December1980 B.S.B.I.NEWS No.26 Editedby EDGARD. WIGGINS CowpastureFarm, Felixstowe, Suffolk IPl l 9RD WY w *

Petasitesalbus (see p. l9) del. Colin Ormerod o 1980 ADMINISTRATION Addresses HON. GEN. SEC.(General Enquiries) Mrs. M. Briggs,White Cottage, Slinfold. HORSHAM.West Susses RH13 7RG.

HON. TREASURER.(Payrnent of Subscriptionsand change of address). Mr. M. Walpole,68Outwoods Road, LOUGHBOROUGH,I*ics. LEI I 3LY.

(Pleasequote membership number on correspondenceconcerning membership or subscriptions).

HON. FIELD SEC. MissL. Farrell,N.C.C. P.O. Box 6, (Informationon RarePlants. Field Meetings etc) Godwin House,George Street, HUNTINGDONPEI8 6BU.

PERMANENTWORKING I'O}II\IITTEES FOR I98O 8I CO-ORDINATING J.F.M. Cannon,lHon. Sec) Dr. P.E- Brandham(to I-10.80' D.R.DonaLl liom].10.80/ Dr R.K.Brumnlitt,Mrs. R.M. Hamilton. Dr F.H.Perring, Miss J. Martin. CONSERVATION Dr P.E.Brandham (Hon. Secto 1.10.80.)D.R. Donald(Hon. Sec. .fntm 1.10.80.)E. Milne-Redhead,P.J. Wanstall,S.B. Evans, Wales,A.C. Jermy,Dr S.M.Walters, Miss R.M. Hadden,Miss J. Martin.Dr S.R.J.Woodell. Miss L. Farrell,Dr A.J. Silverside, Scotland,Dr P.M.Wade, Miss l.F. Gravestttck,Dr F.H.Perring, Dr tl.A. McAllister, F.N. llaynes British Lichen Society,C.D. Brickell, Royal HorticulturalSociety,D( D.E.G. Irvine,Brrrrslt PhycologicalSociety, Dr P.D. Coker, British Bryobgical Society. MEETINGS MissJ. Martin,(Hon. Sec.)MissL. Farrell,(Hon. Field Sec.)Dr N.K.B. Robson,Mrs. A. l,ee,Miss E. Rich. J.M. Mullin,Mrs. LJ.M.S.Preston, Dr J.L. Mason,S.A. Renvoise,E.J. Adams, T.H. Blackstock,Dr H.J.M.Bowen, Mrs. J.M. Mullin,Dr P.M. Wade,A.L. Grenfell. PUBLICATIONS Dr R.K. Brummitt.([{on.Sec./ Dr S.M.L.den, Dr N.K.B.Robson. Dr C.A. Stace,Dr D.L. Wigston,D.H. Kent, E.D. Wiggins,P.S. Green,Dr F.ll. Perring,J.F.M. Cannon, A.O. Chater, Dr P.F.Yeo, E.l. Clement,A.C. Jermy, Dr S.L.Jury. RECORDS Dr F.H. Perring(Hon. Sec.)Dr W.T.Stearn, E.C. Wallace, D.E. Allen, E.G. Philp, Dr I.K. Ferguson,R.J. Pankhurst,Miss E. Ni l:nrhna, Irellnd,J. Bevan,R.G. Ellis.Wales, Dr A.J. Silver- side. Scotland,P.J.O. Trist, Dr S.M. Eden,Dr Q.O.N. Kay. T.F. Medd,D.J. Mc(losh, T.C.E. Wells, D.A. Wells from 21.10.80. co{pted. M. BusbyBritish Pteridobgical 9rciety.

The President, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Gen. Sec. are ex officio members of all the above Committees.

NOTICE TO MEMBERS Nominations ior vacancieson Council, in writing, signedby two nrembersof the Society and accompaniedby the written consent of the candidateto serue,if elected,should be sent to the Hon. GerreralSecretary, White Cottage,Slinfold, Htrrsham,West Sussex,to arriveBEFORE FEBRLIARY lst 1981. Mrry Briggs,Hon. Cen- Sec HON. GEN. SECRETARY'SNOTES

