phrys aptferu) nearEly, took me backmorethan40 yearsto thatvicinitywhen,as a child,I listedplantsin a square kilometre around The School House, Landbeach(TL1476.652).On one occasionI came across2 spikesofBee Orchid.As far as I know it had not beenseenin Landbeach before,and I neversawit again.Although ill-equippedfor close-upphotographyat that time, I did the best I could, and rather clumsilytinted the result. [The photographis perlectly adequatefor identificationpurposesand the tintingis by no meansclumsy!Ed.l In the samekilometre squarethere was a field generouslypepperedwith Green-wingedOrchid (Orchis morio\. I wonder if this is still found there and if anyonehas subsequentlyfound the Bee Orchid at Landbeach? HILARY ROSE, l6 KilfieldRoad,Bishopston, SWANSEASA3 3DL HENBANEON SET-ASIDI] 'fhere has been considerablc correspondencein thc past on thc gcrmination of long-buried seed including Henbane (Hyoscyamus ntger). I have just observed a ficld full of it; a population of several hundred Dlants.this time on a set-asidearea on a larm on Salisburv olain. l'hc larmer was aware of this and s-aidit trad occurred lrom time to time in the past. I suggest-ed lo hinr that it would be unwise ro graze the field now, although the unplcasant smcll would probably bc a dcterrent Now it has the conditions to grow undisturbed, it has flourished in abundancc, prcsumably lionr a dormant secd reservoir One can only guess at its origin, thcrc has bcen no ancient monaslcry on thc site but maybe it was grown for herbal properties or sorcery by a witch in times past! tsARBARA l.AST, 'l-he StablesB , e r w i c k S t J a m c s ,S A l . l S I l t J R Y S P I 4 f N l0 Rccordcrsand Rccording / Notcs and Articlcs THE SEARCH FOR W.P. HIERN'S SORBUS DEVONIENSIS RECORDS 1864-1922 Hiern's recordsand herbariumsheetsare now lodged at Exeter'sRoyal Memorial Museum.The list containssome 56 records of Sorbu.sdewnierr.r'i.r' which was then known as I'1'rus lalifolia'Devon Form',of which 39 wereusable;the remainderhad to be lumpedtogetheras the localitiescouldnot easilybe separated. Twenty-foursiteswere searched in the 1992seasonand in I 7 the Jorr5rrs wasfound at or near the recordedlocality.The remaining7 siteswill be visitedagainin 1993. On the tetrad distributionmap producedtbr the speciesby Dr M.C.fr. Proctorin June 1992, Hiernrecordsconfirm6'dots'andorovide5 additionalones. My unfunded'work'of 199l, and my WarburgMemorialfundingof 1992,has also addeda further 7 dots to the mao with one more awaitingconfirmation. Only oneofthe landowners I havespokento wasawarethat theyhad something differentandof unusualinterestgrowingon their land. DAVID C G CANN Halburv.MorchardRoad.UOPPLESTONE. Devon [The abovenote wassentby Davidwith manythanksfor hisgrantfiom the WarburgMemorialFund. Edt NOTESAND ARTICLES THE T]NIVERSITY O F E X E T E RH E R B A R I U M : C H A N G E SA T L I V E R P O O LM T ] S E T I M Thecollections liom theherbarium of floweringplantsandt-erns of the University of L,xeter(EXR) havebeenacquired by theNational Museums andGalleries andarenowbeingkeptin on Merseyside (l-lV).TheW. KebleMartinHerbarium, theherbarium of theLiverpool Museum whichwasformerly kept at EXR, has been transferred to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter (RAMM) The newly acquired collections total some 25.000 sheets. Their removal to Liverpool brings about roughly a l5ozoincrease in the size ofthe British Herbarium and a slightly smaller percentage increasein the size ofthe Eurooean Herbarium The latter will continue to be arransed accordine to l;lora l,uropaeu, but the British Herbarium is bein-erearrangedin Cronquist family o'rder, in line iith Stace'sFlora and Kent's checklist Nonnally such a major rearrangement and merger would cause considerable upheaval, so to improve access and avoid overcrowding of specimensa new set of herbarium cabinets is being acquired to rehouse nruch of the British Herbarium We hope that these cabinetswill be installed in the autumn of 1993. and that work on preparing new folders will be completed by the end ofthe financial year(March 1994) JOHN EDMONDSON, Liverpoof Museum William Brown Street, I,IVERPOOL LJ {lEN , \ G T I I D ET O F I E L D 1 ! I E E T I N G S H I P It, Iike me, you attcnd Field Meetings. know nothing and. when you lcarn something. very quickly lorget it. 1'ou bccome discouraged It is. altel all. unfbrtunate if you have. during the day, pointed three times to the same species onlv to be told that it is still a f)andelion. I his is a guide with hints and tips to maintain vour morale and self-respcct Notesand Articles The first golden rule is to assumeyour Leader knows everything.He probablyand, relativeto you certainly,does.If he insistsupon callingan applea pearthen a pear it jolly weil is. Never argue with your leader. Flatter him or her to the 6est of your iimited abiliti The Ldder is always;ghti tf you_takethis attitude as basicthe Leader will almostcertainlynot exposeyour enormous-ignorance to the restofthe partv. Having solved the problem of the Leader you may now turn your attention to the rest of the party It is no good trying.to impressall of them especiallyas most of them will know a good deal more than you. You must identifl, one who is evenmore ignorant,a total ignoramus,a beginnerwho like you do_esn't know a Dandelionfrom a Daisy. Look carefullyaroundthi party at the 6cial stage when_youfirst meet.Avoid anyonecarrying Stace,Rose,Jermy,Hubbardor'crw, especiallyif w6ll lhu1nbqq Ilome in.on anyonewith an absolutelynew copy of Dolly,s Book of Charmiig F'loiers.for Little Children or, bestof all, no book at all. Even so, beware,for someexpertscontainln their memory the entire I'-lora Europaea and probablyFlora Asiatica, AmeriL'ana'andAuslraliensis aswell Avoid anyonefrom the Wild Flower Societywho are frightfully keen, Iike earnestjoggers, learnfast and shouldbe askedwhether they have seenI'ykn rcpens.a saprophyticplant, giey, glabrousstem to 70 metres sometimesacuminate,rooting at the nodes,wittr prirmineniauricles,long filaments, apetallous,with no leaves;parasiticon Generator. Pick your mark, ask a few searching{uestionsto conlirm a greaterignorancethan you, then proceed. _ Make iiiends with your mark, distract and leavethem at the tail of the party, then hurry to the Leaderatthefrontwhichhasjust'discovered'anotherspecies Listencarefullv Writethenameofthe species. in your notebook.Look up the species in your CTW FieldCuide,a smallprofoundbook with a good weight lo impressivenesi ratio, gathera coupleof essentialpoints,kneel down and start examr^rung the weed with your lens.This not only impressesthe departingexpert front of the party but, if cgrrectlytimed.meansyour markfindsyouin an expertpositionandouf of expertearshoi. 'Whathave we here?",you are asked.Although musicto-the ear, keep readingyour CTW with one finger firmly touchingthe.specimenso that you do not make a mistakb.After-a pause,you may tu\" lny one of a numberof lines. Quite a good one is. "Well, it keys out ro Taraxaium oficinalei' I1 is mportant at this moment 1o guesswhetheryour mark is goin! to ask the Englishnime and if they are tell them beforethey do becauseit scoresyou an extrideux points in avoidingtheir embarrassment_and increasing their liking and respect.You then follow up with a quick'sen,su lato', and remark that of coursemost British forms are apomictic(havingjusf read this'on page 411 of your CTW) Neither of you of courseknows what this meansand thi'fact that CTW saysit means'Auits ripeningindependentlyoffertilisation'does not add to your wisdom one whit, but, by God, it sounds goos. You will by now have establishedquite an impressiveposition and it is essentialnot to lose ground.Hurry away.liomyourmark beforetheyaskvou anoiherquestionAny questionNever.lor example.put yourself in the position of being asked,at random for heaven'siake, 'what is this' for you will demonstrateonly that there are at leasttwo speciesyou don't know. If trapped,say it is a difficult genus.Blame Staceand shift subjectto Carex, Poaceaior Rumex- "Isnt it shockincihe *au pulcheri;.being pushedout by hybrid in-Surrey,but I supposethat is typical hybrid vigour;. (Usefiil phraseslike this can be gleanedby overhearingLeadei ialking to eipen ani shouli be carefully noted).Talk aboutnon-botanical subjects.Ifasked,'Isnt that WaterChickweed?", do not reply.Turn up.Water-Chickweedin your CTW and say "Oh' Myo.vnn oquatkum. with its distincliveblue anthers.Of course.I'm so badwith Englishnames.theiare so numerousandit ail dependson where you are in the.country..Souselesswhen you are abroadtoo. I prefer the scientificnameswhich you can use.anywherein the world " This gains severalpoints and strongly suggeststhat you tr;vel abroadbotanicallyand are more fbmiliar with the flora of Outer Mongolia I1'quoteda L-atinname, 'form; you play it the other way round. Otherdefensivemeasures includean adiective -belowplusthe word e g 'sylvan'(not to be usedin opendownland),'montane'(not to used i,000 feet),'aquatic' (not to be.usedon dry land),-'umbral'(notto be usedin bright sunlight)and'depauperaie'(can be u.sedanyrurhere)It is also useful to be a 'loveablelumper'ratherthan a 'schizopkeniciplitter'. Above all trytomaintain credibilitythrough pseudoexpertise A knowledgeof Latin is invaluableand if you 99n ald Greek you are home and away. It is a tough life trying to demonstrateexpertiseon a Field Meetingbut alwaysbearin mindthe old Latinmotto "Nil despeiandum. - don'tlet non carborundum" tirebastards grindyou down [toadflaxes or cabbagest Ed.] JOHN TOPP.20 LupusStreet.I-ONDON SWI tt Notcs and Aniclcs BSBI MEMBERS IN NORTH AND SOT]THCYPRI.,IS Dr Deryck Viney, who is part{ime residentin Cyprus and author of Lndemic lltild Plants of North ('yprushassetup an herbariumat Alevkaya.He is pleased to welcomevisitors,andwasableto assist a group - someof them BSBI membersand led by Tony Kemp - on a Cox and Kings botanicalholiday to North Cyprus in March this year. Their particularlyexciting record was a first sighting in North Cyprus of Orchis papilionacea L the Pink Butterfly Orchid. DesmondMeikle in F-loraof ('yprus 1985givesthis as'veryrare'and 'foundonly oncein Cyprus'(1960,in SouthernCyprus)'and may no longer grow there.' (Paul Davies also regardedits occurrenceon Cyprus as 'suspect'- pers. comm.). 1993was an exceptionallygood year for (). papilionacea, andon nearbyCreteit was particularly abundantin March 1993- possiblypartly dueto the late seasonandgood winter rains. Dr Yiannis Christofides,mentionedin BSBI 1y'eyr59: 14 Going to Cypnts, is now a BSBI memberwho is alsopleasedto welcomevisiting BSBI membersin SouthernCyprus,and he canoffer accommodation too. 'l'his note in BSBI News59 lists altemativefield guidesand flower books for Cyprus- theseare helpful, but the rare opportunity to have a completeFloro specificto the islandof the visit, for me far outweighsthe smalleffort in transportingthel;lora of(lyprus for a botanicalvisit there- but both Dr Viney and Dr Christofideshavel;lora of (ypru.s availablefor reference. ENGLISH NAMES OF WILD FLOWERS - A REpLy (r) 'Ihe article by MessrsJury, Oswald and Perring concerningL,nglishNamesof l'ltild I''lowersin the last issueof BSIil News(63, April 1993,p. 43) cannotpassunchallenged. As joint authorsof the (lhecklisl of the I'lanls of Perlhshire.which we have good reasonto believewas one of the three urnamedrecent publicationsdismissedin that article as havingtaken 'little, if any, notice of English Names',we havea numberof pointsto make. I:nglish Namesof lltikl lilov'ers (EhWr) developeda binomialsystemof Englishnames.To fit this system,trinomials and higher nomials had to be hyphenatedin a complicated,often illogical manner,as is evidentif one readsI|NIIF's introductione.g. pp 4-7 of the lst editionof 1974.The effectsof this hyphenationare well demonstratedin the exampleusedin the recentarticle - Common Bird's-foot+refoil. Lookingfor this in an Englishnameindexunder'trefoil',whichis wherewe expect most sensibleunsuspectingbotanists,let alone generalreaders,would seek it, one finds that the authorsof F.NI|4''havehad to includean additionalindex entryto avoid disappointment:Trefoil seealsounderBird's-foot-trefoil while usersofStace'sNev, I"loro of the British Isles aredirectedonly to lrifolium spp. and not at all to /,01rl.rspp. Fromthe authors'comments aboutthe threerecentlocalFlorastheyconsultedasbeingtwo from Scotlandand one from Ireland,your readersmight be excusedifthey had concludedthat it is only a lunaticCelticfringethat disregards liNI(I;'s recommendations. We havejust consulteda numberof the BSBI's own Handbook seriesand find that those on Sedges.Ilmbelhfers. Willcl's and Poplars, and('ructfers all to a greateror lesserextent rejectthe hyphenatedforms, as doesJermyand Camus' recentFern field guide.Only the l)ocks and Knolwee.Ls handbookappearsto conform. The unwelcometruth lor the authorsof IiNWr is that the hyphenatedEnglishforms are seenas unaestheticand unsatisfactoryby a signilicantnumber(majority?)ofbotanists. We cannotrecallthat the omissionofhyphensin the Perthshire Checklistwasa causeofmajor debateamongstits authors: we used'CommonBirdsfootTrefoil'. Apart from this matter of hyphenationthe PerthshireChecklist took care to use the recommendedEnglish namesfor the great majority of species.A count of the first 100 Checklistspecies commonto LNlll"s list shows that 72 are identical,23 are identicalexcept for hyphenationand 5 differ otherwise. Manv of the differencesare extra or alternativeScottishnameswhich liNWIr for t-) Notcs and Aniclcs reasonsdoesnot wish to list. Ifany readersofthe Perthshire ofits understandable Checklist,because lack of hyphenation,considerthemselvesmisledby its statedclaim to havefollowed l'.NI'14'',thenwe apologiseto them.But mosl, we hope,wouldjoin us in totally rejectingMessrsJury, Oswaldand Perring'scriticism abot ignoringLNWI' Finallywe take issuewith their beliefthat their binomialsystemis eren morepertineillnow that I.lora-writing is computerised(our italics).A personwishing,for example,to mergeor processautomaticallytwo computerisedlists, one list perhapswith 'authentic'forms as CommonBird's-foottrefoil or its rearrangement. Bird's-foot-treibil,Commonandthe other list with maybediff-erentforms as CommonBirdsfootTrefoil or CommonBird's-fbotT'refoilor their rearrangements. could readily get most word-processors,spreadsheets or other programminglanguagesto - l) rearrangenames with commas,2) strip all apostrophes,hyphensand spacesand 3) changecapitalsto lower case- so that all the above forms gave commonbirdsfoottreloil.After the necessarycomparisonsand processingthe Englishnamescan be reconstituted to whateverform desired.Providedauthorsusenanres with lettering identicalto LNW.'s, such a procedureis more foolproof than one relying on correct hyphenationin both lists. A tbw minor problems(suchas St or Saintfor St John'sWorts) remain.So computers,far from saddlingus still more, provide the meansto liberateus from the proverbialhyphenationcameldesigned by this committee. We hopetheseviewscomein time to influence IiNWFs Jrd revision. R E T H O M A S , R . A H S M I T H , N F S T E W A R T a n d N WT A Y L O R , OrchilHouse.nr BRACO.Perthshire FK l5 gLF ENGLISH NAMES OF WILD FLOWERS - A REPLT'(2) As one of the authorscriticisedin BSBI Nev,r 63 tbr not conformingin my recent flora to litrglish Namesof llild l;lowers, could I explainmy reasons.I did sometimesprefer the namesin this listing to thosein CTW/CTM, for exampleI use'Smith'sPopperwort'(not'Smith'sCress')and'LargeBittercress'(not 'LargerBitter-cress'), both but it seemsto me thatfor a localflora thereareshortcomings in the actualnanlesrecommended andin usingonly a singleEnglishname. Firstly a local flora shouldbe a sourceoffacts aboutthe plantsand it is importantto recordwhat localscall plants.It is silly if peoplehave a namefor a planl, or have seena namein print, fbr examplein poetryor the larmingpapers,and this nanreisn'tthereto help thenrin the Flom. Indeed this sentimentis supportedin the pretbceto LNll/L'... wisely insistedthat the Englishnamesof in a country,like weedsshouldbe thoseknown to farmers'.Why then shouldnarnesuseduniversally GeanandBlaeberry,be omitted? SecondlyI fbel that Englishnamescoinedrecenllyby botanistsare iess sacrosanct than real namesusedby peoplein general.lf coinedniunesare used(shownin parenthcsis in CTW t952 and 1962),then they shouldbe helpfulto readers.I thereforetendedto avoid'Common'whenthis isn't true in NE Scotland(e.g.Comfrey) lhirdly the binomialsystemis too restrictiveEvenin ENll'l: it is not fully applied.manysingle namesbeingretained.andornithologists and fbreignbotanistshavenot movedoverto this systemin their naming.LogicallyI cannotseewhy trinomialsareruledout. callingcommonplantslike ('erurstium spp.by a namenot usedin the district(Mouse-ear)to avoid a trinomialseemsabsurd.And (Marsh-nrarigold alteringthe form to parallelthe scientillcclassification versusCorn Marigold)when thereis no grammatical or pronunciation reasonis alsoundesirable I am surethatconservalion is hinderedifit appearsto be beingrun bv outsidersforgetfuiofiocal people'sneeds,and too often this impression hasbeengivenin Scotland.Easeof indexingis desirable,but moreimportantis not alienating farmers,landowners andcountryside users. I hope I do not seemperverse.I feel the Working Party were given a dilicult task and that if their nameswere intendedto be mandatoryratherthan recomnrended then wider consultation was required.But this takcstime.timethat wouldprobablybe betterspentstudyingthe flora. DAVID WELCH. EastFernbank,WoodsideRoad,BAN('I{ORY. Kincardineshire AB3 I 3XL l4 Notcs and Anicles ENGLISH NAMES OF WILD FLOWERS - A REPLY (3) The authorsof the proposednew edition of the BSBI's English Namesof llild lilowers havepointed out that three recent checklistsand floras have 'taken little, if any, notice of English Nenes' (BSBI Ncv,s 63, pp. 43-44). It seemslikely that authorsare ignoringlinglish Nzynesbecauseit doesn'tprovide themwith whatthey want. [fso, revisionofthe book to suit the needsofthe usersis likelyto be much more effectivein encouragingits usethan any amountofexhortation in News. I can't speak for the authors of floras, but I can explain why I have always disbkedEnglish Nomes.I must admit to an initial uneaseabout the whole conceDtofa standardset ofnames. Scientific namesprovidean international standard.The wonderfulthingaboutEnglishnamesis their sheer variety. I didn't welcomethe idea of being told which Englishnameto usell'm surethat a book of Englishnamesmight havewon me over to the conceptof a standardnamelor usein floras.However, the current one doesn't!