Page:VCH Bedfordshire 1.djvu/80

A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE speaks of them as seedling survivals of an ancient bog which filled the present valley. In August, 1901, Mr. Saunders, after many years' search, at last found Erica cinerea in a green lane near Pepperstock. There was only a small patch, and it was evidently a relic of the flora of a large common that formerly existed. At Stevington, Ampthill, Potton and elsewhere there are remains of ancient marshland, which would proba- bly repay more careful examination than they have received. Some of the older woods contain interesting native plants, such as the wild licorice {Astragalus glycypbyllos), the crested cow wheat {Melampyrum cris- tatum), the nettle leaved bell flower [Campanula Trachelium), and the birds'-nest orchid (Neottia Nidus-avis). The following table corrected to the present date shows the number of species which are reported on good authority to have been seen growing in a wild state in the various counties, the standard adopted being practically that of the last edition of the London Catalogue, which has already been followed in the accounts of the botany of the counties of Northampton, Buckingham, Berks, etc. Native plants . . . Denizens and colonists Beds Bucks Herts Northants 762 845 795 765 85 97 95 85 847 942 890 850 In addition many named varieties, several hybrids, and many species of casual occurrence, or undoubtedly alien, have been recorded. Taking the London Catalogue as a standard of specific limitation, the total number of British species is about 2,000, but of these 250 are not native, 144 are confined to the coast, while at least 200 are found only in northern latitudes, or only extend to the same latitude as Bedfordshire in mountainous situations in the west of England and Wales, 17 are exclusively Irish, and about 20 belong to the Channel Isles, and are not real constituents of the British flora. It will therefore be seen that about 1,350 species remain which might be found in the county ; but such is not the case, and some of the influencing reasons have already been given, while others, such as soils and altitudes, need not now be referred to. Bedfordshire, although it has no species peculiar to itself, however possesses some plants of considerable interest, among which may be men- tioned the great pig-nut (Carum Bulbocastanum), which is limited to Bucks, Herts and Cambridgeshire, and is found locally in some plenty in arable fields on the Dunstable downs ; the crested cow-wheat [Melam- pyrum cristatum), which apparently has its western limit in the county (unless indeed it really occurs in Bucks and Hants, whence it has been reported, but on somewhat uncertain evidence), occurs in some of the woodlands. Another eastern species, the sulphur clover [Trifolium ochro- leucon, Huds.), which occurs sparingly, also has its western range in this county and Surrey. Another very local species is the box (Buxus semper- virens), which by some authorities is considered to be native on the Dunstable downs, and in a few other localities such as Box Hill in 40