WELL DESERVED Our congratulationsto G.LI. Lucaswho was recentlyawarded the O.B.E.for his work for cortservation.Gren is Deputy Keeperof the Herbariurnat the Royal BotanicGardens, Kew, where as Secretaryof the IUCN ThreatenedPlants Committee he hasbeen responsible for the basiclisting of threatenedplants of the world - the only areasnow reurainingto bestarted for thisare S.E. Asia, the PacificIslands and S. America; He is too, co-authorof the IUCN PlantRed Data Book. Gren has been closely associated with the plant conservationmovement for manyyears;in the pasthe servedas a Secretary of tlreCouncil for Nature.and he is a Trusteeof theWorld Wildlife Fund U.K. llis work has involvedmucli travelling,lecturing across the world, and writing many paperson cclnservation;through his myriad activitieshe has long been in the forefront of the battle for plantsand is well known to all who areworking for their protectionfor the l'utu re. Congratulationsalso to R.D. Meikle,who, in Septemberwas one of the first to receive the Kew Medal.This new awardis to be givenannually by the Trusteesof the Gardens Trust, to thosewhose achievernents, contributions or serviceto the Gardensat Kew or WakehurstPlace are consideredof outstandingmerit and deservingof specialhonour. DesmondMeikle's citation is "for his interestand involvementin the Gardens'living collections,fbr his contributionto the nranysocieties based within Kew,as a botanistof rvorldrenown, and as a true friend and colleaguetcl the many who havesought his help and adviceover the years".His'help and advice'has been freely given to manyB.S.B.l. members,especially as a Refereefor that mostdifficult groupSalx, andas the authorof a B.S.B.l.llandbook on Willowsand Poplars,to the publicationof which in the not too distantfuture, we look forwardwith eageranticipation. HOMESECRETARY ANNOUNCES NEW THREAT TO WILDLIFE The Rt. Hon. WilliamWhitelaw announced this week the Government'sintention to relax the licensingrequirements for the useof metaldetectors. Dr. F.H. Perring,General Secretaryof theSociety for the Promotionof NatureConservation, said today ( 17thJ uly) "We would be dismayedif this leadsto further uncrrntrolleduse of rnetaldetecturs. Their misusealready causes concern to the Societyand otherconservation organisations facedwith increasingdamage to their naturereserves." The SPNChas receivedreports from severalof its 42 associatedNature Conservation Trusts,of damagecaused by metal detectorusers digging holes to unearthfinds. Rare orchidshave beenuprooted and in one caselarge numbers of insectswere lost when a sitewas burnt off sothat a detectorcould be usedrnore easily. The rernovalor disturbance of plant cover and topsoil from an area,however small, will resultin irnportantplant communitiesbeing disrupted and cause a 'knockon' effecton aninal populations. The SPNCand tlie Trustsfear that more extensivedanrage will be causedto nature reservesand other importantwildlite sites unless the useof rnetaldetectors on these specialareas is broughtunder statutory control as is the caseat presentfor archaeological sites. The Societywill continue1o press lirr adequateprotection for vulnerablewildlife sites ['romthe rnisuseof metaldetectors while continuins to moniturthe imoactol this new pressureon thewildlif'e of thiscountry. Emigrants 'Aliens With our interest in these and Adventives'very evident n B.S.B.I. ly'ewsit is perhapstimely to rememberthose also travellingin the oppositedirection. The Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens2 No. 2 May, 1980 p. 195-220publishes a paperby K.M. Kloot, Dr Richard Schomburgk'sNaturalised I'leeds (1879/. This reprint of the original with explanatory details lists over 150 specieswhich had arrived in Australia before 1879, mostly from Europe, and very many must have come from Britain, e.g.:- 'Shepherd's "CapsellaBursa-pastoris (in English in the original text as Burse) . . . in the colony for at least thirty years and have spreadwith rapidity especiallyin abandoned placeson roadsides";"Fumaia officinalis, . . now a troublesomeweed in gardens".

Survivors It is not only in Britain that an announcementin print that a speciesis extinct can be followed by reports of its rediscovery--as wilh Bromus interruptus and Bupleurum falcatum; and more locally in CambridgeshireLuzula sylvatica.I.U.C.N. reports from Canberrathat George Chippendaiesent news of Eucalyptus steedmonii(described as extinct in the I.U.C.N. Plant Red Data Book), buJ now refound inWestern Australia, although previously for some years it had been "searchedfor most specificallyby a number of collectorson severalexpeditions without success".Similarly, David Bramwell reports the rediscovery of Seneciohadrosomus in the Canary Islands,after l0 years in which it could not be found and was thought to be extinct. The ThreatenedPlants 'extinct' Committeeat Kew askshopefully "which specieswill be next?" Fellow travellers Plantilnsectrelationships feature from time to time in thesenotes, and I was interested in PaulWhalley's paper in Oryx XY: No. 3 April, 1980p. 2734,on insectintroductions in which he describesrecent arrivalson waterweedsbrought in for aquaria.We have new recordsof aquaticplant introductionsin pondsand waterways,Elodea spp. for example-- and Paul tells me that recentinsect'aliens'include four speciesof dragonfly,onecaddis fly and six aquatic moths, all new to Britain. As he says,what about smallercreatures which may well also be comhg in with the aquaticplants, unseen and asyet unrecorded? Could therebe a future human healthhazard? Italian nature trail At the 1979 B.S.B.L Meetingin Northern Italy, a party of Geologystudents from Trieste Universitywere settingup a MountianNature Trail asa memorialto one of their students tragicallykilled by a fall there the previousyear; shehad, they told us,introduced them to the beauty and fascination of the mountain flowers which she herself had loved. Through the N.C.C. Librarian we were able last year to send requestedadvice en the settingup of a Nature Trail, and this year we receivednotice of the Inaugurationof the Sentiero NaturalisticoTuiana Weissat Passodel Pura in July. If any memberis in the area (near Ampezzo Carnico, Udine) next summer,interest and support for this first Nature Trail in Northern Italv would be welcome. Vascula Miss de Vesian's vasculumwas snappedup by Clive Lovatt of the Dep't of Botany, University of Bristol who is collectingcritical material, including Rubus spp. for the Flora of the Avon Gorge.A few hours later, a requestfor a vasculumcarne from Sarah Websterof the Plant Scienceslaboratories, University of Reading.Isthere still a vasculum owner whosevasculum is perhapslying unusedin the attic . . . ?