| think'Ihere's that it was an error to havea binomialsystemwith Englishgeneric, subgeneric and specificnames. absolutely no necessity for this.The only needis for oneEnglish nameto be unambiguouslylinked to one scientificname.No harm would be done if Epiktbium 'Codlins hirsulum was and Cream'andIi. pahstre'Marsh Willow-herb'.In any event,the exceptions to Englishgeneraare numerous:'Oxlip', 'Cowslip'and 'Primrose'in Primula, for example,and even within a speciesthe yellow-flowered variant of ('arpobrolus edulis is'Hottentorfig' whereasthe purple-flowered planti are'Sally-my-handsome' (intermediates would appearto lacka name). The worst featureof Istglish Names- the plethoraof hyphens- derivesfrom the binomialsystem. This featureofthe book seemsto attract almostuniversaldisapproval.lt can'tbe a coincidence that the namecited by the authorsof l,nglish Namesas ignoredin all three floras/checklists, Common Bird's-fbot-trefoil, has an apostropheand two hyphenswhereasnone of the nameswhich were actuallyusedin thesebooks requireso much punctuation.I'he binomialsystemhas also perpetuated the literal translation of specific epithets or former epithets, which results in such horrors as 'Alternate-leavedGolden-saxifraee'. 'Various-leavedPondweed'and 'Six-stamened Waterwort'.What contrast a theseareto the wond;rful namescoinedfor plantsby J.R.R.Tolkeinin l.onl of the Rings. I often think it's a pity that the tirst edition of linghsh Names wasn'twritten by Dony, Perring and Tolkeinl Finally.one trivial but annoyingfeatureof the binomialsystemis the abbreviation of the Englishgenus,resulting in theuglylistscontaining'Least B.'or'Bog P.'. I shall reluctantlycontinueto useEnglish Namesas I am expectedto do so by bodiessuchas ITE andJNCC.If I had the freedomof mostflora writersI would not usethe officialnames.I hooe that before they prepareed. 3 the authorswill canvassthe opinion of potentialusers,and revisethe book accordingly.Let's find out why authorsdon't use linglish Names,thentry to devisesomething which we are all at leastreasonablyhappyto use. C D PRB-S I ON l1'E,Monks Wood AbbotsRipton.HLINTINGDON,Cambndeelhire I 7 zLS, :E MORT] OROBANCHE RAISED F'ROM SEED ln the December1992issueol'RSRIA'er.l's purpurea I reponedgrowingand floweringOrobanche Jacq.liom secdin a seedtray. Followingthe flower spikeproductionthe host,Achilleamille;folium lookedpaleand not very vigorousso I pottedthe wholetray of(). purpilrect,Achilleaand compost into a largerseedtray r'"ithadditionalChcmpakpottingcompostandkeptthe tray outside. f he O. purpurea set seedwhich was han'estedand sown at intervalsonto new Achillea in seed traysoutsideandintoplotsofgrasslandwith.4cfullea Onetrayhasalreadyproducedan()robanche flower spikefrom seedsown at the end ofAugust last year.Additionally,someseedfrom the original floweringhassell'sowninto a nearbyAthillea plantandflowered. 'Ihis year, 1991,thereare lJ flower spikesoft,r. purpureein the repottedtray. Ihey are not as vigorousasfastyears7 spikesandtheAchilleadoesnot look vcry healthyat all. I have also discoveredlhat to flower O. purpureo,in additionto seed,one needspatience.I madetwcrolher sow,ngsin October| 990 of seedtionr Maryport.One of thesewas into Achtlleuin long grassin a track veigc in the botanicgardenat Newcastle.'This hasproduceda clumpof J flower splKestnlsyear. l5 Notes and Articlcs The other sowing was aroundAchilleo plantsin adensel;eshtca turf which had beenlifted and put into a deeptray. This hasproduced2 flower spikes.Thesetwo sowingshavetakenthreeyearsto produceflower spikes. In March 1992 I gatheredseedfrom Maryport and at the end of June 1992 I sowed this onto Achillea in Chempakpotting compost in a plastic seedtray. This sowing has produced 19 large flower spikes.Again the Achillea in that tray is yellowishand has on.lyone flower headwhereasthe Achillea in trayswhich havenot yet producedO. purpurea spikesis greenand flowering.The seedof O. purpurea is then still viablein the deadflower spikesuntil the following March and remainsviable until the end ofJune at least. I now know a few more things about O. purpurea. l. The flower spikescan first appearup to three yearsfrom the seedbeing sown, perhapslonger or they can take as little as l0 monthsfrom sowingto flowering. 2- The flower spikeswill comeup in densegrassor in long grass. 3. The seedis viable for a year at least. It may benefitfrom a winter chilling in the persistentseed heads. 4. As would be expectedit severelydebilitatesits host. In field monitoring this EasterI plotted the position of every dead 1992(). purpurea flower spike at one of the sitesat Maryport and comparedthesewith the plot of the 199I flower spikesmadeby Eric Martin who lives in Maryport. The spikesoccurredin greaternumbersbut in the samepositionas Mr Martin had plotted them. FrequentlyI found the previousyearsdeadspikesin the grassand mossat the baseof the current dead spike. There were very few spikesfound in locationsother than those where spikeshad beenfound the previousyear. This indicatesthat there is little spreadfrom seed.Even ifthe seedtook severalyearsto produce flower spikes,somenew locationsshouldbe observedeachyear. It seemsprobablethat a declinein the populationof O. purpurea is due to a declinein theAchilIea. Oncethe parasitehas declinedtheAchillea populationcan againbuild up. lf 0. purpurea is stlll presentin the areaas plantsor seedits populationwill thenbeginto build up again.This would cause cyclicalexpansionand declineinO. purpurea populations.The persistenceofseed as a seedbank in the soil is as yet unknown. Out ofinterest, to seewhether other()robanchespeciescould alsobe grown from seed,I sowed Orobanchereticulata seed,obtainedfrom UppsalaUniversityonto the roots oftomato plants - the only host I had in January1993 This sowingproduced5 flower spikesin one of the four pots in June 1993. ANNE T. PICKERING, Departmentof Biological and Nutritional Sciences,Universityof Newcastle . :o:ltrn" NEI7RU BEATRICE SALKELD (192s-r ee3) botanistand artist Dublinon 9 March 1993 BeatriceSalkeld(Mrs BrendanBehan)diedat herhomein Ballsbridge, By training and inclinationBeatricewas an artist. Shewas educatedat the Loretto Convent,St Stephen's Green,Dublin and spenta periodat the NationalCollegeofArt, KildareStreet.Sheentered the Civil Servicein the late 1940sand was emnlovedin a clericalDostin the Office of Public Works wheresheissuedpay chequesto lock-keepers on the inlandwaterwaysystemSherecalleda chequeissuedregularlyto, - the keeperofthe RooskeySluicesin Co. Roscommon.Someyearslater a oost arosein the Botanv Section-Natural Historv Division of the NationalMuseumof lreland. She wasa successful applicanifor the postof TechnicaiAssistant. The duties in the Botany Sectioninvolved the drying, mounting,labellingand incorporatingof plant specimenscollectedin the wild. Beatricesometimesengagedin field work in conjunctionwith the DublinNaturalist's FieldClub of which shewas a membersinceschool-days. Sheoftenworkedin the Zoological Section and helpedto arange specialExhibitions.One is especiallyrememberedEarly Irish publicationson botany. Shewas engagedin mountingarrearsmaterial- collectionsmade in India and other regionsin the last century.Specimenscollectedby BeatriceSa.lkeldfrom counties, to Notes and Articles Westmeath,Wicklow. Dublin and Donegalare in lhe NationalHerbarium(DBN). She was most a c t i v ei n 1 9 5 3 - 1 9 5 4 Beatriceresignedher post on marriageto BrendanBehan,poet and playrvrightbut her interestin plantscontinued.When on holidaysshe collectedspecimensand sentthem to the Herbarium.In the mid-1950sspeciescollectedaboutGort na gCapaill,Aran Islands(H9) provedof interestto David Webbwhenhe comoileda list of Aran olantsin 1980. BeatriceSalketdwas a painterin oils. chieflylandscape portraits.Sheexhibitedat but sometimes the Royal Hibernian Academyand at the OireachtaisExhibition. She travelled much in Italy in the interestof art. Trees featuredin her landscapesand occasionallyflowers but she made no detailed plantstudies,no plantportraits,aspart of herwork in the Museum. It is necessary to correcta statementmadeby JoanLittlewoodn T'he(hnrdian,3 April 1993. There it was statedthat Beatrice"paintedgrasses,leavesand flowers with an accuracywhich would havegracedthe pagesofa Linnaeusbotany". This is not so. There is no art work by BeatriceBehan in the NationalHerbariumat Glasnevin. Beatrice Sa.lkeldwas an excellentTechnicalAssistant,with a great interestin plants. She was good too at gardenplants.Shedid not own a car and did not drive. Sheis survivedby fwo children,BlanaidandPaudge A CURf, FROM SIR HANS SLOANE (1660-1753) Sir Hans Sloanewas a medicaldoctor. He was from Killyleagh,Co. Down. He prescribedfor Lady Fermanaghthe following treatmentfor what was probablyinfluenzaor a chill (undated). Sir, -I just now receivedyour letter and am sorry that I cannotcomply with your desirein comingto my Lady Fermanaghpresently,but a hoarseness and coughhindersme from being ableto ventureso lateupon anyaccountwhatsoever. lt is very plainthat my Lady shouldbe immediately bled at the arm, to aboutnine ounces,and two hoursafter if her tightheadednessecontinue,she shouldbe blistered.Ifthe colic painsremain... she ought to take 20 drops of laudanum.Shemay drink someBath watersand wines of Portuga.llor Maderafor her ordinary drink and a Lambiteveof Syn:p of Marshmallowsand Oil of Sweet Almonds shouldbe madefor herto takea spoonfuleverysix hours,drinkingafterit a draughtofBath Waters. These are all the things that I foreseenecessaryand if my Lady's circumstances requireit, I will be with my Lady as soonas I can in the rnorningprovidedI know it by eight o'clock. I am your most obedientand most humbleservant, HANS SLOANE The sourceof the aboveinlbrmationis givenas. Margaret,Lady Verney(ed,.).L'erneyletters of the eighteenthcentury.fromMSS. at ClaydonHouse. (Benn 1930) andis includedin the book. Harrison, M. & Wells, A A (1961). Pit'lure Sourt'e h<xtk.for SiocialHistory, eighteenthcvnfttry. London.Allen& Unwin pp 129-ll0 THANK YOU When I was Field Meeting Secretary,a frequentcomplaintfrom meetingleaderswas that of members who bookedfor meetingsandthen,withoutapology,failedto attend. I must thereforesay thank you to those,members who booked for the meetingin Monk's Dale, Derbyshireon May 22nd,of the 26 who booked,23 attendedand the other 3 gavetheir apologies well in advanceofthe day. T'hisall helpedtowardsa very enjoyableday. \9lil4]!.qs"!q Notcs and Aniclcs / Alicns CHAMO]\IILE - CHA MA EM EI.U M NoBI I.E I would like to thankeveryonewho haskindly sentin recordsfor the Chamomiledistributionstudy (RSBINeu,s63, April 1993).The studyhas unlbrtunately confirmeda numberof presumedextinctionsin manyvice-counties. Field studieshavebeenundertakenin southernEnsland.revealinsthat somecommonsand coastal heaths.whilstherb-rich,no longersupponchamonxL.The cessati6n of grazingis the primaryreason for chamomiledecline.However it appearsthat chamomilepersistson cricket pitchesand sports fields where the weekly mowing and rolling routine mimics the traditional grazingpracticesof old heathsandvillagegreens.It is hopedthe finalreportwill be acceptedfor publication. HEATFIE,RR. WINSHIP, The HampshireWildlirbTrust, 7l The l{undred,ROMSEY, Hampshire THOLIGIITS ON MISTLETOE As a new memberof the BSBI and a gardenerat the Universityof Exeter,I wonderif the following inJbrmation on mislletoehostswill be of interest Overthe lastfew yearsI haverecordedit on a numberofdifferenthostplantsat Exeter. Ilohtnta pseudoocacia(False-acacia)..luglots regia (rNalnut), Sorhns uut'uparia group (Rowan).ktlix alha group (WhiteWillow), l'opulussp. (Balsam-poplar group),('rataegus monog,r tq (Hawthorn),1l7aIus cultivars ( Apple) AJIsingleplantsonly excepton theMalus. At the SomersetCollegeofllorticulture I haveseenit on a largeleaved('otrneaster. DAVID CANN. Halbury.MorchardRoad,COPPLIISTONE,Devon A I,IE N S A I - I E NN E W S F O R } ] I G N E RI N SO T ] RM I D S T conections added Evebrows usually raise when I reveal to interested newcomers to our subject that l-ondon probably turns over more wild species per annum then any other British city or indeed county. They wonder h o u ' m a x i m a l p l a n t d i v e r s i t yc a n c o r r c l a t ew i t h m a r i m a l h u m a n a c t i v i t y B u t i t d o e s .o f c o u r s e .A n d from this hotbed of botaniCal intriguc, I again rel'lect upon the observalions of recent months and choose particular items to write about Single examples of Dandelions matching or closely rcscmbling lbraxacum pa<;tittLttiformeoccur sporadically in our city. Presumed alien, they are distinctive by vinue of lcaf lobes narrowing into "many long, very narrow linear proccsscs" (Richards 1972). these give the plants a gracefully slender and ragged outlinc quite unlike our common members of section lludarqha Many of our'common -fhey members' could be alien as well. comprise the largest flowered. most conspicuous and most abundant representativesofthe genus, thcy charactcristicallyflourish in disturbed and urbanisedhabitats and they defv spccific identification Onc roadside form with dark-bordercd interlobes seems reasonably constant from place to place Others grow huge and lettuce-like in the enriched soil of aliotments and rubbish heaps. Others again pref-ercompact clayey soils and produce regularly backcurved leaf lobcs, these are most likely native and nray justify scparation into section Humuttt. For over thirty years, I have gazed ambivalently at our springtimc panoranrasofbcautilll golden yellow. as flummoxed by their taxonomy as by the paradox that they attract countless insects to effect selFpollination. l)o I chose publicly to wonl about unknowable l.atin labcls. or do I choose privatelv 38 A lr c n s to enjoy quests for unusual-looking patterns to create artistic herbarium sheets rvith? The latter. I think. more deeolv touches the heart. Trvo yellow-flowered crucifers deserve highlighting. Each is new to L.ts. Hackney. each is a second record fbr v c. 2 I and each astounded me while strolling innocently through residential streets which. on the face of it, could scarcely have looked more boring. Ssymbrtum /rro even presented itself on a miserable November morning, comprising over a hundred specimens (stunted plants and seedlings)on a pavement in Hawkslev Road, Stoke Newinglon. Llowever casual mav occurrencesof this genuine London Rocket be elsewhere - and indeed its future here is as precarious as could be imagined - there is no denying the tenacity of our single classic location around the old London Wall near Tower Bridge where I tirst made pilgrimage to see it in the tri-centenery yearol 1966. The other yellow crucifer is llorippa x armorac'torde.s.a notably drought-resistant cross between R. sylvestris and R. &rstriaca. which I first discovered as new to Great Britain by Walthamslow Reservoirs, E,ssex,in li)71 (Jonsell 1968. Rich 1991, also Stace l99l where it is incorrectly given native status). Its identity was confirmed in 1975 (Jonsell,pers. comm.) and it was suggestedthat introduction by seed was quite possible since Scandinavian eranrples show partial fbrtility In the late seventies, Thames Water erected a protective lence around the main colony which then, depnved of a mowing regime, almost entirely succumbed to the vigour of native vesetation. Later, in the early eighties, Thames Water constnrcted a huge tunnel main on the same ground instead, this upheaval sprcad propagules ofthe hybrid cress over a wider area, morc than doubling the original population. 1'oday, in the early nineties, it continues to survive in more modest quantity. despite being heavily overgrazed by Canada Geese. [A drawing by tsrian appearson thc l]ont cover. Ed.]