4 Weedseedlings N.E:.R.C.news journal reports that the N.E.R.C.Unit of ComparativePlant Ecologyat the University of Sheffield is currently assemblinga collection of photographsof the seedlingsof most of our native speciesand many commonaliens, and is planninga supplementof I ,000 speciesto R.J. Chancellor'suseful booklet The ldentilicatlon of lUeedSeedlings of Farm and Garden(which givesa full descriptionof 162 species). C. for N leaflets Nlrs.Susan Joy, who was Secretaryof the Councilfor Natureuntil it disbanded,and who nowworksfor CoEnCo (and is still the Editor of Habitat)has moved back to the officesat the Zoo.'C. forN.' leafletsas listed in B.S.B.I.News 24 p.4, can now be obtainedeither from CoEnCo: 29, GrevilleStreet, l-ondon, ECI N8AX, or from CoEnCo:Zoological Gardens, Regents Park,London, NWI 4RY. The Councilfor EnvironmentalEducation has prepared a List of Codesof Conductfor Outdoor Studiesand Activities,obtainable for 5p. and s.a.e. (22cmx I 1cmapprox.) from C.E.E,School of llducation,University of Reading,l-ondon Road,Reading, RGI -5AQ. Hie racium SpecialistRetires Mr C. E. Andrewsof I 14 Oxford Road,Moseley, Birmingham, who for nearly20 years has been our refereefor that most difficult genusHieracium regretfully announces his retirement.He is anxiousto giveearly notice to preventcorrespondents sending further specimensfor identiflcation. We shallmiss his unfailing service,and thank hirn for the immenseamount of help he hasgiven to membersof the Society. OLD TIMERS ProfessorPaul Richardshad the distinction of being our youngestmember when he joinedin 1919,and of correspondingwith Dr G. ClaridgeDruce at the time.He writes: I haveat last looked up the facts about when I joined the B.S.B.I.The year was 1919: my nome is given among the new membersfor that year in the Secretary'sreport. In the 'sibiricum' same volume (for 1919), under Plant Notes, there is a note about Nlium which I had collected, not in those days illegal, at the Lizard in (I think) 1917 andhad grown in my garden at Cardiff. I must have told Dr Druce qbout this in a letter and said that it had come to look just like ordinary anltivated A. schoenoprasumand he very 'by kindly remarkedthat this observation our youngestmember'(I was I I on December 1gth, 1919) wos worth investigation(or words to that effect). After that I kept up an acrive correspondencewith Dr Druce- He used to enclosescraps of rare with his replies which I greatly treasured.In 1920, when I wasgoing for a holiday with my famtly at Towyn, Merioneth, Dr Druce wggested thot I should go and see Mr D.A. Jones at Harlech. I did this and that was the beginning of my careeras a bryologist, though I had been introduced to mossesearlier that year by A.E. llade. Dr Cyril West has the honour of the longest individual membership- he joined in 1914, and sharesthis date with two subscribermembers, the British Museum(Natural History) and the Brightou Public Library. A.E. Wadeof Cardiffjoined in 1915, and NottinghamNatural History Museum,Wollaton Hall, sharesthe 1919joining datewith Prof. Richards. We senda specialgreeting and thanks to all thesemembers who have giventhe BSBI supportfor so many years. ALGAL ALERT Dr D.E.G. Irvine,who representsthe British Phycological Socie ty ott BSBI Conservation Comrnittee,sends the following trcte on seoweed: No Brltish algaeappear at presentto be endangeredthrough collecting, and no speciesare known currentlyto needspecific conservation, with the possibleexception of maerl-formingcoralline algae, which might be clircctly endangeredby commercialdredging activities, e.g. at F-almcluth.Nevertheless, habitatconservation is increasinglyimportant, as wetlands are drained.lakes and ponds suff'ereutrophication, and brackishhabitats become desaiinated. It is exceedinglyimportant that relativelyuncommon habitats, such as the wave€xposedchalk cliffs of Kent, be conserved,even although this entails acceptinga certainamount of persistenterosion. The unsuccessfulaltempts to eiiminatethe immigrantspecies Sargassum muticum (japweed)highlight the dangersof invasionby foreignspecies, and the inrportanceof legislation to penalisedeliberate introduction of speciespotcntially harrnfui to existing nativeecosystems, such as Macrocystis pyriJera (giant kelp). D.E.G.lrvine * The Governmenthope to includein their forthcomingWildlife and CountrysideBill provisionfor establishingnrarine nature reserves.Obviously, there are problernsto be overcome not leastof which is the need to reconcilepresent and potentialuses of inshorewaters with that of conservingrepresentative examples of rnarinecommunities. Pressureson the marinewildlife resourceare increasingand it is essentialthat this Country has some forrn of conservationstrategy now beforesome species are depleted furtheror eliminated. It would be very helpfulif thosemernbers who are in f-avourof'statutory marine reserveswouldwrite now to their M.P.to expresssupport for rnarinereserves.

* Biology& GeologyDep't, The Polytechnic of N. London,llolloway,LONDON N7 8DD.

JeanetteKinsella asks "Do birdscarry Mullein seeds?" and writes: "l havea nine tbot Verbascum,which is known as the Great Mullahor 'Khomeini'for short" and addsthat the nearestgrowing specimens are,to her knowledge,8 milcs away. VolunteerWanted Is therea menrberliving within easytravelling distance of B.M.(Nat. tlist.)who rvould be interestedand abletogivesometime to helpwith the docurnentationolChararecords? JennyMoore would be very gratefulfbr assistancewith the transferof infbrmationfrom the Herbariumslreets. For furtherdetails o1'this project please write to JennyMoore, Dep't of Botany,Blitish Museunr (Natural History) Cronrwell Road, Lnndon SW7 5BD. Tailpiece Overheardat the BritishPharmaceutical Conf'erence. O lilho is this aJ'ter-dinnerspeaker, David Bellamy ? A. He is the matr who makesbolany interestitrg.

Thanksto Jill L.ucasfor typingthese notes in sparetinte between surveying local canals lilr waterweeds. MaryBriggs

6 PERRING'SPIECE

CHANGESOF RECORDERS At their meetingin Octoberthe RecordsCommittee approved the followingappointments to fill vacancies:- 45 Pembrokeshire- S.B.Evans H39 CountyAntrim - S. Beesley Pleasenote that the followingScottish Vice-counties are at presentwitliout Recorders:- 8l -- Berwicks;82 8,.l,othian;86 - Stirlings:109 - Caithness.

BSBIPUBLICATIONS Pleasenote the followingchanges to the stocklist datedJuly 1980. Thesebooks are no longeravailable from us:- FLORA OF NORFOI-K(sold out 2nd editionbeing prepared) PLANTSOF MONTGOMERYSHIRE(sold out) F'LORA OF LINCOLNSHIRE (obtainablefor f6.95 from Mrs E.V. Pennell WaddingtonHouse, Malt Kiln l-ane, Waddington,Lincoln) lhis bookhas been added. THE BOTANISTIN SKYE C.W.Murray and HJ.B. Birks1980 - L230 For moredetails see leaflet. Theseprices have altered:- FLORA OF A CHANGINGBRITAIN L2.50 THE OAK: ITS HISTORYAND NATURAL HISTORY - f,7.50 ENGLISHNAMES OF WILD FLOWERS f,.3.65 (A paperbackreprint with corrections.) BADGEWORTHNATURE RESERVE f,I.OO FLORA OF EAST ROSS-SHIRE _ g7.OO BRITISHSEDGES Pleasenote a second,completely revised edition is in preparationbut readersshould awaitan announcementin BSBI Newsbefore orderins.