. In June 1991, David Bevan found a sturdy patch ofthis plant topping fieshly excavatedearth by the new North-South Route on the opposite (Middlesex) side ofthe River Lea in Tottenhanr lt lasted but one season until roadside landscaping was completed. In i\pril 199-1.I found another colony tbrming vigorous stands and pavement weeds around gardens on a newly built housing eslate nexl to North Millfields open space, Clapton; this is the old Latham's timber-r'ard site, roughly a mile south of both the T'ottenham and Walthamstow stations. Thus li. x armorqcioules now assumes ecological significancewithin a broad section of the southern Lea Valley Region. Our alien Solanaceaecould fill pages oftext. so rich is their potential fbr ecological discussion. 'Ihe laronomic argument, culinary adventure and sheerblack humour "Black" aspectrelatesnot least to the almost cosmopolitan Stil,tnum tilgrilm aggr.:gatewhosc morphological Viriations are as controversial as their gastronomic attributes No more infbrmative or entertairung discourse on these weeds and "Wonderberries"(l)exists than Ileiser 1969 and 1987 I warmly reconrmendit. In September 1992, Gordon Hanson escorted me to a sewage dump near Rve Housc. Herts, where, for many years in succession.he has known prolific displavs of Solanaceae.including 1)alrrrrr :tromotium va( t.ttulo. Niconlru ph.vxtltiles. I'htsalr.s peruvond and l'. phttrulttpllrcrr.r amidst literally hundreds of thousands of tomalo plants I'he two l)h-r'.r'clls specieswere in erceptionaily fine tbttle last autumn, and l've sincc seen thc chsry-lil(c berrics ol'the lormer one sold expcnsive)vin supermarketsunder the label "Physallis" (sic) Pick olthe bunch at Rye House. hovnevei.*ere i*o robust examples of Solanum x'uhrum. thc Garden lluckleberry. (not to be confused rvith those North American speciesof (ir4'lzsrzli'rrrand Iiuttntun whose liuits mav loosely be called "huckleberries"). An upright, large-fruited relative of .\. nigntm. this novelty was tbrmerly called S guineen:t( and may have been honoured onlv *ith one or llvo Kcntish records prior to last year (John R Palnrer, pers c()mnl ) Ccneral stature aparl. it mar hest hc distinguishediionr 5. lrtr'r'lirr hr havinq palc chocolate brown (not vcllo*') anthers 'Iwo o t h c r a i r e nS o l a n a c e a c o n t i n u ct o i n c r c a s et h c i r n a t u r a i i s e dr a n g e si n L o n d o n . T h c e l a n d u lar S. nigrum ssp. schultesti from soulhern Europe (not described by Heiser) is now so trequent in c c n t r a l ,n o r t h - c a s ta n d s o u t h - c a s tl , o n d o n a s n o t t o r n e r i ti n d i v i d u a lr e c o r d sa n v m o r e ( d o c s i t i n t r o gress with native ssp ntgrum.l ask nrvsclfl) S. chctnryxfuoirlts, tirst recordcd bv John R Pa.lmertn [ . . 8 S o u t h r . r ' a r kn, o w r a n s e s s p o r - a d i c a l l by c t \ r e e n P o t t e r ' s I r i c l d . B e r m o n d s c l , a n d R u s s i a D o c k Woodland, Rotherhithc And, although slightly offthe subjcct, I can't resist the pleasurcof inserting hcrc that a strikingly variegatcd ,\'.LlulLdnr.truwith the oulcr t\\'(')thirds ol'each leat'-bladecream. has spontaneously reappeared in Abney Park Cemctcry. L B llacknev. tcn ycars alicr tht' original e x a m p l eo f t h i s u n i q u e l a r i c t y n r a t e r i a l i s e do,n l y t o s u n i v e o n e s e a s o n S t i l l t r u c t o l h m i l y , c h c w e d r c m a i n s o l ' t h e s l e n d e r l yt u b u l a r l e m o n v e l l o w t b r m o f { i 4 r . r l z z r <utultn tiequcntly' littcr urban pa\enl(.nts.cspecially where rcsidentsot'ethnic ori-qinare highlv conccntrated. sceds spilt fiorn thcsc discarded fruits continually gcrrninate bctwecn tlagstoncsand kcrbs firsting but a month or two at most .ltnpt hall&l()ntu pcrsists and self-sc'rws. with unconrpromisinrl dct'iancc,in the grounds ofl'ottcnhanr hospitals.churchyardsand council housinu cstatcs So prcrlific l,) Alicns were seductivelyfruiting specimensaround one suchestatein 1912.againwhere residentsofethnic origin were highly concentrated,that I informed upon them by visiting the nearestpolice stationto advisethat they presenta seriousdangerin an areawherefew peopleare like to know what they are. I returnedto the site a week later to find that our worthy guardiansofthe law had corectly identified and thoroughlyremovedthe unfortunateoffenders.A monthlater, the disturbedgroundwas covered by Connm-maculatumseedlingsinstead,so naturestill had the last laugh.And trienty yearslater the Deadly Nightshadesare keepingthem companyoncemore ... but a London recordof Cyphomandra betaceamust surelvcaDall. This remarkableirborescent Solanum relative hails from highlandEcuador and neighbouring countrieswhere it is much grown and its liuit widely marketed;it is linle cultivatedelsewhdreexcep'i as a greenhouseorrurmental(Heiser 1969, 1987) The spontaneousappearanceof a plant in L.B. Suttonwas reportedto me last Januaryby RodneyBurton, and I quotefrom his letter which refers,in tur4 to John Archer'sdraft text for a London Ecology Unit handbook.The Tree Tomato, C.y'phomandra belacea,is "a solanaceouscrop from the Andes ofColombia found at BeddinglonSewage Farm in September1989 by Mike Prime. It is very distinctiveand tall with huge,hairy heart-shaped leaves.The specimenhe found at Beddingtonwas in flower and aboutfive feet tall. I don't think this had beenrecordedbefore,althoughwe may haveseenseedlingsofit on tips a long time ago and not known what they were." It is the turn of other familiesto be discussednow. Sedumspectabileshouldbe recordedwith caution.The true speciesbearsleavessparselyand shatlowlytoothLed, roundedat their baseand with conspicuouslyconcave laminae.Similarly robust plants bearing leavesmore deeply and regularly toothed with cuneate bases and almost flat laminae are referable to Setlum 'Autumn Joy' (=S.'Herbstileude'), a probable and convincing-looking hybrid between S. spectabile and S. telephium(Wright | 984). Some2004of cultivatedpopulationsanswerto this descriptionin North London parksandgardens,and they will occur correspondinglyfrequentlyas outcasts. Middle cauline leaves of Setlunr lcm Jerlzrn'AutumnJoy' Sedum spectahile Del. BrianWurzell.O 1993 Alicns Our mixed teaselcolony at ParklandWalk Extension(BSBI News 62 & 63) has increasedits numbersand extendedits area this year, comprisingc. 40 D. l<tciniatusand c.20 D.fullonum. The former speciesshowsextraordinarilvvariableleaf-shapes. but no speculationsabout new-to-science hybridswill carryweightuntil they ilower in July/AugustReaderswishingto admirethesedramatic plantsir,silz shouldcrossStroudGreenRoadfrom FinsburyParktube,British and much-publicised Rail or bus station and enter ParklandWalk by the lootpath next to the railway bridge. The steep earth slopeshereaboutsare now so rampantlyovergrownthat there would no longerbe any way of ascertainingwhetherthe solitary(:ornus nuttallii strugglingin the middleof it all were plantedor not - but I know that it was. Small urban public gardensare always promisinghunting grounds.In St James'sGardens,between HampsteadRoad and Euston station, I found planted and establishedthickets of Mahonia pinnqta x M. oquifolium (= M. ' v,agneri),a taxon differingmarkedlyfrom the latter parentwith its palergreeq more crispedfoliagewhich mostlybearsleafletsdown to the baseof the petiole.(Why, I muse.hasno-one yet found seedlingsof the abundantlyfruitingM..japonlca?).Amongstthesewere plentif.rlSisymbriumofficinale var. leiocarpum(with spreading,glabrousftuits) and from a concrete crevicenearbysprouteda self-sownltrl siajaponica seedlingI 5cm tall. Even more remunerativewas a long derelict council nurseryat Friern Barnet last autumn,whereCyrtomiumfalcatum,the House Holly-fern,Adiantum speciesand Pteris cretica had thoroughlynaturalisedthemselveson old, sheltered broken walls (the latter specieswas also noted low on a housewall in Gough Square,near ChanceryLane tube station). Together with these ferns there were mary Trachelium caentleum, (lyperus altemifolius and massesof sprawling,self-seeding llccremocarpusscaber,a hardy Chilean climberin the Trumoet-VinefamilvBienoniaceae. South Tottenhim back streefsari closestto home and are correspondinglymost often monitored. The Tradescantiavirgtniane (r ohiensisl) Spiderwortsknown for two years on pavement edgesin Norfolk Avenuecontinueto breakvigorous shootsftom the basedespiteconstanttrampling producesa healy crop of black and herbiciding.In WargraveAvenue, plantedJasmimrmo;t'Jicinale berries each winter, and self-sown seedlingsto lOcm tall are now plentiful both in neighbouring gardensand at wall basesoutside.Turning to someof our local trees,Acer palmalarn seedlingswere noted beneathmature specimens.during April only, in SpringfieldPark, L.B. Hackney;havingtuned my eye into these,I went on to detect similar shortlived regenerationswidely in central London (KensingtonGardens,WestbournePark, Islington),so clearlythe reproductiveness ofJapaneseMaples in Britain has been under-observed.Two seedlingsof -l,bgrs q'lvatica intermediatein colour betweentypical green and the Copper Beech were detectedin woodland at AlexandraPark near Wood Gre€n,although I have not yet seenany of the incisedor fernJeavedBeechesproduceseedlings true to variety. There is actuallya schoolof thought that l'agrs sylvalica is not native in England anyway,basedpartly on absenceofposrglacial fossilpollen until it was too late for heavybeech mast to cross the Channel unaided.Finally with trees, staff at Friem Hospital (formerly Colney Hatch) assuredme in Octoberthat their magnificent(-edrusatlanlica self-sowsin surroundinggrass, with specimensusuallydug up for people'sgardens.Unbelievingat first, I was inclinedto assumethat any juvenile conifer in the vicinity would come fromChamaecyparislawsoniqna,but closer investigation revealedtwo stout seedlings20cm tall which were undoubtedlyCedars.A similartree again in SpringfieldPark was observedsheddingviable seedsin May, a few of which were beginningto sproutin the lawn beforeperishingfrom drought. A word aboutnativesedgesin alienplacesmay be ofinterest.(larex divulsahasoccured on a mown lawn in West Dulwich (L.B. Southwark), C. remota on the R. Lea wall at Clapton, ('..rytlvaticain an urban roadsideshrubberyalso at Clapton,C. otruhae on a rubbishdump at New Southgate(L.8. Barnet) and (-. pendula persistsas a garden escapein nativeJooking woodland nichesaroundFinchleyand Highgate.All self-sowas weedsin my own garden,so their adaptability out-of-its-elementsedgehasgot But the most sensational to secondaryhabitatsis well demonstrated. ro be Scirpusmaritimus.During an ecologicalsurveya year ago, I found it thickly fiinging the lower lake at ScoutPark, BoundsGreen(L B. Haringey),andentirelychokinga feederditch. The rhizomatous aggressiveness of this brackishdyke pioneerproves quite dauntingwhen transferredto freshwater swamp, and notwithstandingthe novelty of seeingit there, I found myself duty-boundto plantsandanimalswereto be encouraged. counseldrasticreductionifa wider diversity,ofinland Two rare herbaceousalienstend to come and go in associationwith introducedgardenplants, and are undoubtedlydispersedwith soil of honicultural origin. I am indebtedto David Bevan for drawing my attentionto L'eronicaperegrina in BroomfieldPark, Southgate,where,last year, several dozenexampleshad sprungup in herbaceousbordersand along gravelpathsin a ratherdamp,shady area.My only previousencounterwith this specieswas at Syon Park in 1980,on stonyground next 4l A l i c ns to the car park outside the butterfll'house; rvith a large nursery only yards away, its mode ofintroduction was evident enough. The other plant in mind is (bra1a umruryifblia. a rather tamiliar ephemera.lvisitor to the damper parts of university botanic gardens and the subject of other articles coincidentally submitted for this issue (see below and page 43) Additionally I saw it in 1987 and 1989 by the landscapedpond at Gillespie Park. Highbury, and small numbers of obscure origin used to pop in and out of mud bowls on my own roof garden at intervals in the early eighties.Il seemsthat seed can remarn viable buried in soil or mud fbr many years befbre germinating when the light or disturbance signals are just nght The most recent record which has come to my notice hails from East Sussex where my aunt Mrs Debbie Boder discovered a number of specimenson a gravel tbotpath in the Meridian Nurseries, Peacehaven.They were already flowering by late May 199-3 Meanwhile, if anyone wants the distinction of adding another new species - even another new family - to the British alien list, try naturalising Houmrynia utrdota (Saururaceae) in shady scrub or woodland gardens. If its performance in my own tiny back yard is anything to go by, it will romp away forever. You may then emulate part of a traditional Vietnamese diet by consuming cautious quantities ofits foliage under a nanre I shall not attempt to reproduce. And last but not least. mav I again remind readersthat what you get dependson how you ask for it. Rules are rules (RSRI News 57) and any requests for identification MUST be accompaniedby an adequate specimen and an adequate s.a.e. l o the person who sent me a three-page description of a North American Hawthom and nothing else, I can only say whew . . pleasetry again See you all at the Annual Exhibition Meeting. in Reading don'1fbrget!! References JONSELL Il. 1968 Studies in the North-Wcst European speciesolliltnpTxt s sIr. S-ymboldeBolatilcae | lpsttlten.u.rXlX.2, Uppsala. tlElSER C.ts Jr, 1969 Ntghtshotle,s: Ihe Pantdoxrtal Planls. W.H. Frceman and C'ompany, San F'rancisco.Cali{brnia. 'Ihe HEISER U B. Jr, 1981 lta.s<rruilittg World oJ the Ni4ht.thddcr. Dover Publications, Inc., New York. ('An unabridged and correctcd re-publication'ofthe above the body ofthe text is identical, but revised l,atin names are given in a new preface). R I C H , T . C G . , 1 9 9 1 .( ' r u c i f e r . s o l ( ) r c o t l J r t t a t n a n d l r e l u r r r l B S B L H a n d b o o k N o 6 , L o n d o n R I ( . H A R D S . A I , 1 9 7 2 ' [ h e l u r a x a t u m I ' l o r a o f t h e B r i t i s h l s l e sW L r t . ; o r t i c t S u p p l e m e n t t o V o l u m e 9 BSBI London S f ACIE C.. 199 | New Iiktra ol the llnttsh /.rie,r,('ambridge. WRIGT{T, M , 1984 1'he('ompkte flqndfunk ol Ourden l'lants.Michael Joseph/Rainbird l-ondon. I I R I A N W L M F - [ . L . 4 7 R o s t r c v o r . A v e n u c .I ' o t t c n h a m .L O N D O N N l 5 o L A C0T UI.A C0 RON OPI T-OI. IA ES'TABLISHT]DIN YORKSHIRE (llive Stace's Neu' I;ltru rl tha llrrtt.;h Ls!e.s(p 1169) suggests Ihat ('otulu crtrom4ufbtiu L ( B u t t o n w e o d ) i s o n l y n a t u r a l i s c di n t h e v i c c c o u n l i e so 1 ' ( ' h e s h i r ea n d W ( ' o r k . I h i s a n i s l e p r e s e n t s t h c c v i d c n c ct b r a d d r n gS W Y o r k s t o t h i s l i s l frirst tbund at Nemon Ings v c 6-] (SW l'orks1 in 1959, the advcntivc ('()luld &)t(),u)prJ<tlru is n o w a n c s t a b l i s h e dp a r t o f ' t h c f l o r a o f t h c l o w c r A r r e v a l l c y i n Y o r k s h i r c S u b s e q u e n t l yr c c o r d e d l i o m M i c k l c t o w n F l a s h v c ( > i i n 1 9 6 ( ) .t h c s p c c i c sh a s c o n l i n u e d t o s p r e a d ,i f s o m e w h a t s l o w l v along the marshlandsin thesc two arcas. Distribution l h e Y c r r k s h i r cs i t c s l i r r ( . o t u l u t r n r n 4 t t / o t t u a l l a p p c a rt o b e i n t h e l o r v c r v a l l c y o l ' t h c R i v e r A i r e , [ : a s t o l ' l . e e d s ,b e t w c c n t h c v i l l a g c so f ' N l i c k l c t o w n ( S t : 4 ( ) 2 t t ) a n d l i a i r b u r n( S l : 1 7 . 2 8 ) r \ l l t h c s i l c s a r c t h c r c s u l t o f m i n i n g s u b s i d c n c rw : i t h s u b s o t l u e nftl o o d i n g o l ' p r c l r o u s l y d r a i n o dm a r s h l a n d f h r e c main arcas arc known R S P I J } ; a i r b u r nl n s s N a t u r c R c s e r v c Mtcklctown Ings I I i c k s o n ' sI - l a s h ll Alicns Newton Ings is now part of the R.S.PB. naturereserveat F'airbumIngs From Newton the species hasspreadto establish coloniesby mostofthe waterbodieson the reserve. MickietownFlashis now largelycoveredby collieryspoil.but the planthasspreadto a limited areaof the adjacentMickletown Ings. Hickson'sFlashliesjust west ofthe Fairburnreserve.lt was found here in 1992by Geoffiey Wrlrnorc lhis is a recentflashandl understand the habitatis similarto the othersites Habitat This is a speciesofopen wet mud exposedby recedingwaterlevelsin summer.Theseareasareoften winter-flooded, sometimes to a depthof a lew lbet. At Fairbumthe mud is often but not alwaysof a sandynature. ('otula coronopifolia d,oesbest in areaswhich are freshly exposedeach year as bare substrate.It seemsto be soon crowded out by other colonistsin areaswhere water levelsare stable and morepermanentplantpopulationshavebecomeestablished. One ofthe mainareasat Fairburnis a meadowedgewheregrazingstockhelpretainthe opennatureofthe shore. whichoccupythis openhabitatinclude: Otherplantspecies Schoenoplecntstahernaemtnlani,I:.leocharispaluslris. Agrostis stoloni.fbra,.hmcuseffu:str.s, J. ttrflenr.s,,1.aculiflorus, ('arex elotu. Myosotisscorptoides,[?anunculussceleralusgermdiiis theseareall presentat one of the newerareasat Fairburn.At Mickletown.)uncus alsoDresent. Status ( ' o t u l a c o r o n o p i f t i l i a i s w e l l e s t a b l i s h e d a t i t s A i r e v a l l e y s i t e s a n d h a s b e e n s o f o r a t l eI ta s t 3 0 y e a r s is slowly increasing,as evidencedby the spreadto the new flashesat the westernend ofthe Fairburn reserveandthe nearbyHickson'sFlash,wheretherewasa'good population'in1992. The plant usuallyoccupiesmany yards of shorelinearound Village Bay at Fairburnin late summerand early autumn. At Mickletown it is less exlensive,but here the water levels are more stable.It could be that winter-floodinsef}'ectsthe areaof shoreavailablefor ('otula the followine year. ChronologicalSummary of Yorkshire records l95S Newton lngs, Fairburn, v.c. 6.i J Morlevper F. Murgatroyd 1 9 6 0 M i c k l e t o w n F l a s h .v . c . 6 - l Mrs W E Ckainger l q o 5 L a w n w e e d . L a n g d a l cL . n d .v c o 2 | 9 7 5 F a i r b u r nl n q s , v . c . b J 1 9 9 2 H i c k s o n ' sF l a s h ,v c 6 - l A. Wallis C A. Howes G. Wilnore The word 'lngs'asusedon O.S. mapsstrictlymeanswatermeadowssubjectto winter-flooding, but it which form on them.often as a resultof ha-scometo be appliedalso to the l'loodwateror 'flashes' suDsrdence A cknowledgements l ) Y N U Recordssuppliedbv Eric Chicken(AliensRecorder). 2) DetailsconcerningFairburnIngssuppliedby RobinHorner- WardenR.S.PB. quoting'Botanical 1988[unpublished] SurveyofR.S.P.BFairburnIngsNatureReserve'. -l) lntbrmationconcerningthe findsat Hickson'sFlashwas suppliedby GeollieyWilmore,Ecological AdvisoryService. .1) E J. CIcment,1fr encouraging me to write this shortnote JOHN MARTIN. I Westl-eaDrive.west Ardslev,WAKEFIEI-D,W Yorkl WF] lDH BTITTONWEED (COTULA L'ORONOPIFOLIA L..1,Ntlw TO S. HANTS (v.c. l l) On l4 August l99l Mr D P.J.Smithstumbledacrossa smallcolony(-14plants,in two mainclusters) on sandyshingleloming thc drilllineo1'atidalharbouron thenorthcoastof The Solentin S Hants I'hepreciselocalityis withheld,Trrotcmporu.as the colonyis tragileandthisappearsto bc almostthe only localityfbr this plant in southcrnEngland lndeed,the next yearonly I I plantsreappeared and ,1I Alicns thesewere nearlyall exterminated by humandisturbance, laler a new group of I 5 were discovered nearby.The naturalhazardsencountered itselfin NW Europeare vividly by this speciesestablishing detailedin Acta Oecologica3. 409-418( 1982)- seeBSBI Abstracts 13.29. Mr R.P. Bowman tells me that this specieshasneverbeenrecordedbeforefor S. Hants(v.c. I I ). in N. Hants(v.c. l2), however,it hasoccurredas a wool alienon two or more occasions at Blackmoor (e g collectedby T.B Ryves,1970,Herb. E.J. Clement). The S. Hants habitatis not unlike many other coastalspotsaroundEngland.The associated specieswere largely annualsthat revel in muddy places,comprisingAtt'iplex littoralis, A. prostrala, Beta wlgaris subsp.maritima, Llymus pycnanthus, Hordeum murinum, Juncu.sbufonius. Poa annua. Itolypogon monspeliensis,]tuccinelliq na/itime, l). rupestri.s,Rununculus ,sordous,R. :;c'e/eratus, Sagina maritima, Spergularia marino andSuaednmaritima. Although there is much shippingand boating traffic within the harbour, the area is also frequentedby many ducks,geese,wadersand other bird species,and dispersalby avianmeansseemsto be the more likely meansof introduction.Surprisingly, this rathercuriousbut weedy,SouthAfrican compositehas also beenrecorded,elsewhere,as a gardenweed or escape,e.g. at Hougne Nicolle, 'l37) 1978(Supplementlltildl.'loaersGuentsey, p 36)andatDyke,Moray, 1982(ll/atsonia,l5: No descriptionofthe plant is presentedhere,sincethe one given in ('TM is adequate,but a fbw points may be wonhy of mention. The S. Hants plants all appearto behaveas annualsand do not perennate, presumablydislikingour cold winters.the leaf lobesare dark+ippedand pointed.the flower headsalwaysface the sun (unlessthe stem is damaged);the outer row of femaleflorets are long-stalked,whereasthe disc florets are short-stalked.The two different forms of the achenesare well documented, the wingedonesprobablybeingmore suitablefor dispersalby water.In addition, however,the two sidesof the achenealso have differing adhesiveproperties,one sidebeing almost smooth. Why do not more speciesof plants adopt such diversedispersalstrategies?But, the most extraordinaryfeature of the S. Hants plant, contrary to all literature lhat I have seen,is that the antherswere NOT united into a tube aroundthe style- they were free, a tbaturetraditionallyreserved in the British compositaelbr Xanthium speciesonly. Can any readercomment on this? - several florets were examinedby DPJS. Detailedanalyicaldrawingsof this speciesin the literatureare few. so no apologyis madefor addinganother(seepage45). lt is basedsolelyon the S. Hantscolony.A key to the drawingfollows: A ts C D E F f G g H h Plant, I Detail of leaf ' 2 Involucre , -l Involucralbracts, l0 Sectionthroughrim of flower head,showinglong-stalked lemalemarginalflower and shortstalkedhermaohrodite discflowers' 20 Fenralemarginalfloret ' 30 Hermaohrodite discfloret . 30 Margirialachene' 30 Discachenex 30 Stigmaandstyleof discfloret ' 30 Stamens ofdisc floret.showingopenandclosedanthers. J0 This speciesis undoubtedlyspreadingin Britainand on the Continent,too, and is worth lookingout for in any rnuddyplaces,especially in salineareas.On oneof Mary Brige'scountless holidaysabroad, her party found this speciesin Corsica,a countrynot listedin l;lora f)tn4toeu 4. 177.In its traditional home in Britain, Cheshire,it continuesto spreadand is now abundantat Frodshanrmarsh. accordingto Alan Newton. At present.I am awar-eof only four othcr recent recordsfor southern England- theyare. v c. 3. S Devon.Woodbury One smal.lpatchin 1980.first foundherein 1954.llep. Ii'ons. l ) e v r n .A s . sA. d v m rS c i . . l l 3 1 6 6 ( 1 9 { t l ) v c 1 8 , S . E s s e xS t a n f o r d [ - l e - H o pWea] r r e nl,9 9 l l y i l d l i l o u , e r M a g . . 1 2 2 . 2 l ( 1 9 9 1 ) . vc 22, Berks:OwlsmoorBog,Sandhurst,1988 ReodingNat.,4l.27(1989) v c -19"Staffs Stafford,1989 Llut.ynta,l8 224 (lt)90) A smallvoucherspecimen hasbeendepositedin Herb. RP. Bowman. tt will be interesting to moni.or the progressofthis speciesin Hampshire 44 Alrcns f W t/ 't1 /,(.1 Itru @ r ( ' o l t t l u c o t t ; t t r t l t i . f o l tIo' d c l l ) P J s m i t h lq9i ") herecontained mostof theinlbrmation I ammuchindebted to DelfSmithfor notonlysupplying it. drawingthataccompanies in, butalsofor theveryprofbssional ST ANDREWSAND ITS LINKS WITH ALIENS 'Aswiththegameof golf,theOldCourse .. among the andmaddening remains bothenchanting covertsof gorsetherearetrapsfor the unwarygolferin the tall spikymarramandsealyme grasses ... But ashewaitsto playthrough,thegolfercanenjoythewidevarietyofplants- from fue blue fleabaneto the harefootlsicl clover - ... and visitorscan admirethe yellow flowering treelupin.'(1) Aithough a Fifer born and pretty well bred, I'm not a golfer, so that until recentlyI'd not reallyvisited St Andiews much, and seldomfor botanicalpurposes.As part ofmy ongoingrecording,during 1992 I decidedto pay particularattentionto the lOkm squarethat embracesSt Andrewsand area.On my secondtrip, in May, I visited the West Sands- the links that comprisesthe golf courses- and was amazedtofind that the tree lupin mentionedabove(l,upinusdrboreus)in fact outshonethe whinson someof the dunesand the rough. Not only that, there were clumpsof the most incongruousspecies accompanyingthe tree lupin, includingits relativeLupinusytlyphyl1rs, soapwort(Saponaria<fficirall^s),hoise iadish(Armoracia rusticona),winter heliotrope(Pela,sites fragrans) and mountainbluet ((enlaurea montana) while nearby,in a yard, were severalunusualweeds, among them flixweed ([)escurania sophia). mignonette(Resedalutea), ea$em rocket (Sr.syzDriumorientale) and much springbeauty(Claytoniaperfuliota) (wtlch provedto be all over St Andrews). that for manyyearsthe West I was bemusedat first to find thesealienplants,until I remembered Sandshad housedthe loca.lcoup (refusetip). I realisedthat this mustbe the sourceofthese species and this was confirmedby referenceto l(otsonia and severalrecordsmadein 1960by the late Betty Beattie(as indefatigablein her pursuitof 'foreigners'asMary McCallumWebsterwas),includingtree 'well eslupin. This had actuallybeenrecordedas far back as 1936,when it was describedas being filled in The was during coup tablishedand coveringsomeacresbetweenthe links andthe sea'(2) 1986and the area landscapedbut obviouslyover the yearsmanyplantshad fbund their way out and establishedthemselves.Subseouentvisits vielded sweetwilliam (I)ianthus harbatus'1,red hot poker (Kniphofiasp.).orientalpoppi (Pef(rverirrettrulcl,severalpatchesol'Michaelmas daisy(,4slcrspp.) and an.lrls;despiteStace,I could not makemuchof the last two. All lookedquiteout of placebut quite happy.Elsewhere,on made-upsoil, occurreddrooping brome (fJromusteclorum) nevertheless and white mignonette(Re.sedaalha:1whlle another site produced musk thistle (('arduu,snulans), unlikelyto be native. Someyearsearlier,I'd visitedthe Lade Braes,a den leadinginto St Andrewsfrom the west.It was soon obviousthat there were many alienspresent,somequiie naturalised.Enquiry revealedthat the areahad beenplantedup earlyin the 20th centuryand that furtherspecieshadbeenintroduced after the secondworld war. Visits in 1992confirmedthat there were indeeda varietyofunusual and uncommonspecies.I'd been told there were three Alltum speciespresent.broad-leavedgarlic (A. ursinum) (native), few-flowered garlic (A. paradoxum) (now a weed in severalparts of v.c. 85) it hadnot garlic(A. trtquetrum).I was disinclined to believethe lastasapparently andthree-cornered beenseenin Scotlandbefore,but sureenougha searchrevealeda smallbul thriving colony I verified the floras say too a report that nettle-leavedbellflower(('ampanukttracheltilm)was well established. that this occursnorthto F-ife,but this wasthe first time I'd seenit, andobviouslyan introduction. There were also good spring colonies of winter aconite (I:ranthis hyemalis), snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), blue anemone,squill, periwinkle, a ('hrunrxloxa and various speciesof Ncrcrs'.vs,and, later, mountainvalerian(L'alenanapl,renorca),a fbw drooping sedges(('arexpendulu) and an umbrella plant (l'eltiphyllum peltanm), accompaniedby two of the three large Polygonums, I;ttlkryiajaponlca (Japanese knotweed) andlt. suchaltnen.se {Giant knotweed).Ratherunexpectedly, loganberry(Rubusloganobaccz.r)was discoverednearthe burn tJntil recently,I would havebeenat a lossto know whichofthesemanyplantsto includeasnow beingpart ofthe localflora (somebeing markedlylessat homethan others)- but Stace'sNew l;kro has madethe decisionmuch easieras all amongnative'goodies' are mentionedlLest it be thoughtthat therewere nothingbut introductions, Alicns / Translocationand Reinstatemcntof Plant Specics were water figwort (ScroSthtlariaumbroso)and wood stitchwort (Stellaria nemorum)along with, in the vicinity, moschatel(Adoxa moschatellina\andmeadowsaxifrage(SaxrJragagranulata). introductions. Back in St Andrewsitsell,an earlyJunerisit producedanothercrop ofestablished The groundsof St Mary's College confirmedthat slenderspeedwell(I"eronica.filiformrs)still flourishedon the lawn whereit had beenfirst detectedin 1935.Accompanying it, more recentinvaders (Soleirolia soleirolii) and least were yellow sorrel (()xalls atrniculata), mind-your-own-business trefoil (Trtfolium micranthum), the last probablythe first definite record for Fife, older onesalmost '1 certainlyreferring to . duhium. Later, small balsam(lmpatien.span,iflora) was fbund in a border while nearbywater fbrn (AzollaJilit'uloides) floated on a tiny pool. Adorning walls were red valerian (('entranthu.sruber), purpletoadflax (l.inaria purputea), walllettlce (Mycelis muralis) andllu&llela. 12 speciesof bramblewere encountered,includingrobust clumpsof the escapeHimalayanGiant (Rubus armeniacus Qtnrcerus));new for the squarewere R. &t.sypfuillus,R. elegantispinr-r,vrs, R. laciniatus, Il. mucronulatusandR. tuberculqtu.s. In the openingquotation,mentionis madeof haresfootcloverand blue fleabaneThe reference to the latter (l.rigeron acer) is intriguing;the plant had indeedbeenfound on one part ofthe links in 1982,in greatquantity However,by the time the book waspublishedin 1989the species had all but died out and it has now completelydisappeared(l think the samething happenedin East Lothian someyearsago). On the other hand,the native haresfootclover ('lrifoliun anense) was flourishing at the beginningof this century- and probablylong beforethen - and still is: will the tree lupin and the otheraliensnotedabovesurvil'eas lone.I wonder'? References 'I'he ( I ) Lamont-Brown,R. ( I 989). life and timesof St Andrews.Edinburgh.p. I 87 (2) Cooke,P H (1935-37)Rep.Bot.Lxch.('lub.Xl. p 246. G.H. BALLANTYNE, Branksome.l9l Nicol Street.KIRKCALDY KYI IPF MT. ETNA BROOM IN W. KENT (Raf. ex Biv.) DC was observednearNonhlleet. A In Septemberl982 a colony of (ienrskt aetnensi.s numberofbushes from one up to eight feet high were on rough ground on a roadsidewhere it runs along the side of an old chalk pit, apparentlyderiving fiom a plantedspecimenon the other side of the road. Determinationwas simple,even in autumn,as the pods have a distinctivedownward-curving "tail" (illustrationin l)ictionaryof(iardening Vol II) In May 1993the plantsweredestroyedby the erectionofa metalfenceto enclosea new industrial site,but sincethen I haveseenfurthersmallspecimens in the area.Plantsflower profuselywhen only about one foot high which makesthem attractiveto be takenby the generalpublic. In chalk scrub nearby are bird-sown specimensof an uncommon black-Jiuited(loloneqster, ('. ellipticus(Lindley)Loudon.Althoughfirst noticedin the Northfleetareain 1970.it is thoughtto h a v e b e e n n a t u r a l i s e d t h e r e t b r a t l e a s t 5 0 y e a r s ( B u l l e t i n o f K e n t F i e2l d4C( Jl uabnN 1 9o7 9 ) ) JOHN R PALME& 19 Water Mill Way, SouthDarenth.DARTFORD, Kent DA4 9BB TRANSLOCATIONAND REINSTATEMENTOF PLANT S P E C IE S The followingpapershavebeenreceivedliom threeolthe speakers one-dayconferat this successful jointly with the LinneanSocietyandheldat theirroomson l8 March ence,whichwasorganised Other topics covered were l,.nglt,shNature's speciesrecoveryprogramme (by Andrew Deadman); Some recent development,sttnd octivitie.r in planl reintroducliot, u,orldvide (by Peter Wyse-Jackson);Reintrrxluctionsspecialistgroup tf the SpeciesSuruiwtl Commission(l(l('N) draft guidelines(by MichaelMaunder) VICKY MORGAN, Secretary Conservation Committee 47 Translocationand RclnstatcnlcntoI Planl SDccics REINSTATEMENTOF RARE PLANTSAT BEN LAWERSNNR Abstract Monitoring of Red Data Book and other rare speciessince | 980 has confirmed decline of some populations, and resulted in predictions of probable extinctions within the NNR. To comply with agreed management objectives to maintain both populatioms of rare species, and species and community diversity, a programme of reinstatenrentof selectedspecieswas establishedin 1990. Because ofthc constraint of heavy-sheep grazing, reinstatemenl of montane slrrubs is restricted to two sites protected by exclosure t-ences. Species planted during l99l and 1992 include J'a1rr lupptnum. S. myrsintJolia, S. arbuscula, S. repens and..lu.ntperus.communts Additional species 1br which reinstatement projects are not yet implemented include Shilx latnta and Saxifraga rivulari.v. A number of speciesoftrees, shrubs and tall herbs are being reinstated within one exclosurc to restore an area of submontane woodland. The projects are the result of a management partnership belween Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). Introduction 'Ihe Reserve. The National Nature Reserve (NNR) covers about 4,000 hectares.is 9 miles/14 kilometres long, and includes l0 mountain peaks over 900 metres in altitude. It was designatedby fbur Nature Reserve Agreements with owners. The National Trus1 for Scotland owns about three quarters of the area, with ihe remainder in private ownership. Management involves a partnership between SNH and NTS, with the Trust enrploying the stall, and the funding lor conservation work provided by SNH The principal constraint on all conservation work in the Reserve is sheep grazing. Eleven farms hold grazing rights lbr sheep on the NTS land. The effects of this management,probably including burning in the past, has been to conline many speciesof plant to ungrazed ledges on cliffs. Another threat to certain plants is that of trampling by walkers, although this is largely confined to the main path systems. l'he Flora. l-ichens are a maior component of the flora. Recent survevs by Oliver (jrlbert et ul. and Alan Fryday have recorded c.'500 specieson the Reserve.ot'which 25 ire linown from no other British site Bryophy'tes are also distinctive, with several rare species and a Red Data Book list of 22 species. However, no reinstatement projects for lichens or bryophytes are under consideration at present. fhe vascular plants ofthe Reserle include l8 Red Data Book species,ofwhich 4 are scheduled. The scheduled speciesonly are included in the NCC Rccovery plan lwhitten. 