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE f25? 'These The Society still has 5,000 copiesof the poster endangeredplants are protected hy law'. Thesemust be soldbefore the new'Wildlifeand Countryside Bill'becomes law early in 1981. Pleasehelp the Societyand yourselfby buying 10, 50 or 100 of these postersfor 25p eachpost paid and sellingthem at lectures,coffee mornings. parent/ teacherevenings etc. for 50p each the priceprinted at the bottom. Sendyour order and cheque to BSBI PUBLICATIONS,Oundle lndge, Oundle, PtsTERBOROUGH PEI]5TN. A messagefrom the President

PROBLEMSOLVING To say that "so much has been happening" may well seema poor excusefor my failure so far to contribute to News a "message"of the kind that every Presidentis nowadaysexpected to produce. But in that sectionof the BSBI's activitiesthat has for long been my particular concern a great deal has been happening:and it is only very recently that thesedevelopments have reacheda stagewhen there is somethingpositive, andencouraging. to report. Many of us havebeen alarmed, and despondent,about what seemedto be happenhg, or not happening,to the plant recordsat MonksWood after Frank Perringtransferred to the SPNC: recordson which the indispensableAtlas of the Bitish Flora was based,and which derivedalmost entirely from the efforts of BSBI members.Not only, with Frank gone, was there no one at Monks Wood capableof answeringqueries about records; therewas evidencethat more recentrecordswere not finding their way into the data-bank, and my own work on distribution maps for the new edition of British Sedgesuncovered a host of omissionsand inaccuraciesin the existingfiles. There was no signof a replace- ment for Frank, and one beganto wonder whether,in view of financialcuts, the vacancy would everbe filled or the recordssaved from total decay. The turning-point cameearly in 1980 (over a year after Frank's departure)when, at the invitation of Mr John Heffers, the Director of the Institute of TerrestrialEcology (the body officially responsiblefor Monks Wood), there was a meeting of officers of ITE, BSBI and the Nature ConservancyCouncil to discussthe situation.At that meeting we were assuredthat ITE fully appreciatedthe vital importanceof proper records,and would do all that was necessaryto bring the Biological RecordsCentre back to full efficiencyand so maintainit inthe future.In particular,steps were to be taken to appoint a qualified botanist in Frank's place.Since, however, the operationsof the Centrehave grown much more complicatedand are likely to become more so, ITE askedthat the Monks Wood botanist should not be expectedto take on, as Frank did, the additional roles of mappingorganiser and secretaryof BSBI'sRecords Comrnittee; but that BSBI should find a member to perform these "outside" functions,of coursein closeliaison with the MonksWood botanist. The Records Committee, to whom all this was communicatedin February, were somewhatdismayed at the difficuity of finding someoneto take on this essentialbut daunting task. We have been rescuedby an unexpectedbut extremelywelcome volun- teer - Mr D.A. Wells: unexpected,because Derek Wellsis a Chief Officer in the Chief Scientist'sTeam at NCC (his willingnessto sparetime for recordsis evidenceof the importancethat he, and NCC, attachesto them);weicope,because already, in devoting himself to the strengtheningof the relationshipbetween NCC and BSBI, he has shown himself a man of greatenergy and diplomatic skill. In July ITE at last found their botanist, and appointed Mr C.D. Prestonto Monks Wood. Chris Preston trained at Cambridge,where he won golden opinions from his teachers.He is particularly interestedin plant ecology and distribution, and has done useful work on Sibthorpia. Already an admirableworking relationshiphas been estab- lished betweenhim and Derek Wells,and togetherthey are devisinga simplerand more efficient system for the transmissionof records.This, after consultationwith Records Committee,will shortly be communicatedto all vice-countyrecorders.

8 To complerethe "recordstriumvirate" RecordsCommittee has now to find a new secretary,but Frank Perringhas generously consented to "caretake"for the time being, provided that the interregnumis not too prolonged.As I said in my addressto the Society'sAGNI. I am confident,after a year of deepanxiety, that we arenow moving into a new and expansiveera of recording. On other fronts, too, the Society has been successfullyweathering a difficult time, for continuous inflation createsever new problems despitethe increasedsubsrciption, and I feel that we owe to our Treasurer,Mike Walpole,a *eaI debt for the unceasing care and skill with which he managesour finances.It hasstill beenpossible to fund local floras and internationalconferences, although each adventure becomes a greatergamble than the last and the consequencesof failure more frightening.The Treasurermust also take credit for the new systemof administeringsubscriptions and membershiprecords, which is both much moreefficient and likely to be tnoreeconomical than the old. The job of the Presidenthas been highly enjoyable,for it engages,and fully engages, so many interestsand sympathies,without becomingreally arduous so long as one has the support of a Secretaryas indefatigable,as unflappable,and as efficient as Mary Briggs.It is alwaysa pleasure,too, to work with otherswith a commonmind devotedto a common cause;and I have been continually impressedby the servicefreely given by Councilmembers and by the chairmen,secretaries and membersof committees(inclu- ding the invaluableregional committees),in pursuit of the Society'sobjects. With such enthusiasmconstantly in evidence,there can be no doubtsabout the generalhealth of the BSBI. Dick David