1990) These are asteriskedbelow. Management and moniloring 'lhe NNR Management Plan includes objectives 'to maintain, and, if possible, increase population sizes of rare species ', and 'to maintain species and community diversity' It is these objectives ',rhich our reinstatement projects are designed to sen'e. Decrsions on individual projecls have been derived fiom a programme ofsurvey and monitoring ofthe rarer speciescarried out since 198().This prograrnme has provided information on selectedspeciesas follows. (jenlutna nitohs* 'Ihe Ben l.awers population cannol be counted precisely fbr objective reas o n s ,b u t i s p r o b a b l y i n t h e r e g i o n o f 1 , 0 ( ) 0t o 5 . ( J 0 0p l a n t s L o n g t e r n r m o n i t o r i n go l t h e p o p u l a t i o n size has therefore not been carried out Researchis being carried out on the efl-ectsof grazing, but there is no reinstalementwork on this soecies ,\uxrlruga cernuu* lhe tsen Larvers populatron has been eslinrated at approxinratelv 1.5()0 plants of which approximately I 50 are mature, bulbil-producing plants, although objective difticulties exist in counting methods Fluctuations occur but are considered to be natural. No reinstatement proiecl on this speciesis envisagedal presenl The popufations of l4kxd:;ia ulJnnu*. l:,rigentt brtrt'ttlts*, and lt.ltnrutrttu ruhellu have been c o u n t e d t h r e e t i m e s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d l 9 8 l - 1 9 9 2 M o r e o r l e s s d i s c r e t ep l a n t s ( o r ' c l u m p s ' ) o c c u r . 'fhe s u c h t h a l o o n s i s l e n tp o p u J a t i o nc o u r ) t sa r e p o s s i b l e . r c s u l t si n d i c a t et h e r e i s p r o b a b l yn o n e e d l o r reinstatenrentof any of these species.although the tigurcs for Wtxnl.tittalpnw indtcale the necd lbr 'fhe lurther nronitoring. high count tbr this speciesin I 98 | is explained by the inclusion of more sites. 4ti Tnnslocatioil xnd RcinsL'rtcmenl ol' Plant Spccies \Lhereasthe lower count of Minilortta ruhellu in l98l was a less targeted search than the later counls. Population Counts il/oodsia alpintt lirigerott boreoli.s Minuartia rubetla 198I &5.E1 90-92 4.18 532 48s 172 538 920 \67 639 951 Sognu.rnrvali.sis confined to Breadalbane,with most of the population onBen Lawers NNR. lt has not been precisely counted becauseofobjective difficulties, but, a detailed study ofsamples ofthe population has been carried out over [2 years. Large fluctuations recorded, although influenced by sheep,are probably largely natural. No reinstatementproject is envisagedfor this speciesat present. Saxtliaga rivtlari.s The population about 30 years ago was around 25 plants. Now only 2 plants survive on the Reserve, and a third was collected in 1989. The joint management committee have decided to reinstatethis plant, but this decision has not yet been implemented,largely through lack of rime. There ate. however. some concerns about availability of suitable material, the nearestsite being i n G l e n c o e .s o m e 3 . 1m i l e s ( 5 1 k m ) t o t h e w e s t . llartsra ulpina is probably extinct on the Resene, in spite of several searches during the 1980s and 90s lt is a likely candidatefor reinstatementalthough no project has yet been decided. R e i n s t a t e m e n to f m o n t a n e s h r u b s Reinstatement projects have been carried out with some species which are not national rarities, but which are declining and fhce extinction on the NNR Factors contriburing to this decline have been describedin more detail in Mardon (199()). These speciesare all dioecious. Their ability to form seed is restricted when individual plants are too thr apart tbr pollination to occur. .hntrperus commuris has declined liom a population of 8 to 6 plants during the 1980s. An atrempt to reinstatethis has begun. but difilculties arise tiom accessto the plants and a Iack ofsuitable seed source It may bc necessaryto introduce material from another site. but none is known in the vicinity. ,\olix lapgnnm. I he population is known to be at least 60 to 70 plants, perhapsmore, but many of the sites are dilicult of accessand precise counting has not been possible. A decline in some colonies has been obsen'ed. Very little seed production has been observed and very few seedlingscan be 'fhe tbund within the Reserve. decision to reinstatethis speciesand reversethe decline, to ensure its required survival on lhe Reserve. seedsto be collected on another site in the Breadalbanerange. 'fhe population within the Reserve consists of only two female plants, separated Solix lnnto. tiom each other bv l0 kilonretres and resoectivelv. l0 and 20 kilometres fion the nearest known male plant. Pollinaiion and seed production are the;etbre not possible.One plant has been monitored annually since 1980 and its future survival is very doubtful. It was damaged seriously by a rockfall in 1990 and is now separatedfrom the cliffon which it grows by a gap of 6 inches. lts demise could be inrminent. Reinstatementof this speciesis now under consideration,but again seed material must be collccted from another site in the Breadalbanearca. 'fhe population cannot be .\ahx arhusculu is a local species,distributed mainly in Breadalbane. counted precrselv,but there are some dense stands on the Reserve. However, other planls are isolated and, in some cases,too tar tiom the nearest plants to produce seed. These are interpreted as remnants of a once bigger population and are very likely to have declined as a result of grazing. In some areas goats rvere grazed during the last century, which may explain the absenceof willows on 'inaccessible'ledges Reinstatement this species is being carried out within the certain otherq,ise of two exclosures. . S. ph.vlict/olia occurs at high altitude, in small Salix n.y'r.sittt.fo1rcr. or probably S. myr.sinrlblia numbers, restricted nlostly to ungrazed sites l o restore these small populations to a viable size, planting has been carried out within our exclosures Exclosures All reinslatenrentofshnrbs needs protectit'rntiom sheep and deer. and therefore projects are carried out within tbnoes.One exclosure. built rn l98i). encloses5 hectaresat an altitude of 700-800 metres '19 Translocatron and Rcinslatemcnt of Plant Soecies abovesealevel.A secondexclosure,built in 1990,encloses25 hectaresat an altitudeof430-630 metresabovesealevel. al_ritude. tbnceenclosesa gorgewith clifi's,subjectto persistent snowlie, and on . The first,^hrgh wtuch a very t'ewwillows remain,includingSalix lapponum,only 2 femaleplants, and Salixmyrsiniplants, 3 including both sexes.One plant of Saiix arbuit:ula survivedwithin this e*ciosure .lolia, Steep.ground within this areais subjectto landslip,therebycreatingthe nichesuitableibr seedling estatlishmentOur projectaimsto boostthe populationof montane-willows on this site.to produci sulicient seedto re-establishthemselveswithih thesenichesas rhey occur. . Our largestexclosureincludesthe gorgeofthe EdramuckfBurn and ertendsto approximately the naturaltree limit. Thereis a survivingwillow populationwhich includesSatixarbilscuto,Salix aurita. Salix mS'rsinifolia,Salix caprea and Salixiepers. However, in all cases,little or no seedis produced,and there are few nichesavailablefor se-edling establishment. Our aim is to restorethe entir€ communityassociatedwith the endangeredshrubsand trees,submontanewoodlandincluding shrubsand tall herbsnative to the site. Speciessuchas ()erunium .rylvatiatm andliollius ,l,rnnneri areincludedin the programme. Propagationand planting for reinstatement Reinstatement work has includedpropagationfrom seed,collectedwithin the NNR if possible,but outwiththe Reseweif necessary, andplantingwithinthe exclosures. Juniperseedis not availablewithin the Reserve, or, as far as I knou,.on anvother sitein Breadalbane.Therefbrean attempt to propagateplants from cutrirlgshas been made,but has met with limrtedsuccess.The fbw sourceplantswilhin the Reservelimits ihe variation success. Propagating from .Willows havebeenpropagatedmainlyfiom seed,with considerable cuttingsis possiblein somespecies,but the amountof sourcematerialavailablelimits-tli poiential. and the numberof plantsrequiredis best obtainedby seed Germinationand growth requiresconsiderablecare,as smallseedlingsare subjectto fungalinfectionsand predationb! slugs.Sebdlingsare grown in root trainers,which permit plantingat one year old. The total numbersplantedin both exclosuresduring l99l and 1992indicaterhe scaleofthe operation.asfollows: Sahx lapponum I,800 Soltx arhuscula 800 Sa I ix myr si n rJbI i al p hv I i c ilo ho 1.200 Salix repens 160 .htniper l6 Retula puhescerts 5t) Monitoring successof reinstated plants Numbers are t<-rolarge for all plants to be nronitored, but a sampleot'100 plants of two speciestn the hrgher exclosure was measuredand monitored one vear after planting. Duiing their first year. | 99 I to I 992, survival was at a rate ol'not less than g]o o and growth at a mian rate"of 570. Preiumably their first year is needed to establishroots amongst the establishedvee.etation. Summary L Reinstatementprojects are now establishedas part of the repertoire of managenent techniqueson Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve,to achievethe objectires of maintainingthe populations of rare species,and the diversity of speciesand comrtrurutieswtlhrn the NNR. 2. The.criteria for selecting species ibr whrch this is necessaryare their status and decline on the National Nature Resenc rather than national or internationalconsiderations. 3. Work has begun with mostly non_-Redl)ata tsook species,but is expecled to develop to include other species.some ofrvhich are listed in the Red Data Book. 4 lhe main constraint on the development ofthis work, the sheepgrazing. is assumedlo be inevitably continued lor the tbreseeablefuture, requrring reinstated trees or-shrubs to be protected bv fbnces. 5L) Translrcation and Reinstatenentof Plant Spccics Acknowledgement 'fhe propagationofseedlingsfor reinstatement ofthe montanewillow specieshasbeenstrongly supportedby voluntary work by Dr fuchard Marriott. I am also gratefulto other Reservestaffand numerousconservationvolunteersfor help with the plantinq. References Mardon,D.K. 1990 Conservation of montanewillow scrubin Scotland.1'rans.lJot.Soc'.Fdinb. 45. 42'7-436 Whitten, A.J. 1990. Recovery:A proposedprogrammefor Britain'sprotectedspeaies.Nature Consen)ancy('ouncil, CSI)Reporl,No. 1089. D K. MARDON, National Trust for Scotland,Fagus.ManseRoad, KILLIN FK2l 8UY PROPAGATION AND TRANSLOCATION OF ORCHIDS* Introduction The Sainsbury Projectwas initiatedat the RoyalBotanicGardens, Kew in 1983 OrchidConservation with the generousbackingofSir Robert and Lady SainsburySince I985 the Projecthasbeensupervised by the SainsburyOrchid Fellow who also liaiseswith EnglishNature, severalcounty naturalist trusts, and other landownerswho supportandtake greatinterestin it. The aim ofthe Projectis to developmethodsto propagatefrom seedsthoseBritishand Europeanorchids whose numbersare greatly reducedfor reintroductionto the wild. One of the inspirations for its inception was a visit to the Orchid Gardenat Gerendalin the Netherlandsby Lynne Farrellfrom EnglishNature.Here, on grassyslopesnot far from Maastricht,thereis a naturalpopulation ofseveralcalcicoleorchidspeciesandothershavebeenintroducedsuccessfully. The techniques ofraising terrestrialorchidsfrom seedswereintroducedto Kew by Mark Clenrents who was secondedtiom the NationalBotanicGarden,Canberra(Clements,Muir and Cribb, 1986).They were developedby HarrietMuir (1987, 1989)andRobertMitchell(1989).Today,they are being usedand refinedby MargaretRamsayand GracePrendergastwith an ever'increasingrange oforchid species.A total of46 British and Europeanand l7 other terrestrialspecieshavegerminated in the laboratory, and the plantletsare at various stagesof growth and development.Forty four specieshave been raisedand transferred10 pots in the greenhouseFive orchid specieshave been re-establishedin wild situationsin Englandand alreadyfour of them have flowered and set seed. progress Thereis still much to do, but this paperreviewsthe basisofthe proi€ctand the considerable that hasbeenmadeso far. Orchidsand mycorrhizalfungi Orchidsproducea very large numberof minute seedswhich are as fine as dust and amongthe smallestseedsof all flowering plants.The dilliculties of germinationand earlydevelopmentof a small and fragile embryohavebeenovercome,in the wild, by an intimatesymbiosisbetweenthe orchid and an appropriatefungus The dispersalof orchid seedsby wind ensuresthat somewill land not too far from the parent plant These'have an excellentchanceofencounteringthe right fungus.Suitablet)-rngi are wideipread in the soil, though researchhasindicatedthat someorchidsare specificin their fungalpartner.Others appearto be capableof using various fungi, and we have isolatedseveralfungi lrom the roots of matureorchidplantswhichwill assistthe germination of variousorchidspecies. The funguspenetrates cell. As the one end of the embryo,usuallythroughits largesuspensor fungalhyphagrows into the innercellsof the embryo,it ficrmscoils calledpelotonswhich,in turn, are graduallydigestedby the orchid plant As the inl-ectionproceeds,the orchid embryogrows rapidlv to form a Drotocormwhich- in due course.develoosa shoot fiom which the leavesand roots arise. fhe fungalhyphaealsoinfecttheyoungrootsandfoim pelotonsin the corticalcellsofthe root. In wild orchidplants,the mycorrhizalfungiarefoundas pelotonsin live andhealthyrootswhich appearcream or yellowish.Usuallythe coils of hyphaeare linked via root hairs to the soil or Translocation and Rcinstatcmcnt o{ Plant SDlrics substratum.It is believedthat the fungusdigestsorganicmaterialsin the suffoundingmediumand the resultingnutrientsdiffi.rseinto the pelotonsfrom which they are obtainedby the orchid. The undergroundparts ofterrestrial orchidsare quite varied,but the fungusis usuallypresentin the roots rather than the tubers or rhizome.The degreeofinfection variesin differentspeiiesand it alsoappearsto be somewhatseasonal. ln manyspecies thereappearsto be heightened activityofthe funguswhile the orchid is at the peakof its vegetativegrowth. Orchidswithlubers usually'donot hold the fungal infectiontkough the dormant season,and the new roots ofthese plantsbecomeinfected from the soil when vegetativegroMh resumeseachyear. Orchidswith rhijomatous growth, ltke (lyprrytedium,seemto harbourfungal activity after the leaveshavedied down, while tbr muchof the year their roots containmassesof starchbut no pelotons.The extentof the dependence of the matureorchidplanton the fungusis still unknown.but it hasbeeninteresting to find that the fungal isolatesthat are most effective for germinationhave been obtainedfrom the most vieorous orchid plants. Fungal isolation Mycorrhizalfungi havebeenisolatedat Kew from the roots and,ratherrarely,the protocormsof Europeanorchid speciesin cultivation. A few roots have been obtainedfrom wild plants,with the landowner'spermission,and from three ofthe scheduledendangeredspeciesunderlicencefrom English Nature.Fungal isolationis not a destructivetechnique,as a sampleof root can be collectedwith minimaldisturbance to the plant(Mitchell,I989, Stewart,t992) So far the fungi havebeen identifiedrather tentativelyas they have only beenseenin the vegetative stat€.ln the past they were all referredto the form genusMizoctonia, but it appearsthat it leasttwo diflerent generaof Basidiomycetesare active as mycorrhizalsymbiontswith the European orchids.For the time beingall the fungi at Kew are known by numbersonly, and F414, isolatedfrom Dactykrhiza iberica groting in the Gardens,is the most useful and vigorousthat hasbeenisolated. We have also used commercially available cultures of the Basidiomycete.(leralohu.sidium corntgerum. Media for seedsowingand germination The major differencesbetweenthe symbioticmethodof raisingorch.idsfiom seedsand the asymbiotic techniqueswhicharecommonlyusedfortropical orchids(Thompson, 1977;Fayetal.,'1992)relate to the presenceof the fungusin the culture. For symbioticsowingsthe mediummust contain sufficient nutrientsfor the fungus as well as the developingorchid seedlings.The seedsmust be sown thiniy, to allow eachprotocorm spaceto developand to ensurethat thele are sufficientnutrientsfor both fungus and seedlings.Cultures must be watchedcarefully so that transfersto new media are madeat the optimaltime for continuedgroMh. For asymbioticsowings.which are oflen madeas a control,the mediausedlbr tropicalorchidsappearto be too rich for the terrestrialspecies. but some successhas beenachievedr.rith l/2 and,l/4 strengthof severalwell known media.A commercially availablemediumcalledTGZ-N is particularlyuseful For the immatureseedsfrom greencapsulei which hasbeena successfultechniquewith ('ypripednrmculceolu.r,a new mediumcafledKew-A has been devised.It is dilute but complex and containspeptoneand potato extract. Full detailsof the media and laboratoryproceduresdevelopedand tested have been publishedrecentlyelservhere (Mitchell,1989;Stewart,1992) Establishingthe seedlingsin the wild Severalsu^ccessful attempts have now been carried out to introduce one and two-year old plants gmergrngfrom the dormantperiod into the wild. Ihe highestsurvivalrateswere obtainedwith plantingsmadein the late autumn. The first trial was madeat WakehurstPlace,Kew's satellitegardenin Sussex,in the autumnof 1987 with Orchis lurJkra. The lax-flowered,or Jerseyorchid, does not occur in mainlandBritain. so it was chosenbecauseit would be easilyrecognisedamongthe ()rt'hs norio and l)ac6,lorhiza speciesin'The Slips'if plantssurvivedthe winter. ln May 1988,therewere sevenplantsin flower, followed.in 1989,by 35 tall spikes.The survivalrateis excellent,more havebeenintroduced,anda total of350 plantshad beenplantedby the endof 1989 Eightl,ofthesewere in flower in May 1992 and 135in May 1993 )L Translocalionand Rcinstatenlcntof Plant Soccies were addedto the wild flower plantingsin'l'he Seventyfive seedlings ol l)act.