LTVE TREESREPLACE D.E.D. On page 29 of BSBI News 24 we noted the scheme,run by Bian Boaler of Pershore, to encouragelocal farmers and others to take an interest in trees, by supplying young saplingsfree of charge. Mr Boaler has now given us more detatls of his project which could well serveas a model for similar schemesin other areas.He wites: In reply to your query about our "free tree" scheme,this hasbeen running for three yearsafter a try-out on threelocal farms in the firstyear. In eachof the threeseasons we haveplanted over 2,000young treesof ashand oak on about 15 properties.Most of the 'done' placesare farms but we have schools,large gardens of privatehouses, roadsides (for ParishCouncils), one or more sites(usually about I - 3) on eachproperty. What we offer is a fiee serviceproviding and plantingforestry transplants (12" - 18" height)of Quercusrobur and Fraxinus excelsior.We plant only on siteswhich arefenced or other- wiseinaccessible to farm stock,the treesbeing at about2 yardsapart.Treesbecomethe landowner'sproperty as soon as they are planted. We suggestthat they cut the gusset around treesduring the first few summers,but recognisethat mostwill get no maintenance; we find that about 3/+ofthe treessurvive after 2 growingseasons,using this size. We find sitesby writing to the local paperin July or August,and alsofrom a note put in the NFU newsletter.We keep as nearhome aspossible but haveplanted sites in north Oxfordshireand Gloucestershire as well asour "own" area,south Worcestershire. NOTICES WATERPLANTS "Aquatic weedsand their control" is a residentialconference being organisedby the Association of Applied Biologists in conjunction with the Associationof Drainage Authorities and the National Water Council to be held at ChristchurchCollege, Oxford on the 7th & 8th April, 1981.The programmewill covermost aspectsof aquaticweed ecology and aquatic weed control. The side issuesassociated with the use of herbicides in aquaticsituations will alsobe considered.Further detailsavailable form: R.J. MAKEPLACE, Weed ResearchOrganisation, Begbroke Hill, Yarnton, OXFORD, OX6 IPF.

FLORA OF Urc (LEWTS) Copiesof this book by MissM.S. Campbell,published in 1945,have recently been recoveredfrom an Edinburghsaleroom where they werepart of T. Buncle& Co'sstock which wasbeing disposedof following the financialcollapse of this publishingfirm. With a map and a number of black and white photographs,63 pp. the flora is now being offered for salethrough the BSBI committee for Scotland,AT ONLY f,2.50 each (plus 50p. postage)on behalf of Miss Campbell.Orders, accompanied by payment, (chequesmade payable to MissM.S. Campbell) should be sentto: DR ROSALINDSMITH,84 WestSavile'Ierrace. EDINBURGH 9.

ENGLISH NAMES OF WILDFLOWERS(Reprint) DrsDony and Perringhave revised and conected this list recommendedby the Society. It is now availablein paperbackfor 1,3.65post and packingpaid from BSBI Publications, oundle l,odge,oundle, PeterboroughPE8 5TN. This book is a conciseindex to English names and their Latin equivalentin alphabeticalorder both English/I-atinand Latin/ English.Not only an invaluableaid to anyonewriting botanical reportswhere standard Englishnames are needed, b ut alsoa concisechecklist of the British flora.

SUPPLEMENTSTO THE FLORA OF DERBY Derby City Museumsand Art Gallery announcethe SecondSupplement to the Flora oJ'Derbyshire 1919, containingall new recordsreceived since the publicationin 1914of the FirstSupplement, copies of whichare still available. Applicationfor copiesof eitheror both Supplementsshould be addressedto: DerbyMuseum and Art Gallery,The Strand,DERBY DEI 1BS,accompanied by payment asunder: Either Supplementseparately 35p. Both together65p, theseprices include postage.

l0 NEWSFROM BRITISH MUSEUM(NAT. HIST.) We have had a good responsefrom memberswho have been writing in for keys to grasses(in vegetativestate), Taraxacumand Euphrasia.(see BSBI Ne.ws24 p.9) and would welcome comments on errors or other shortcomingsand generalcriticisms, especiallyfor the key to grasses. The British Herbarium has a collection of reprints of taxonomic papersrelating to the British Flora, but it is not as comprehensiveas it might be. If any membershave collections of such reprints which they no longer need, we would be glad to receive them. In addition, reprints of new taxonomic paperswould be very welcome,especially from regionalnaturalists' journals. We do not need, however,reprints from the Biolo- gical Flora, lUatsoniaor the llFS Magazinewhich are kept in any case. R.J. PANKHURST,Botarry Dep't, British Museum(Nat. Hist.), LONDON SW7.

WILD BANKS Those who have seenthe plant illustrationsby our memberRoger Banks,on display at our Exhibition, will be interestedto know he has recently publishedabook, Living In alilikl Garden(World'sWork,Windmill Press 97.95), inwhich no lessthan 36 of its 130 pagesare filled with the artist's distinctivestyle of plant portraituredepicting some 200 species.and very few of the text pagesare unadorned by his characteristicdrawings.

THE STORY OF A NATURE RESERVE- ON FILM "Reed Grove", a41 minute, l6 mm colour film by David Orr, tells the story of the 314-acreRedgrave and Iopham Fens Nature Reserve.The site is the most important remainingexample of the small valley type fens of Norfolk and Suffolk, and for a long time a mecca for E. Anglia's naturalists.The film looks at the history of the fens, and showshow man's activitieshave contributed to the major conservationproblem - the drastic lowering of the water table - and the measurenow being taken by the Suffolk Trust for Nature Conservationto control the water levels. The film, made with the co-operationof severallocal bodies,has optical soundand is availableon hire (fl0 + carriageand insurance)or for sale.Applications should be madeto: D.M.S.ORR, Old SchoolHouse, Redgrave, DISS, Norfolk IP22 1RS.

Also from the Suffolk Trust we learn that the 1981 "Open Days" for others of their reseryesare: Rex Graham(Icklingham) 8th June for Daphnemezereum and 7th June for Military Orchids; Fox Fritillary Meadow (Framsden) 3rd May. The Spratt's Waterl Carlton MarshesReserve (off A146, %m S. of Oulton Broad,I-owestoft) will be openon 12thJuly, 1l am - 4 pm.

GOING GREEK Dr A.J. Richardswill be leading a wild plant tour for Cox and Kings to DELPHI and MT. PARNASSUS,Greece, from 6th to 20th May, 1981.Those interested should contact: DR A.J. RICHARDS, Dep't of Plant Biology, The University NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NE1 7RU.

11 ALIENS ANdADVENTIVES

ADVENTIVENEWS 18 compiledby Eric J. Clement

RUSSIAN BLI.JESOWTHISTLE IN BRITAIN The presenceof Lactuca tatarica(L.) C.A. Meyer in Br is unmentionedin CTII2 and Flora Europaea 4. Yet Dandy's List of Bitish VascularPlants clearly includesit;D. McClintock'sSupplement (1957), p.40, givesits statusas "long establishedin one or two spots near the sea." This still remains true, or is it slowly spreading?It is well documented (see .B,lBl Abstracts) as currently rapidly expandingin N. & C. Europe, both in coastalareas and inland;it is native in E. Europe and Asia. I list here allextant Bl records(any additions?,please): Port Erin, Isle of Man, Aug. 1980.Comm. Miss L.S. Garrad, as"Mulgediumf Cicerbita" . Det. EJC. First county record. Does it favour harbours?- I note, fromGorteia,that it is in Rotterdamharbour in Holland. Minehead,Somerset, July 1980. Miss C.J. Giddens.Det. EJC.It "has appearedin 2 or 3 patchesof waste ground this year - in somewhatsandy ground on the seafrontused as a car and coach park by Butlins Holiday Camp, and alsoin a nearbygarden where it was de{initely not planted. The gardenwall fell down and it grew in the resulting space. Beforethe gardenwas made, the land wasan allotment." New to the Mineheadarea. Old rubbistrtip, Iawrence Weston,near Bristol (v.c.34, W. Glos), ST 543.790, Iuly 1979. Miss I.F. Gravestock.Hb. EJC. One large clump with c.20 stems,55-62 cm tall, and spreadingin all directions(max breadth, 15l8l79,was 264 cm). Yet, it was difficult to find a good seedfor drawing. Edge of car park, on sanddunes of WestShore, Llandudno (Caerns). Still herein 1980 (comm. G.M.S. EaCy)- this site has been visited by scoresof botanistssince 1963. Hb. EJC; my "fruiting" specimen(519178, coll. MissA. Franks) containsno good cypselas. (Dr C.J. Humphries, 1979, still arguesthat "achene" is the wrong term to use for Compositefruits.) Miss R.C. Sedergreeninforms me that the only Br streetincorporated in BM is from the railway goods sidings Otley (Mid W. Yorks), Aug. 1960 Mrs. F. Houseman.Still there? FlorenceGravestock has kindly depictedher Bristol find for us.The unlobed(linear-) lanceolateleaves are typical of all Br specimensthat I haveseen (not "runcinate-pinnatifid", as given rn Flora Europaea 4:329 for the lower leaves) and they separateit from all alien blue-floweredCicerbito (Mulgedium) spp.It is also (sub-) glabrous- no glandular hairs in the inflorescence,and it is nevermore than 2 - 3 feet tall, a dwarf amongstits kind! DMcC (1957) saysthat the cypselais "minutely downy";with a x l0 lensI cannot discern this, but some ribs are minutely scabridabove. The short, stout beak of a ripe fruit is easily seenand is botanically important;it is of the samecolour as the body of the cypselawhich is almostblack, when mature.

MXED BAG Cirsium eisithales (Jacq.) Scop.: Disusedquarry, NightingaleValley, kigh Woods (N. Somerset),June 1980. C.M. Lovatt. Comm. A.L. Grenfell.Det. Dr M.C. Smith. A single plant obviously originating from the Bristol University Botanic Garden,some 400 yardsaway, where it is cultivated.First recordfor Br asan escape. t2 Lactucatartqrica del. I.F. Gravestock o 1980

13 Ten.: Naturalizedat BowlesGarden, Enfield (Middx), May 1980. K.E. Bull. Det. D. McClintock. Hb. EJC. I-ong known from here by Dr W.T. Stearn, who did not expectit to persist.It is perhapsconfused with A. tiquetrum L. elsewhere-- the slight differencesare, according to Flora Europaea5, asfollows: unilateral;fls alwayspendent & campanulate;lvsusu. 2-3;capsule6-7mm .....A.tiquetrum Umbel diffuse; fls patent and stellate,later pendent and campanulate;lvs 2, soon withering;capsule 4-6 mm . . . . .

Theperianth segments were 13-15 : Srrlr, r", ," , , ,i-. u, :;:::'tr{" " also reports one clump, long-persistentat Warley Place(S. Essex),May 1977. No other recordsare on my files.

Artemisia annua L; In field of brusselssprouts, Newton Ilill, Wakefield(SW York), Sept. 1979. J. Martin. Det. Kew. One plant, apparentlyintroduced with wool stroddy purchasedfrom a Bradford mill. "This would appearto be the first recordfor Yorkshire." No other wool alienswere present.Br recordsare few, although it is much grown in botanical gardens:at Kew it readily seedsitself out of its own Order Bed, but is not found outside the gardens.(Or could R.M. Burton's 1978 London record from the Regent'sCanal (Middx) haveescaped this far from Kew?).

Bromus lanceolatus Roth: Rubbish-tip, Newport (Monmouth), July 1979. T.G. Evans& A.L. Grenfell. Det. CEH (as var. lonuginosus).Seed, grown in 1980, enabled TGE to complete the fine drawing displayedhere. A variablespecies, but the hefty, 20-50 mm spikelets,with lemmas ll-20 mm and 6-12 rrrm awns, patent at maturity, are characleristic.Dense, long hairs on the lemmasare the norm (var. lanuginosus).For further recordsand comments,see.BSB.Ily'ews 20, p. 9.