\,lorhtzu.fuchsii were derivedfrorn seedscollectedat WakehurstPlace I)actl.lorhtza Slips'in 1989.Theseseedlings proetermtssaseedlingshave also beenused in the area known as 'LlangingMeadow' where Sheena McKendrick, a postgraduatestudentfrom CambridgeUniversity is studyingthe ecologicalfactors affectingorchid seedlings. The plantsraisedat Kew serveas one of her studygroupsandthe monitoring of the plantsthat shewill do in the courseof her studieswill providefurtherinformationabout restockingandthe conditionsrequiredlor its succe.ss. Meanwhile,a fbrv plantingsol Ophrys apiferu. Orchis morio and Dactylorhrzapraerermissa havebeentried in a secludedgrassland siteat Kew, where,on the generallygravellysoils,conditions tbr orchidsare much lessfavourable.Severalolantshavesurvivedandflowered. Six seedlingsof ('.yVripgfixp .alt'e,oluiwere plantedat the wild site in autumn 1989,all of which havesurvivedand increased in size.Threeout of six plantedin spring 1990havealsoestabiishedwell In the autumnof 1990,surplusseedlingsof severalcommonspecieswere distributedto the Royal HorticulturalSocietyand the NationalTrust who will try to establishthem in wild flower gardens. Future work Much remainsto be done.As mightbe expected.the rarerorchidsare provingmorediltrcuhto raise than the lessthreatenedones.Work in the laboratoryand glasshousecontinuesto be carefullyco-ordinatedwith observations at all seasons ofthe year. ofplant gro\lth cyclesin the wild andin gardens, New observationsmay lead to smallchangesin methodwhich could generatea markedimprovement in growthor treatmentof seedlings. There has beentremendousinterestin this Projectsinceits inceptionfrom a wide varietyof France,Germany,ltaly, sourcesin the British lslesand Europe.Visitorsliom Finland,Switzerland, Sweden.Denmark,Portugal. Canada,UrutedStatesof Americaand Japanhavecometo the laboratory andglasshouses to learndetailsofthe work. Similarprojectshavesubsequently beenestablished in severalof thesecountries.A specialposterexhibitdescribingthe work hasbeenusedat Orchid 'A Congressesin Cheltenham,Milan and Geneva,and at the exhibition Vision of Orchids'at the Sainsbury Centrefor the VisualArts in Norwich.A displavof the postercombinedwith seedlings at variousstagesof development, includinga fbw in flower,gaineda Silver-GiltLindleyMedalfrom the Royal HorticulturalSocietyat the British Orchid Growers'AssociationShow at Westminsterin March 1989.A similarexhibit,combinedwith examplesof Kew's work on tropicalorchidsby the Micropropogation Unit, was stagedat the l4th World OrchidShowin Glasgowin April 1993,where it was awardedthe Ahmed Sheikhitroohv for the best ScientificiConservation exhibitin the show Perhapsthe mostsisnifrcant visitrirsto the Projecthavebeena few dedicatedcommercial orchid growerswho planto lollow the methodsKew hasdeveloped andraisehardyorchidsfor sale.Negotilbr a 'royalty'on thesesalesto be paidto Kew'.We hopethat thiswill acknowlationsare proceeding edge and advertisethe results achievedby the SainsburyOrchid ConservationProject and help to supportfurther research. References M A., Muir, H. and Cribb. P.J., 1980.Preliminary repo( on the synbioticgerminationof Clenrents, Eurooeanorchids.Kev'lJutlelin1l 137-45 Fay,M.F, DuPuy,B. andtsowling,J.C , 1992 Propagation fiom Seed.In Stewart,J., (ed ) OrchrtLs alKerv. HMSO London,pp 68-74 Mitchelf,R.8., 1989.Gro*,inghardyorchidsfiom seedsatKew. lhe I'lanlsmqnll(-l). 152-69 Muir. H.M, l987 Symbioticmicropropagationof Orchtsloxr.flora IheOrchidlleview95.2'l-9 Muir, H.M., 1989.Germinationand mycorrhizaltunguscompatibilityin Europeanorchids.ln Pritchard, H.W. (ed.1Modern Methods in ()rchid ('onservotton.CambridgeUniversityPress.pp. 39-56 Stewart,J (ed.) 1992 ()rchidsat Kev' HMSO London 155pp. Stewart, J andMitchell.R B, l99l TesttubeorchidsI he (jardcttll6(1) 32-6 T'hompson, P.A., 1977 ()rchitls./romJgcc/ RovalBotanicGarden,Kew. WakehurstPlace.rHMSO, 29 pp * Basedon a paperby JoyceStewan(1993).'The Sarnsbury OrchidConservation Project:the first ten years'publishedin l he Keu'Magazire l0 ( l ). l8-43 JOY('E STEWARI. Sainsbury OrchidFellow,RovalBotanc Gardens, Kew 5.1 Translocationand Rcinstatemenlof Plant SDecies GENETIC DIFFERENCESBETWEENPOPT]LATIONS OF RARE PLANTS. IMPLICATIONS FOR RECOVERYPROGRAMMES Nearlyall therareplantspecies thatarelistedin theBritishandIrish RetlDataRooksareonlvlocal rarities,rarehere.but commonelsewhere in Europe.We haveveryfew endemicspecies, andvery few absoluterarities,exceptamongcriticaltaxa. The patternsofgenetic variation'inthe scattered populationsof our local rarities are often cluesto their historv. and may tell fascinatineevolutionarv and ecologicalstories,but are still largelyunknown. Patternsofgeneticdifferentiation in rareplantsdependon severall'actors:their breedingsystem, reproductive biologyand life-history,the history.size,structureand degreeofisolationoft[eii locai populations;natural selection;and perhapsalsohybridizationwith otheitaxa. Nearlyall thesefactors vary much more in plantsthan in animals.Effectsrelatedto breedingsystemand populationstructure rangefrom the near-completeabsenceof geneticvariation in apomicts(lor exampieHierat'tum. Limonium and Sorbus microspecies)through the steppedpattern of variation of autogamousspecies with poor dispersal(for exampleOnonis reclinala), to the intemrptedclinesand exteisive stochastic variationof -partialor completeoutbreeders with small isolated'populations (for exampleMibora m_inima);A few geographicallyrestrictedor sparseoutbreedingraie specieswith exceptionallygood dispersal(for examplesomeorchidswith dust-likeseeds,and some'waterside olanti disoeiseid bv waterfow.l)may maintainoverallgene-flowand more normalpatternsolcontinuousecociinalvariation.and local adaptation,but most outbreedingrare plant speciesare likely to show patternsof varialion.whichare disjunct,partly stochasticand often highlydiverse In_plantconservationand recoveryprograrnmes,knowledgeofthe breedingsystemand the pattern ofgenetic variation ofthe speciesthat are involvedis a basicand essentiafrequirement (Fali<& Holsinger1991,Karron 1991)and shouldbe regardedas a priority Sincerheseiundamentally important biological factors can be.so different in plants,conceptsof'minimum viable population-size, samplesizeand breeding. strategies denvedfronr studiesol animalpopulalronsrnay'betorallyinappropriateand misleading in plantconservarion work (Templetonl99i).' Knowledgeofthe breedingsystem,reproductive biologyandpatternofgeneticdifferentiation of a,rareplanttaxon is essentialnot only lor a recoveryprogrammeto havea reil chanceofsuccess,but also to avoid.endang:ring exrstingpopu_lations and losing,contaminating or distortingthe existing pattern of variation. This is often in itself an evolutionaryand historicaldocumentof*great interesi value,.not and only in absolutelyrare species,but also, and perhapsespecially,in locally-rarespecies, for examplein l)raba aizoide.s,Ononi.sreclirnta andMibora minimain Britain (John"& Kay 1989. I 9 9 0 .J o h nI 9 9 2 y Patternsofgeneticvariationin and amonglocalpopulations cannow be screened andmonitored rapidly in plant speciesby modem moleculariechniques,especiallythe inexpensiveand non-invasive (eg Lack &-Kay rb8Z, 1988.Schial, Leverich& Rogstad !l.!-ryq,.legf pozy19 electrophoresis l99l) Analysisof-DNA polymorphism by varioustechniques, particuiarlythoseinvolvingPCR'amplification(Amos& Hoelzel1992)is potentiallymoresensitive ihan isozymeelectrophoreiis but is at presentimpracticably expensive andtime-consuming Genetic adaptation and the causesof rarity: the hazards of translocationand unconscious selectionin recoveryprogrammes AJthoughth.epatternsofgenetic.variationin disjunctpopulationsofrare plant speciesare ofgreat interestin themselves and are of basicimportancein conservation programmes,'nrost conservition and monitoringstudiesof rareplantsin Britainhavebeenconcerned-mainly or exclusivelv with their (eg S).ngelq8 l. Whirtenl9q0) and hare considered demography and e^cology gcnetic\ariation only incidentally,if at all. Failureto screenor monitorgeneticvariationis a seriois omission,and createsa.varietyof risks in lranslocationand recoveryprogrammes, includingthe introductionof inappropriate genotypes andthe distortionofunique,informaiir,e andirreplaceadle naturalpatremsof vanatlon. Plantspeciesmaybe rarelbr a_variety ofreasons,oftencombinedin variousways.Somespecies are rareor absentbecauseof a lack of dispersal. 1'hisgroup includespotentialcolonisers; introduction of suchspeciesto an areaor site wheie theywerepreviouslyabsentrlay be easy.but oftenhas unforeseen and undesiredconsequen€es, which can includethe'reductionor perhapsextinctionof speciesthat previouslygrew theie. T'hespeciesthat are displacedare likelv to be ihose that were alreadyrare lt is nol alwaysappreciated lhat translocations of rarespecies b'etween reti:c,esilesmav alsohavethis effecr.displacingolherrarespecies. 54 Translocationand Reinstatementof Plant SDecies Large-scaleexamplesof the effectsof introducingpreviouslyabsentalien speciesare provided by the fate of the native floras of oceanicislandslike Hawaii and New Zealand.which have been devastatedboth by the introduction of alien herbivoresand pathogensand by the introduction of competitivelysuperioralien plant species.A familiarexampleof the sameeffect in Britain is provided by the spreadof Rhododendronponticun,. In the secondand third groups.rare plant speciesthat grow in specialisedand rare habitats,and local rarities at the edge of the range of the species,individual populationsare likely to consistof genotypesthat are particularly well-adaptedto local conditions, especiallyin geneticallyvariable outbreedingspecies.In addition,the genotypiccompositionofsuch populationsmay be a uniqueand irreplaceabledocumentoftheir historyand relationships,as for examplein Draba aizoidesandMibora minima. Such populationsare particularlywlnerable not only to the introductionof alien genotypes of the same species,but also to the geneticchangesthat may take place among nalive genotypesduring both in srtu andex sltl breedingand recoveryprogrnmmes. The introduction of inappropriatealien genotypes(which should, in the absenceof genetic screening,be assumedto include genotypesfrom other populationsof the samerare species,even within the samelocal geographicarea) is an obvious hazard,which shouldnow be well understood from examplesin animalconsewationprograrnmes.The risks of changesamongnativegenotypesare lesswidely understood.They may result eitherfrom stochasticchangesdue to samplingerror during collectionof breedingmaterialand the various stagesof propagatior\or from unconsciousselection for poorly-adaptedgenotypes.This may occur both during active in situ conservationprogrammes, for exampleby relaxation of selectionthrough measureswhich favour the survival of the target species,and during er sllz breedingprograrnmeswhich will favour genotypesadaptedto succeedin artificial conditions. Examplesofpoorly-adaptedgenotypesthat may be favouredincludethosewith smallbut numerous seeds,those with reducedseeddormancy,thosewith low allocationto defence,those with precociousgrowth and flowering, and those with increasedself-compatibilily.Such alteredgenotypes may be unableto establishnew populations,and their reintroductionto the original populationmay overwhelmits precariouslywell-adaptedgene-pool. The genetic hazardsof well-conductedactive conservationprogrammesare much smaller in homozygousinbreederswith monomorphicpopulations,1r'keOnonisreclinala in Britain (John 1992) or Su{raga cespitosain North Wales (Parker 1981) and in apomictic microspecieslike Jbr}as leyana. In additionto the likelihoodofunconsciousselection, in all exceptthe best-conducted breeding programmesthere is much potentialfor confusion geneticcontamination(especiallyhybridisationin outbreeders)and mislabelling,if plants from severalpopulationsof the samespecies,or of related speciesbetweenwhich gerre-flowis possible,are grown or processedtogether.A simplesolution is to grow plants from only one population of each speciesat any one time. perhapscombinedwith precautionary geneticscreening. Dangersof a differenttype arisein all activeconservationprogrammesinvolvingex situ cultivation, {iom the unintentionalintroductionof alien speciesof plant. herbivoreand pathogento wlnerable populationsof rare species,or their inclusionin newly establishedpopulations.At the genetic level, somepopulationsofgeneticallyvariablerare speciesmay be ableto adaptto new pathogensor herbivores(includingnewly introducedgenotypesofexisting pathogensor herbivores)but in general rare speciesare likely to be particularlyvulnerable. Populationsizeand structure in decliningspecies In speciesthat havebeenrare for a long period oftime, populationsizeand structureare often essentially stable.or changeonly slowly.Speciesthat haverecentlybecomerare('newrare'species, Franklin & Sould l98l), or are decliningtowardsrarity,show differentand much lessstablepattemsof populationstructure.In these.geneiicd.ili, inbreedingand other potentiallydeleterioussmall-population effects tend to hasten the extinction of small oooulations.Geneticallvvariable outbreedins speciesshowtheseeffectsmost seriously.Variousestimiteshavesuggested ihat effectivesampleoi population sizes ol at least 50 are requiredto avoid harmful loss of genetic variation in the short term, althoughit hasrecentlybeenarguedthat smallpopulationsofplants growing in stressfulconditions may lose variation more slowly than those growing in more benignconditions,becauseof the greatersurvivalofheterozygotes(Lesica& Allendorf 1992). Non-geneticeft-ectsmay also causeextinctionof populationsbelow a certainsize,and it should that iftwo rarespeciesthat co-occurin extensivesitessharemuchthe sameecologibe remembered cal niche,or interactin other poientiallymutuallyexclusiveways,only one ofthem may be ableto 55 Translocationand Reinstatementof Plant SDccics maintaina viablepopulationin a refugeof limitedarea.Both geneticselectionand stochastic variation are likely to affect the chancesof survivalof an individualpopulation,but populationsthat survive.ard especially thosethat maintainor increasetheir numbers.are likelv to be thosethat are genetically bestadaptedto do so. Speciesthat are rapidly decliningtowardsrarity, tbr exampieI'icitt orobu:;and other low.iand ancient-grassland presentthe mostsevereconservation species, problems.theirdeclineis ollen dueto rapidandprogressive ecologicalchangeswhicharedifficultto halt andmaybe impossible to reverse. The rate and extent oftheir declinemav not be realisedbecauseofthe timelae and tustoricalbiasof plantrecords Hereagain.geneticscre-ening is rhe mosteffectivemeanstbr ditectingthe patternof' variationand the seriousness of the geneticproblems,and fbr evaluatinsand monitoringpossible (Kay & John1992). conservation measures References Amos,B. & Hoelzel,A R ( t992) Applicationof moleculargenetictechniques to the consen'ation of smallpopulations.Biologtcal ('onseruation6l . 133-144 Curtis, T.G.F. & McGough,I{N (1988). l'he lri.th lled Dota Book. l. L'ascularPlants. Dublin, StationeryOftice. Falk, D.A. & Holsinger,K.E. (1991).(ieneticsand ('onservationof Rare Plants. Oxford.Oxfbrd UniversityPress. Franllin,O.H. & Soule,M.E. ( 198l). Conservation andevolution.Cambridge, CambridgeUniversitv Press. John,R. ( 1992).Geneticvariation.reproductivebiologyand conservation in isolatedpopulations of rareplantspecies. Ph.D.thesis,Universityof Wales,Swansea. John,R. & Kay, Q.O.N. (1989) Populationstructureand interrelationships in a rareBritish annual grass,Mibora minima(L.) Desv.B^!81-ly'ev,.s 51. 49 John, R. & Kay, Q.O.N (1990) l)raha aizoidesin Britain - glacial relic or gardenescape?R.tRl ly'ew.r54: 49. Karron,J.D. (1991).Patternsofgeneticvariationandbreedingsystems in rareplantspecies. ln D.A. Falk & K.E. Holsinger(Eds.).