Cleome "spinosa"'.RJ. Flood points out that I havebeen mis-dettrngAeome speci- mens from tips. A1l gardeningliterature appearsto be wrong, apart from Hortus Third (1976). C. hassleranaChodat is the cultivated plant, not C. spinosaJacq., the latter being unknown in cult. (in N. Amer.). My only voucherspecimen (Rubbish-tip, Dartford, W. Kent; 15 Oct. 1961, coll. EJC) is ciearly the lbrmer, and I suspectso too are all other Br records.Following C.D. Adams, 1972,Floweing Plantsof ,Iamaica,they may be separatedas follows: obtuse or rounded at tip; petals sordid-white;petals and puberulous; (usually?)without prickleson petioles andinfl .....C.spinosa Bractsacute; petals pink (or white in cvs);petals and ovaryglabrous; usually prickly on petiolesand at basesofbracts ...C.hasslerana

Note that C. spinosais spinelessl- but the ICBN will not allow us to changeinappro- priate or confusingnames. t4 0 :tv -IV .i 'l [-r/ -t t:. 1t1 Y- lt- .l I, 11 P

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Brontuslanceolatus del. T.G. Evans o 1980

l5 Ecballiumelateium (L.) A.Richard: Wyke (or Wick) Rocks,near Bristol (W. Glos.), Aug. 1980. D.E. Green.Det. EJC. Two largeplants growing in clearedquarry working on sandstonecliff. "No other aliensin vicinity." The completelacl< of tendrjls and the fruit hanging from erect pedicels easily distinguishthis Cucurbit. Altirough given as establishedin Br in Flora Europeae2, this is the first recent specirnenthat I have en- countered. Mrs J. Swanboroughvisited this plant and slso the Setlum sexattgulareaI ST 708.733,sited at tlqetop of the cliffs there,which was "many, many yearsago a largepleasure garden."

Ilypericum xylosteilbliun: Deciduousrvoods on linrestone,Eaves Wood, Elrnslack Well,Silverdale (W. Lancs.),GR SD/463.759.Aug. 1978.P. Jepson.BM Det. Dr N.K.B. Robson.Similar plants,probably the samespecies, occur at Burton Well,less than one mile from EavesWood, at GR SD/471.752.Sce rBSr91 Nerls 24, p. 16,for the only other Brrecord.ltiseasilymistakenforH.elatunt,butdiftersingrowthhabit,"beingwillowier and markedlystoloniferous, with differentpetals and sepals." See Vol- 2 of Bean(1973), pp.4234, for full description.

Lathyrus clymenum L. var. articulatus(l-..) Arcang.:Casual in garden,Ilolbrooks. Coventry,West Midlands (v.c. 38, Warwick),surrmer 1979. J. Robbins,comm. Mrs P.J. Copson.K. Det. Kew. First county record.It set "huge,beanlike seeds."Olien treated asa species,L. articulatusL., but the claimedcharacters do uot alwryscorrelate, even in Europe(see F-lora of Turkey 3:365). IMostrecenl Br recordsof this complexare iiom bird-seedorigin, but it occurredin 1-enugreekwaste;rt Gravesend (W. I(ent) last year - seeWild Flower Mag.388:37.

Oleaia x haastii Hook. f.: Self-sown,Weyrnoutir harb,,rur walJ (Dorset), 1979. Dr HJ.M. Bowen. RNG. Very frequentiygrown in gardens,but goo<1seed is apparently rare.I haveno other recordsfor this plantas an escape.

Pulmonhria rubra Schott: Hedgerowby road, Higher Stony Bank betweenSlaidburn and Tosside(Mid W. York), GR SD/745.538,Iv{ay 1978. N. Frankland.comm. P. Jepson. BM. Det. D. McClintock,with the conrrnent."rarcly getsoLrt of'gardens, but is not un- commonin them."

Setarfugeniculata (I-arn.) Beauv.:Although publishedrecords are scarce,this species is probably nowadaysa fairly regular casualand not restrictedto "port rubbish-tips" (C.E. Hubbard'sGrasses. 1968, p. 369). In llb. EJC are specimenstiom refuse-tipsat Greenhithe(W. Kent), 1965; Callow Hill, near Egham(Surrey), 1966 and Godalming (Surrey), l9ll, and from wool shoddyat Blackmoor(N. ttants),1972. The first defi- nite (det. CEtl) recordtor Berksrvas in 1910 -- SidntouthStreet, Reading, coll. M.V' Fletcher,comm. Dr Hj.M. Bowen. The Greenhithegathering wes det. CEII as "an exceedinglyvariable species,which has receivedvery numerousnttmes. This specimen appearsto be one of the South Americanvariants with very short bristles."It much resemblesS. glauca"but is a perennial,with shorthard creeping tltozomes, more slender panicles,and smallerspikelets (2-2.5 mm long)." T.G, Evanshas meticulously depicted for us the plant from Brislingtontip - seerecord in BSBINews 25 , p. l7 -

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Setariageniculata del.T.G. Evanso 1980

t7 Pontederiacordata L.: Smallpond by HatchetPond, Beaulieu (S. Hants),Aug. 1980. R.ev.A.J.C. Beddow.Det. EJC. Three clumpsat edgeof the pond. MissS.M. Flastings alsoindependently found it, but consideredit introduced,together with "a smallleaved waterJiJy."Pickerel Weed, in Pontederiaceae,from N. Americais occasionallygrown in water gardens;it is aroid-likein appearance,with spikesof blue flowers.It persistsfor years,but never seemsto get fully naturalizedin Br. Contrastthis with its ally, Eichornin crassipes(Water Hyacinth), which is tl.rescourge of tropical waterwaysblocking rivers and dams.Miss R.C. Sedergreeninforms me that thereare just two BM sheetsof ktntederia from Br, asfollows: (a) NearWirnborne(Dorset),Arg. 1949. Mrs W.M. Reynolds. (b) EatonPonds, near Witley (Surrey), 1955. O. Polunin.

C.D. Preston,now at BRC, tells me of post-1960records from SalhouseLittle Broad (E. Norfolk), S. of DunmanusBay (S. Cork),and "planted" at Wareham(Dorset). One further recordcomes from Dr H.J.M.Bowen, by an old gravelpit nearSandhurst (Berks), 191l .Wirh ft wasSagittaia platvphylls (Engelm.) J.G. Sm., sometimestreated as a var. of S.graminea Michx: this aggrhas no previousBr records?