()eneticsand ('on,servation ol Rare I'lqnts.87-98. Oxford,Oxford UniversityPress. Kay. Q.O.N. & John,R.F. (1992).l'oJntlatrottgeileticstutd demopttphrcecoktpXt o/ somescarce anl declining vasculctrplant.so;f Welshkt'lmrd grasslalcl. Report to CountrysideCouncil for Wales,Bangor. Lack, A.J. & Kay, Q.O.N (1987).Geneticstructure,geneflow and reproductiveecologyin sand dunepopulationsof Polygala vtlgoris..lournal tl l,coIogl 75.259-276. Lack, A.J. & Kay, Q.O.N. (1988). Allele frequencies, geneticrelationships and heterozygosrty in Poll'gala urlgoris populationsfiom contrastinghabitatsin southemBritain. llktlogrcal .Journal ol theLmneonSocien,34.ll9-117. ('on.ten)(ttton Lesica.P. & Allendorf.F.W. (1992).Are smallpopulations of plantsworth preserving'., R i o l o g t 6 :1 3 5 - 1 3 9 . P a r k'lhe e r , D . M . ( 1 9l )8. T h e r e - i n t r o d u c t i o nSoaf r i l r a g a c e s p i t o s a t o N o r t h W al nl eHs. S y n g e ( E , d ) . Biological Aspecls of Rare Plant ('onserr,.tlirzr.506-508. Chrchester& New Yoik. John Wiley& Sons. Perring,F.H. & Farrell,t.. (,l983).Brttish lletj l)utu Rooks:I. I'asculurPlants.2nd edn. Lincoln. RoyalSocietyfor NatureConservation Schaal, B.A, Leverich,W.J.& Rogstad,S.H (1991).Comparison genetic of methods 1brassessing variationin plant conservation biology. tn D.A Faik & KE Holsinger(Eds.),Oenitrcstnul ('onsen'dtionof llare I'lont.s l2l- 11.1. Oxfbrd.Orford UniversityPress Synge,H. (1981). Ihe btologtculospecl.\of rat'eplant conscnutrr.il.Chichester & New York. John Wiley& Sons Templeton,A.R. (1991).O11'-site breedingof animalsand implicationsfbr plantconservation straregies. In D.A. Falk & K.E. Holsinger (Eds), (ienctils and ('onseivatiort of llare Plants 182-194Oxford.Oxfbrd UniversitvPress. Whitten,A.J. (1990).Recoverv.A proposedprogranrnre for Britain'sprotecredspecies. Nuture('on('ourrcil,('Sl) Report.No. I 089 .tervenc.t' Liniversity of Wales,SWANSF.A SA2 8PP QUENTIN KAY, Schoolof BiologicalSciences. 5b Nolices (Noil BSBI) N OT IC E S(N ONB S BI) STACE',S NEW FLORA of the BRITISH ISI.ES A Dutch correspondenthas pointed out to me a very unfortunateerror in the 1992reprint that was introducedby the printers.The captionon page974 (the third pageof ('arex utricles)is a repeatof the onefrom page967 (the secondpageof ('arex utricles).This errorremainedundetected because I was not given the opportunity of checkingproofs of the 1992 reprint, which I greatly regret. The origina.ll99l printingis correct.A seconderrorintroducedby the printersoccurson page214 ofthe reprint, where the right hand edgeofthe pagewas cut off; the marginalR and RR shouldread RR and RRR resDectivelv. Copiesoi the coirect captionlor page974 maybe obtainedliom me IiOC on receiptof a SAE. CLIVE A STACE, Cringlee.ClaybrookeRoad, l-rllesthorpe,LUTTERWORTII, Leicestershire REHABII,ITATTON OF RIVERS An internationalworkshop to be held at the InternationalCentre ofLandscapeEcologr, LoughboroughUniversity l6-18 December1993 River managers,ecologists,engineers,hydrobiologistsand related professionalswill find this workshop of value in comingto terms with the implementation of river rehabilitation. Topicsto be includedare Limitationsto river rehabilitation. Tncentives andobjectives Europeancasestudieswith examples ofchannel,riparianzoneandflood plainprojects Developingstrategiesand defendingthe way forward. Iherewill alsobe sitevisitsto experience projectsfirst hand. rehabilitation Papers(presentations and posters)are alsoinvitedwhich it is plannedto publishas a volumein the \Niley Lanlstttpe Etoh,gt series. For furtherdetailspleaseu,riteto the addressbelow. GILL GILES, ICOLE, Dept of Geography,LoughboroughUniversity,LOUGFIBOROLIGH, Leics.. LE I I iTU {Tel 0so9-22,30r2;ax 0s09-2607s3 f DR A.N. BERKUTENKO Furtherto my note in the last issueof BSBI Nev's,Dr Berkutenkowishesto inlbrm prospective correspondentsthat, becausethe post to her in Russiatakes 2-3 monthsto arrive, any corespondencein connectionwith her botanicaltour to Misunderstandins Islandshouldbe addressed to her as tbllows Dr A N Berkr-rtenko, cio RichardL Baldwin,Seedsof Alaska,Box -l 127, Kenai,Alaska9961I, USA. Dr Berkutenkois alsoinvolvedin a commercialventure(The Luny SeedCompany,Box 14,Ekaterinburg620008,Russia)to marketseedsof wild flowersof Siberiaand RussianFar East,including RussianFar-Eastern alpineand rock gardenplantsand would be gratefulfor any advicemembers maybe ableto offer on how to reachthe retailmarketin the UK. (' JEFFREY.RoyalBotanicGardens,Kew. RICHMOND, Surrey,TWg 3AB 57 N o t i c c st N o n B S B I ) CARf,ERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT National Conference- l3 October 1993 Workshop- l6 November1993 BP BritannicTower.London Background publicattentionover the pastlew years.lt is The environment is an areawhichhasgainedincreasing also an areawhere careeropportunitieshavebeenexpandingand diversilying.yet there is little readily availableinformationon careerroutes,suitablequalifications, and the typesof work availablein the environment. Target audiences All t-hose interested in careerswith environmental asoects Careersadvisorsin HE/FE Courseoroviders Localauthorities careersservices Trainersin industryand emplovmentagencies TrainingandEnterpriseCouncils(TECs) Personnel managers Topics Environmental careers oooonunrtres requiredfoi industry,environmental, NGOs.government andstatutorybodies Qualifications Profbssional organisations Sourcesofinformation,includingpublications, databases andorganisations For funherinformationpleasecontact MONICA HALE, Facultyof Human Sciences. London GuildhallUniversity,CalcuttaHouse.Old CastleStreet.LONDON E l 7NT ]'el 071-320-l l24 Fax 07 1-320-ll2l WOODRINE- FLORA BRITANNI(]ANEWSLETTER Ilindbtne is the newsletter from Flora Britannica. It's intention rs to give a progress report on the project and to encourage wider participation.. Copies olthe original handbook are also available,as are F-loraBntannica posters, intended for displav in public places,these are monochrome and come in A'4 and A-l sizes For a FREE copy olany or all ofthe above. pleaservnte to FLORA tsRl] ANNICA. ('ommon Ground. 4l Shelton Street. LONDON WC2H 9HJ LI('TIENSFORVEGET.4RI,E DYEING I was interested to read N{aura Scannell'snote crn Erleen tsolton in IJS!Jl Nevs 62 (19921. I had the pleasure of co-editing the new edition of her book Ltchen.s.fbrtr'egetuhfuI)yetng. that was published in 1991. Anyone interested in ordering a copy should write to' Robin and Russ Handweavers lnc., 533 Nonh Adams Street, McMinnville. Oregon, USA 97 I 28, price approx $ 12 00 US I am working on a history of lichen dye use liom i000 B.C to the present day and would be delighted to learn ifthere is anv inlerest in this subject amongst BSBI menrbers KARL.N LEIGH CASSELMAN. Research Associate. Natural llistory. Nora Scotia Museunr. 1747 Summer Street. HA-LIFAX. Nova Scotia B-lH 3Ab [Ms Casselman has been kind enough to donate a copy of her book to the BSBI l-ibrary. anvone interestedin borrowing it should write to me. Ed.] s8 Rcquests R E QT IE S T S 0RCHIS USTUI.ATA I have been researchinginto the life-cycle of the Burnt Orchid (Orcirs ustulata) fbr a number of years.Thishasbeencaried out understrictlycontrolledconditions. with any memberswho may haveundertakensimilartesearch. I would welcomecorrespondence 'my' plantsis My particularinterestis in the seed-podsuccessrate. The productionof seed-podsby very poor and I would be extremelyinterestedin the experiencesof others in differentparts of the country. RONALD KELI, Birdwood, HarmbV,L€YBURN ORORANCHE SEED WANTED I would be most gratefulif any BSBI memberscould supplyme with a smallquantityof freshseedof anyOrobanchespecieswhich they may havein cultivation. Thankyou. Universityof Newcastle ANNE T. PICKERING,Departmentof BiologicalandNutritionalSciences, uponTyne,NEI 7RU STEI,LARIA fuIEDIA AND S" NEGI,ECTA At LancasterUniversityI am working on elucidatingthe cause(s)ofthe ecologicalseparationofthe closely related Stellaila medio and S. neglecta.The fact that thesetwo taxa are closely relatedis undeniableand has ollen resultedin their confusionwhere large S. medio is fbund growing at the shadyend ofits rangeofhabitats. Generallythough,there is a sfunificantecologicalseparationwhich is quite striking. with the former the familiar weed and the latter a somewhatrarer woodland edgeihedgerowspecies.I would be extremelygrateful if anyonewould be preparedto let me have can usefullyproceed. someliving material(plantsor seeds)of S neglecta.so that this investigation Grid references,or other meansoflocating the collectionpointswould alsobe valuable. ANDREW FAIREY, Departmentof Biological Sciences,University of Lancaster,LANCASTER LAI 4YQ BETTY SWAINSON'S PLANT-Rf,CORDS - A LOST BOOK In Liverpool nearly ninety years ago A.A. Dallman bought for twopence a copy of Mavor's lhe Ladv's and (.ientleman'sBotanical Pockel-Book(1800) which had belongedto Betty Swainson, eldest daughterof J.T. Swainsonand halt:sisterof the naturalistWilliam Swainson.She had annofor Mersevside.datine from 1816onwards.Theserecords tated the book with her Dlant-records andaie ofhistoricinteresl considerably anledatethe earliesrLiverpoolFlora("18-19) t shouldlike to locatethis book whichdid not reachLivemoolMuseumwith muchof Dallman's in 1949when he wrole to me aboutit, but its present library.lt was still in Dallman'spossession homeis unknown. Cananyonehelp? NORA McMILLAN, The Nook,!p!q 59 Rcqucsts/ Researchand Tra\el Grants ,IYMPHqRI('ARPOS AI,IJUS"DOESIT SPREADBY ST]EDIN THE BRITISH ISLES? I am preparin-ean accounl ol'this species lor the Rioloyttol l;loru and there are sltll some very basic questions that remain unanswered,for erample, does it spread by seed in the UK'l I wrote to ten of the most active members of the BSBI whom I knew had an interest in alien species, two of them reported having seen occasional seedlings in SE England but did not know if they ever greu into mature olants. I would like to hear fiom any members who have observed seedlingsof this plant in the UK or who have germinated seed collected in this country. OLIVER GILBERT. 42 Tom Lane. SHEFFIELD S J0 3 PB BTIT(]HI.]R'S-BROOM ocilledtus) in W.J. Beans' lrees aril:hrubs hartlv'in lhe ln the account fbr Butcher's-broom (Rlr,rclr,s ' l|ritish lsles, Bean states fhe flower bud lbnns early in the year and opens in spring'. u hich is rather vague. Butcher's-broom was certainly in flower here (Exeter) at the end of January. Some fbrms appsr to be good at producing fruit but in Exeter not a single plant has produced more than a lew fruits in the last f'ew years. Some plants I saw in the Crimea, near to Yalta, in May 1992 also showed little evidence of fruiting. I am interested in the genus lluscus. and would be delighted to hear tiom anyone who grows any of the speciesor cultivars with a view to discoverinrrhow widely cultivated thcy arc. I would also bc grateful for inlornration on vellorv or white fir-ritedspecimensor any with variegatedleaves. DAVID CANN. ESt. ClvdesdaleRoad. Universitv of Exeter. E-XETER. Devon R S E A R C IIA N D T R A V E I,GRANTS FOR SMALL PRO.IE(]TS FINAN(]IAL STJPPOR'T WILF-NEI,SONRTIMBTJRSARY On 14 September a lataltall whilecarrying 1989Wilf Nelsonsuli'ered out roulinesurvevworkas N C C w a r d e n o n t h e l s l a n do f R u m N N R Wilfhad alreadv contributed a great deal to nature consenation, both on Rum and elservhere,in his shon career and such was the widespread t-eelingof loss amongst his many lriends and colleagues that a memorial fund was established. fhis fund, which is still open fbr donations. now stands at around J6,000 and with the support of Wilfs widow. Rosemary,i1 was decided to establisha Bursary which will be used to support small research/sun'evprojects centred on Rum. Applications fbr linancial support are therelbre invited lor individual projects to be carried out during 1993 Pref'erencewill be given to studies on the natural environment of Rum, particularly its wildlife, but consideration will also be given to projects dealing with conservation management.including education and interpretation. lt seemslikelv that around i600 will be availablefor dispensing during 1992 A brief summan of the project proposal and estrmatedcosts should be sent irutially to the Reserve Manager, The Reserv'eO11ice,lsle bf num. PH4-i 4RR and should arrive by 3 | Maich | 994 Further inquiries to MARTIN CLTRRY ReserveManager. Runr 10687 2t)26.1 'fhe CHRIS l:Al'OLiGH, Area l\{anager - Lochaber. Skye and Lochalsh. SNH, I'v{arnoreflouse. P a r a d e ,F O R I W I L I - I A M P l l 3 3 6 8 A ( 0 i 9 7 7 0 4 7 1 6 ) 6(.) Research and Travel Grants / Book Notcs THE OLEG POLUNIN MEMORIAT, FUND Applicationsare againinvited for awardsltom The Oleg Polunin MemorialFund. Full detailsof the Fundandapplicationdetailsweregivenin BS,tslNev's58: 47, Sept 1991. Applicants should apply in writing to the Headmasterof Charterhouseat the addressbelow, giving a clear statementabout their proposedfield studies,where they will be undertakenand when. Priority will be given to applicantswith Charterhouseconnectionsbut other personswith strong Theclosingdatelor applications is lst Februbotanicalor biologicalinterestswill alsobe considered. ary eacnyear. Recentrecipientsof awards l99l - Karold Marhold, lnstitute of Botany of the Slovak Academyof Sciences,Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.Grant towards his own project 'The geil)s ('drdamine L. in the Carpathianand Pannonianregion (biosystematicstudy)'. - PalmerNewbould, taught by Oleg Polunin.Ecologicalresearchin northem Majorca. A.lso hopesto producean annotatedplant list for the Albufera. - David Bagley,CambridgeBA. Research volunteerin the Seychelles for the Royal Society for NatureConservation on the islandofAride. Exampleoftropicalislandin nearpristinestate 1992- Roger Hyam, Photographer,ReadingUniversity.To studyplant life in the WesternHimalayas whereOles Poluninvisitedin 1960. -JonathanMiller, Undergraduale Botanistin secondyear at Oxford University.University Expeditionto Nepalto studyOrchid Ecology. - SallyFrancis,ScientificOflicer of the Oxford UniversityExpeditionto FireweedMountain in Alaska. - Five undergraduatebiologistsfrom Oxford airningto studyvegetationand smallherbivorous mammalsin the SouthWestslooeof FireweedMountain. l99i - RebeccaRowe.First yearPhD studentat Oxford Universitystudyingthe populationbiology of the endemicflora of St Helena. - Dr Virginiavan der Lande UniversityResearch Fellowstudyingveivetwormsand leeches in New Guinea. - Martin Gardner.Managerof the Conifer ConservationProgramme,Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh- grant towards expeditionto Chile to continuework alreadyundertakenon conifer consenationandcollectionofseedsetc. PETERATTENBOROUGH. M A.. Charterhouse. GODALMING. SurrevGU7 2DI BOOK NOTES Reviewsof the followingbookswill be includedin the February1994issueof l|'atsoniavol. 20(I ): 'Ihe ttnt'tse ()x.lbrd dtttionon'ol Rtttuttl' Edited by M. Allaby. Pp. vi + 442 Oxfbrd University Press, Oxford l992. Pricef18.95Vb (ISBN0-19-866163-0). 16 99 p,rb(ISBN0-19-286094-l) I'he vegetationof ultramafic (serpenrine)soi1s.Edited by A.J.M. tsaker,J. Proctor & R.D. Reeves. Pp.xx + 509;illustratedwith 7 colourandnumerousb/w plates.Intercept,Andover.1993.Price 'I f.41.50 h/b (ISBN 0-e46707-62-6) he eternal.tev' T. Baxrer Pp. 192,ill The Self-Publishing Association, HanleySwan.1992.Price whtspers.lliof,19 50 (ISBN l-85421-148-X)Jointlyreviewedwith lhe )'ev)tree.A tfuru.yurul raphl'r1fa speciesH Hartzelljnr Pp.xvi + 320, ill. Hulogosi,Oregon.PriceUS$ 19.95([SBN 0-938493-14-0 o,&) I'hylogenyond clas.syfication of the Orchid.family. R.L. Dressler.Pp. 3i4; 96 colour & numerous b/w ill. DioscoridesPress& CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge.1993 Price 135 (ISBN 0--s2I -45058-6) Book notes Kvetena CeskeRepbliky (I'lora of the CzechRepuhlic).Edited by S Hejny & B Slavik. Vol. 1. - Urticaceae.1988.Pp. 557 with numerousline drawings.Vol. 2. FagaceaeHuperziaceae - Malvaceae. Pp. Empetraceae. Pp. 540 with numerousline drawings.1990.Vol. 3. Brassicaceae 542 wlth numerous line drawings. 1992 Academia, Praha Price not stated (ISBN 80-200-0256r ). Nouvelleflore de la Belique,du nord de la lirance et desrdgronsvoisines.4thedition.J. Lambinon, J.-E. De Langhe,L. Delvosalle& J Duvigneaud Pp cxx + 1092:ill Editions du Patrimoniedu Jardin botaniquenational de Belgique,Meise. 1992 (rec. 1993). Price BEF 1,720 (ISBN 'fhe 90-72619-O'7-2) quillworls and horselailsof the Rrilish Isles. lern guide. A field guide to the.ferns,clubmo,sses, J. Merryweather& M Hill. Pp. l0l-188, with numerousdrawingsand 29 colour plates AIDGAP, Field Studies Council, Preston Montford 1992. Price 15.25 incl. P&P (ISBN l - 8 5 1 5 3 - 2l -r0 ) Supplementto h'lorq o/ (lheshire. A. Newton. Pp 52; privately published,LeamingtonSpa. l99l Price15.75o/b No ISBN. MarianneNorth qt Kev,Gardens.L. Ponsonbv.Pp. 128.with i28 colour and 4 b/w illustrations. Webb& Bower,in association with the RoyaltiotanicGardens.Kew. I 990 Pricef. i 5 95 ( ISBN 0-86350-309-8) Stearn'sdtctionary of plant namesfor gardeners.W.T. Stearn.Cassell,London. 1992.Pp. [viii] + 363 Pricef.l6 99 (ISBN 0-304-34149-5) Red data booksof Britain and lreland: Stonev'orts.N.F. Stewart& J.M. Church Pp. 144; l4 colour photographs.Joint Nature ConservationCommittee,Peterborough,1992. Price t15 (ISBN t-873701-24-t) 1'utin,N.A.Burges, l"loraEuropaea,vol.l:PsilotaceaetoPlatanaceae.2ndedition.EditedbyT.G. A O. Chater,J R. Edmondson,V.H Heywood,D.M. Moore, D.H. Valentine,S M. Walters& D.A Webb,assisted editedby R R Mill Pp xlvi by J R Akeroyd& M.E Newton Appendices + 581, with 5 maps. CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge.1993 Price.tlOO (ISBN 0-52r -41007-x) Origtn arul geographt,of cultivatedp/anls. N.l. Vavilov; translatedby D. Love. Pp. rrxiii + 498,28 line drawings.33 half+ones CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge 1992 Price 175 (ISBN 0-52t-40427-4) The following publicationshavebeenreceivedrecently.Thosethat will not be reviewedin lilatrcnia are markedwith an asterisk;unsignednotesare by J.E. I4/ildorchids of Scotland.B. Allan & P.J.B. Woods; photographyby S Clarke. Pp [vii] + 135, ill. H.M.SO, Edinburgh. on the occasion 1993 Pricet24.95(ISBN0-ll-494246-3)[Published of guideto the speciesof the World OrchidCongressin Glasgowin May 1993,this photographic 'l'heorchid which are nativeto Scotlandwas preparedat the Royal BotanicGarden,L,dinburgh.] sanddune.s ol the Seftoncodsl Editedby D. Atkinson& J. Houston.Pp. xiv + 194;l2 colour& numerousb/w illustrations.National Museums& Gallerieson Mersevside.l-iveroool. 1993. PriceIl9 75 [Thisis an accountofthe proceedings held ofthe SeftonCoast-Research Seminar. in Liverpoolin 1991.lt containschapterson the history,geomorphology, soils,vegetation. flora and faunaof the Seftoncoastaldunes,whichconstitutethe largestareaof opendunelandscape in England, and ends with a section on dune use and management.There is a 22-page bibliography l (ireek wild /kwers and plant kre rn ancienl (jreece. H. Baumann;translated& augmentedby W.1'. & E.R. Stearn.Pp.252;482 illustrations,most in colour. The HerbertPress,London. 1991. (ISBN l-871569-57-5). Price1,16.95 accountofthe economicbotany [This is a pocket-sized and ethnobotanyof Greece,ancientand modern.It will appealto a wide readershipon account of its meticulousscholarshipand lavish colour photographs,the plate numbersof which are 'I'he role ofplantsin Greekart, medicineandscienceis recountedin cross-referenced in the text. considerable detail,andthereis an excellentbibliography andindex.l Medilerraneanwrld.flov,ers.M. Blamey& C. Chey-Wilson. Pp. 560, with 173pp of colour plates illustrating1,500speciesHarper-Collins, London 1993 Price f.25 (ISBN 0-00-219901-7) [This attractivebook will give enormouspleasureto all interestedin the wild flowers of the Mediterranean; with over 2,500 speciesdescribed. it is splendidlycompactand comprehensive 'Ihe (but ill-advisedly describedon the dustjacketas a "complete"guide). definitionsofEastern Book Notes/ Adrertrsements and Westem Mediterraneanin the introduction and some of the speciesdistributionnotes are somewhatconfusing,with Crete and the Aegeanlslandsbeing includedas WesternMediterra- Mary Briggs nean.l BritishPlantLife. a new seriesof bookletsDroducedbv the BotanvDeoartment of the NationalMuseumof Wales The first two titlesare *,Ulo,sse.s qnd Livervrtrl.sof Woodland;a guide lo someof the atmmone,slspecies.A R Perry. Pp. 41;29 b/w photographs. NM.W, Cardiff 1992.Pnce L295 (ISBN 0-7200-0362-8) ['A simple,photographicguide to someof tbe more commonmossesand liverworts to be found in woodlandsin the BritishIsles."- from Introduction.l +AliensintheRritrshl-'l<tra: anacc'ountofsomeofour'plantinvaders. R.G.Ellis Pp.48,44colour photographs. N.M.W, Cardiff. 1993 Pricef3.50 (ISBN 0-7200-0374-l).[A selectionof some of the more interestingexamplesof plant introductions,with short descriptiveparagraphsaccompaniedby high-qualitycolour photos,sketchmapsofdistribution and 1iequencyin the British Isles, and a world map showing area of origin. Inexpensive,and attractivelydesigned,this bookletdeserves to be widelydisseminated.] *7he wild.flowering plants of Bahrain: an illustrated guide. M.D. & C.D. Cornes Pp.272; rll. Immel, London 1992 (ISBN 0-907151-41-8).[A laushly illustratedfield guide, with colour photographsof over 160 different species.A simple tabular key chart is provided to assist identification,but the speciesdescriptionsare narrativerather than critical and containinformation on habitatand uses.It is notablefor includingphotographs ofless photogenicspeciessuch asgrasseswhich are often overlooked.The book endswith a glossaryand a shortbibtiography.l IheFloruof Ditchley:wild.flowersofonOxfordshireestate. A.J.Dunn.Pp xi +68, Imap, II colour plates CatherineWills, SandfordSt. Martin. 1993.Price116.45(ISBN 0-9521110-0-5). [This is a truly local flora, in the best tradition of suchpublications.Nine introductorychapters and a bibliographyare followed by a list offlowering plants and ferns recordedbetween 1985 and 1992 totalling more than 400 species,severalof which are nationallyrare. The book has beennicelyproducedby Alan SuttonofStroud.l * h.ndemicwild plants of Norlh ('yprus. D E Viney OrmanDairesiMudiirlugii, Lefkosa, 1992(publ l99l) Pp 54; 19 colour plates.Price 13 + P&P. [Environmental educationin Mediterranean countries,for visitors and residentsalike, is dependenton the availabilityof local guidesto the specialplantsofthe region.Affordablebooksofthis type are seldomavailable. One musttherefore welcome this first attempt to highlight the plants which are endemicto the Turkish-controlled northem part of Cyprus. This pamphlet,printed in Turkey, is in "Curtis's Botanical Magazine" format. each speciesis coveredby a descriptionand habitat notes in English and Turkishon the pagefacingthe colourplate.l IOHN EDMONDSON, Botany Dept., NationalMuseums& Gallerieson Merseyside,Liverpool Museum.WilliamBrown St. LIVERPOOLL3 8EN ADVERTISEMENTS PRESIDENTIAL PERAMBULATION ON MOUNT OLYMPUS I would like to invite up to 20 membersto join me on a walking andwild flower holidayon Mt OIympus from I l-20 June,1994.Ifyou haveneverbeenbefore(or have- this will be my third visitl this should be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy this magicalplace. At nearly 10,000ftit is the highest mountainin Greece- and someI 700 speciesof floweringplantshavebeenrecordedand 6-700will be seenduringthe excursion If vou come on this holidayyou can be helpingto protectthe Mount OlympusNationa[Park. Local inhabitantsneedto be constantlyremindedofthe importanceto their economyofgreen touristswho cometo enjoytheir heritage.Thereis now a threatofbuildinga 9,000-bedcomplexandski centreon the mountain.The visit of a strong group liom the BSBI could help demonstratefurther the importanceofconservingthe area. Ad!crlisnrcnls All profits from the holiday will be sharedby BSBI and RSNC. The Wildlife T'rustsPartnership (seepage7) I would wish the BSBI portion to be put towardsour publications As long as the partyis l6 or more the costwill be f650 (twin), f.745(singleroom) for all transport, bedandbreakfast. For furtherdetailsanda BookingFornrwrite to me at the address below. FRANXI-YN PERRINGI 24 Glanthomnoad, Oundle,PETERBO8OUGH,PEa4JQ FIELD STTJDIESCOUNCIL OVERSEAS COTJRSES- I994 FSC Overseascoursesoffer expert tuition in a wide rangeof subjectsincludingbotany, butterflies, landscapes, omithology,photographyand painting.Destinations rangeltom the Scilly Islesand the lsle ofMan to the Plrenees,Burren, CanaryIslands,Iceland,Polandand Switzerlandand asfar alield Thailand,the U.S.A. and Ussuriland.The coursesare designedto suit all levelsof as Seychelles, experience,including some specificallyfor families Severalother coursesof a more generalnature are also includedin the I 994 programnte.all with the aim of providing I..NT7RONMI'.NT'A I, I./NDI'R\I'A NDI NG I;OIt A I,I, For a copyof our full programmecontact: FSCOVERSEAS(BSBI) MontfordBridge,SHREWSBURY.SY4 lfIW Tel: (074.3)850164 I994 BOTANY TOURSAT HOME AND OVERSEAS (Led by BSBI Members) The following botanical tours and courseshave been orsanisedbv the Field StudiesCouncil Overseas: 26 April - l0 May 28May-4June I|-25June 25 June- 09 July 2 3 J u l y -l l A u g July 3-10August October FlowersandBirdsof Andalucia Exploringthe SouthernAegean. Landscapes, NaturalHistoryand Paintingfor the Family Butterflies,Flowersand Natural History Photographyin the Swiss Alps Summerin Poland.Mountains, Marshesand PrimevaiForesr Wild Flowersoithe Olyrnpicsand Cascades Flowersof Ussuriland Hieh Summerin the Pvrenees FlowersandBunerf.lies for the Family Down UnderandOutback.The NaturalHistoryof SouthAustralia RosandJohnBennett Ros Bennett Anne Bebbington Ruth Dawes ChrisGrey-Wilson AnneStephens Ros Bennett AnneBebbington Full detailsoftheseandotheroverseas coursesrun by the FieldStudiesCouncilareavailable from (BSBI).MontfordBridge,SHREWSBURY FSCOverseas SY4 lfIW (tel 0743-850164) 27 May-3June l2-19 August Wild flowersof Devon sedgesandrushes Grasses, AilsaBurns AilsaBums Lots ofgood plants,beginners andthe erperienced equallywelcome Furtherdetailsfrom: SlaptonLey FieldCentre,Slapton,Kingsbridge,S DevonTQ7 2QP (rel.0548 s80466). Adr ertrsntents Tony and Helen'fitchen(both keenbotanists),will be organisingand leadingbotanicaltoursto the lollowing destinations March (one week) April (two weeks) Madeira Crete Mav (oneweek) Juiy(1 week) Turkey Pyrenees Sept /Oct. (i weeks) C a n a r r e s( l / i j s l a n d s ) Tony & Tony & l ony & Tony & Tonv & HelenTitchen HelenTitchen HelenTitchen HelenTitchen HelenTitchen For moreinformationaboutdatesandcosts.etc., pleasecontact. 'IITCHEN, TONY & IIELEN 29 Nore Road. Portishead,BRISTOL, Avon BS20 9HN (tel 027s-84862e) T'helollowingbotanicaltoursandcourseshavebeenorganised by Cox andKings. l4 2l - 25 March - 28 March 28 March - 8 Apnl 5 - 19April 21 Aprrl- ll May 22May-5June l4 - 28 June I6-l0June 25 Sept.- l5 Oct NorthemCyprus SouthemCyprus Crele - Peloponese Cireece Western'furkey Spain- Berdun Austria - Carinthia - Weingen Switzerland WesternAustralia Tony Kemp Mary Briggs Mary 'lony Briggs Kemp Mary Bnggs PeterJepson I'ony Kemp Mary Briggs Mary Briggs Fuli details ofthese and all other tours run by Cox and Kings are availableliom: Cox and Kings Travel Ltd , St JamesCourt, Buckingham Cate, LONDON SW I E 6AF Tel 07l-834-14't2 WALKS AND WILDFLOWERS in the CretanSpring E,scorted walksin late March,andthroughApril; intendedprimarilylbr thosenew to the Mediterraneanflora. Furtherdetailsare availablefi-omme at the addressbelow: JEFFCOLLMAN, 2l BeechwoodAvenue,Milber, NEWTON ABtsOT,DevonTQl2 4LJ I N D I V I D I I A L O R S M A I , T ,G R O I - I PI - I E L D S T T ] D YV I S I T S T O T } I E F R E N C H PYRENEES PyreneanFieldStudyServicesis working closelywith the AriegeNaturalistsAssociation to encourage amateurand professional naturaliststo visit this seriouslyunder-researched, and unspoihreservorrof European wildlife. The Ariege is the central region of the FrenchPyreneeswhere the Atlantic and Mediterranean climatesoverlapto maintainhigh densitiesofforest and pasturevegetationbetween300 and 1,000 melresaltitude. As a financiallypoor areathe uptakeof Agro-chemicals hasbeenlow or non-existant leaving exlensiveareasofunimproved grasslandand an unbrokenfood chain. 65 Ad!ertisments The Ariege NaturalistsAssociationwelcomesand supportsany field rvork in any way it can. Thereis a real needfor discoveryand identificationofspeciesand their location. PyreneanField Study Servicesidentifiesand providesaccessto sitesand expertiserelevantto a visitors generalor specificinterests.Clients indicatetheir individual requirements,preferencesand objectiveson which quotationscan be based At this point availabilityof local expertise,and activities oflocal associationscanbe given. For moreinformationpleasecontactme at the address below. NICK GOLDSIVOT.THY La Baguette,09?20,Lescure.NMO)I France NEED HELP? Do you needhelp?I can helpwith drafting,word processing, editing,polishing,proofing,indexing (e.g. Health and Safety and etc. Theses, papers for publication, dissertationsand assessments If you do, contactme at the address below. COSHH) arestock-in-trade. PETERJ.COOK, l5 ParkAvenue,Withernsea, HULL, E YorkshireHUl92JX(te|0964614466) The Editor Gwynn Ellis can be contactedby phone on 0222-397951ext 218 (NMW) or 0222-496042(home) Articles can now be Faxedto the Editor on 0222-23t)829or 0222-373219 Alf text and illustrationsappearingin BSBI Nevs and its Supplements are copyright and no reproductionin any form may be madewithout written permissionfrom the Editor. Offers and specialterms apply only to membersof the Societyand copiesare not availableon an exchange basis. RSRINews(ISSN 0309-910X)is publishedby the BotanicalSocietyof the BritishIsles Enquiriesconcerning the Society'sactivitiesandmembership shouldbe addressed to. The Hon. GeneralSecretary,c/o Dept. of Botall,, The NaturalHistory Museum,CromwellRoad, LondonSW7 5BD Camera ready copy producedby Gwynn Ellis at the National Museunrof Walesand printed by J. & P. Davison,3 JamesPlace,Treforest,Pontypridd, Nlid GlamorganCF37 2BT (tel. 0443-400585) 66 Conlents Contents(continuedlrom backcover) N O T E SA N D A R T I C L E S . .. The Universityof Exeter herbarium.changesat Liverpool Museum A guideto FieldMeetingship BSBI membersin North and SouthCvorus . . . . Englishnamesof wild flowers- a repiy( I ) Englishnamesof wild flowers- a reply(2) Englishnamesof wild flowers - a reply (3) . More Orobancheraisedfrom seed BeatriceSalkeld(1925-1993)- botanistandartist A curefrom Sir HansSloane( 1660-1753) .., T h a n ky o u ... . - ('hamoemelum Chamomife nohile Thoughtson Mistletoe A L I E N S. . . . AlienNews Foreigners in our midst (' oIuIa coronopifo Ii a established in Yorkshire Buttonweed(('otula coronopifolia L.). New to S Hants(v.c. I I ) St Andrewsandits linkswith aliens Mt Etna Broom in W Kent TRANSLOCATIONAND REINSTATEMENTOF PLANT SPECIES Reinstatement of rare olantsat Ben LawersNNR Propagation andTranslocation of Orchids Geneticdifferencesbetweenpopulationsofrare plants N O | I C E S{ N O NB S B I } Stace's1y'ew liloro ol the Brrttsh I.;le.s Rehabilitation of Rivers Dr A.N. Berkulenlo Careersin the Environment lloodbine - Flora Britannicanewsletter Lichens.for vegelable dy,erng..... REQUESTS ()rchts rrstulatu . . Onfionche seedwanted Stellqria medn andS. nesletta - a lostbook BettySwainson's Plant-records Symphoricarposa/Dlr.s,doesit spreadby seedin the British Isles Butcher's-broom RESEARCHAND TRAVEL GRAN] S Financialsupportfbr smallprojects- Wilf NelsonRum Bursary The Oleg PoluninMemorialFund BOOK NOTES ADVERTISL,MENTS perambulation Presidential on Mounl Olympus FieldStudiesCouncilOverseas Courses- 1994 I 994 Botanytoursat homeandoverseas FieldStudiesCouncilOlerseas FieldCentre 'lSlaptonL.ey ony andHelenTitchen . . Cor andKings Walksandrvildflowersin the CretanSpring lndividualor smallgroupfield studyvisitsto the FrenchPyrenees Needhelpi 67 -tl ) l 3l 33 -) -t )q 35 35 -to 37 38 38 38 38 38 A1 +J 46 47 47 48 5l 54 5'7 J/ 57 51 58 58 58 5S 59 59 -59 59 60 60 60 60 6l ol 63 63 61 64 64 61 65 65 65 65 oo f ontcnts C ON T E N T S . A D M I N I Sf R A I I O N ....2 Changeofaddress........ 7 Deadline lbr contributions for RSRI Nev',s65 . . . . 2 DIARY .....l L , D II O R I A L . . . J , , . . . P R O I . I L E S. . . . . .4 New President- Dr lranklyn H. Perring .4 N e w H o n o r a r y m e m b e r s- J o h n ( P . J . O . )T r i s t . . . . . . ..... b Dick(RHlRobens .....o TFIE PARTNERSHIP CAKE 1 IMPORTA\T NOTICES . 8 Whither BSBIo 8 A Reminder . . 9 Scarce Plants Project . q RSRI Abstrau.s 23 (for I992) REGIONALJOURNA-LS ....I() J r i s hl * t u r r r c u l, \ e u : ......... l0 llSlll Wel.shllulletur . .. l0 'Ihe S c < t t t i sNhe u , s l e t l c r ............ l0 HON. GENERAL SECRETARY'S NOI'ES IO Congratulations.D.H.Kent, Dr E Crackles,D.McClintock, Prof.J.Dickson, Ms V.Morgan l0 M e m o r i af lr e e . . ll In Memoriam Dick David, Aidan Brady . . .. .. . . II RECORDERS AND RECORDING ,.. 12 S u p p l e m e nn to . 2 t o L i s t o f R e c o r d e risn l 9 9 l Y e a rB o o k ............. 12 S u p p l e m e n t n o . 2 t o P a n eol f R e f ' e r e e s a nSdp e c i a l i s t s i ln9 9 l Y e a r B o o k .......12 RedDataBookProject .. . .... ll Ludu'ign patu.srrl.!- first record in Sussexsince 1876 . .. ..... . il OnonisreclinqtarelbundinAlderney .......l4 T h e 1 9 9 2 C r o c k e n h i l lt r e e s u r v e y- a t e n y e a r u p d a t e . .. . . ... .. 14 Lyme disease:some thoughts fiom the sharp end of a tick ............. I5 ( ' o r d o m i n e N e w Z e a l a n dB i t t e r c r e s s , corymbosa ............. 16 ( ' e r a s l r u mb r a c h y p e t a l u mf a c i n g d e s t r u c t i o ni n S E E n g l a n d ........... 16 P r i m r o s ev a r i a t i o na n d d i s e a s e . .... ... 17 I ' y r o l c t r o u n t h J b l l a s u b s pn .a n t i m o i n E E , n g l a n d .. .........17 Herbaria.towardsabetteruse ............. 18 A n o t h e r D a n i s h i n v a s i o. n . .?. . . . . . . .. ....l8 B a s t a r dC a b b a g ei n c h a l kg r a s s l a n d ........20 Translocationsagain . l0 Intrinsically poor habitats . .. 2l ( ' o r r y z a c a n a d e n s i s ( ' . s u m o t r e n s t si n t e r m e d i a t e s ......22 I s P o a i n / i r m a m o v i n ge a s t w a r d s ? ........... 22 P l a n t sf o u n di n a L e i c e s t e r s h o i ruea r r y ............23 The spread ol lJruch)f xltnm piitrtttrim in Wales . . . :5 S t i n g i n gn e t t l e I I m i d w i n t e r g r o w t h ....29 l,enrnamrnutalll-monocultures .....29 LemnamrnutalV-greenroots ... ... l0 BeeOrchidsatlandbeacn .....-lL) H e n b a n eo n S e t - a s i d e .... .. l0 l ' h e s e a r c h f b r W . P . L l i e m ' s J b r b z . rd e w n i e n s t . sr e c o r d s 1 8 6 , 1 - 1 9 2 2. . . . . .. -ll C o n t i n u e d o n i n s i d eb a c k c o v e r 6li