Scandix stellata Banks & Solander(Scanilicium pinnatiJidum (Vent.) Thell.): On gravellywaste bit of garden,not far from a bird-table,Shotesham, near Norwich (E. Norfolk), May 1980. Conrm.E.L. Swann.Hb. EJC.Perhaps the first recordsince 1921, when it was at Brislington(N. Somerset).Contrary to Druce'sBritish Plant List (1928), p. 49, it is nativein S. Spain,Balkans, N. Africa andW. Asia(incl. Turkey). The pinnate bracteolesseparate it from other Scandix spp. includingS. australiswhich is described in the new BSBI UmbelliJersof the British 1sles,but for which I can traceno post-1930 records! Help,please. CORRIGENDAAND ADDENDA Thank you to thosemembers who reportedmy errorsin BSBI News24. Chenopctdium ambrosioides(p. 1a), at Brislington,was in N. Somerset;nowAvon, nottN.Glos.Elaea- gnus urnbellata(p.16) is alsoknown from nearKings Mills, as reportedh DMcC'sTfte llild F-lowersof Guentsey, p. 128. The Pachyphragmamauophyllum record (p. t8) from N. Somersetwas first publishedin Proc.Bristol Nats. Soc. 3l(1):29 (1965);more precisely,it was at Belmont,near Flax Bourton, "a well-establishedcolony at edgeof wood." No-onetells of its fate or continuedexistence. Tlre commentby N.Y. Sandwith that "it is frequently grown in gardens" seemsuntrue, although it is 1'eaturedin G.S. Thomas'sPlants for Ground-Cover(1970), photo. 36, which is wrongly captioned as "Cardatnineasaifolia" . (An erratunrnote appears,after the first impression,on p. 135). Under StreetAliens in BSBI News25, p. i0, I shouldhave quoted, of course,A.O. Chater, The Street l"lora of Cenlral Aberystvyth, BSBI WelshRegion Bulletin 2l:2.-11 (,1914),in which 108 speciesare listed from 54 streets(cross-referenced to each other) andwith 4 pagesof discussit'n. I would llke to dedicateAdventive News 19 to the lateDr C.E.Flubbard who so very generouslyand enthusiasticallynot only determinedcountless alien grasses,but olten supplied,in his letters,krng and most informativenotesonthe speciesfound. Such info. cannot be easily found elsewhereand was neverpublished by CEH: I would like to assemblesome of it together.Contributions, please, in good time for the next y'y'ews. I will, of course,return any CEHletters loaned to me.Thank you. ERIC J. CLtsMENT, l3 Shelfbrd, Burritt Road. KINGSTON-ON-THAMES,Suney, KTI 3HR.

IB PETASITES ALBUS Not well known to many members,although adequatelydescribed in CTW; Stella Ross-Craigprovides no illustration. Colin Ormerod whoseexcel1ent drawing appears on the cover of this issue,has kindly filled the gap, depictinghis local colony, a largestand nearthe River Ribble, Clitheroe.Lancs. It flowersvery early - on 12th Februaryin 1980. Native over a wide range of central and N. Europe. Introduced and locally thriving in wasteplaces, plantations etc. in Br.

ADVENTIVE TIP SPECIESIN THE LONDON AREA For lack of spacewe had to omit a paragraphfrom Colin Hanson's article under this headingin BSBINews 25 p.18. Here it is now.

The highest scoring sites were the vast london tips such as that near Barking, the soyabearr waste tip at Stone,Kent, and my localoften-visited tips nearWare and Hertford. Other tips visitedover the decadewere at or near: W. Kent (V.c. l6) Aveley,Crayford, Greenhithe, Northfleet, Essex (V.c, 18) Dagenham,Harlow. Herts. (V.c.20) Cole Green, Colley Heath, Hatfield, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Park Street,Wheathampstead. Middx (V.c.21) Harefield,Nerv Year's Green, Shepperton, West Drayton. Bucks. N .c-24) Gerrard'sCross, Iver. Beds. (V.c.30) Luton.

'rare' He also reminds readers that his list of 90 speciesis available on receipt of s.a.e. C.G.HANSON. I ColtsfootRoad, WARE, Herts.

FAGOPYRUM TATARICUM (L.) GaertnerAND OTHER PLANTS ASSOCIATEDWITTi GAME BIRD FOOD A mixture sown among crops to provide food for game-birdsoften leavesa residual populationin subsequentyears. In N.W. Kent the main constituentsof this mixture are Helianthusannuus L. Sinapis alba L., Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, Vicia sativaZ. subsp.sativa,Phalaris canariensis L. andLinum usitatissimumL. large quantities of the hardy perennial grassPhalois aquatica L. have occurred in severalareas this year. In a root crop at Fawkham,W. Kent I noticed alsoa considerable amount of Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertner this autumn. This other Buckwheat probably occurs as an impurity with the ordinary one. It is distinguishableat some distance from Fagopyrum esculentun by its large paniclesof shining green fruits and insignificant,rather than showy flowers. The fruits turn dull brown, but are wrinkled not smcoth,and have wavy edges. The leaves are usually broader than long. J.R. PALMER, l9 WaterMill l^ane,S. Darenth, DARTFORD, Kent, DA4 9BB.

l9 CYTISUS NIGRICANSL, (= Lembotropis nigricans(L.) Griseb. subsp. rigricans in Flora Europaea2:86)

A small colony of plants, somewell established,growing on wasteground of the long disusedFeltharn marshalling yard, Middlesex(O.S. sheet176, 1:50,000 SecondSeries Nat. grid ref.: TQ 13.76July 1980.PJ. Cribband G.P. kwis. Conf.R.M. Polhill, Royal BotanicGardens, Kew.. Although Fl. Europaea gives Lembotropis generic rank Polhill lGenisteae(Adans.) Benth. and RelatedTribes (lrguminosae) Bot. Syst.1:339 (1976)] pref-ersto keepit asa Sectionof Cylrsusthus: Cytisus L. SectionLembotropis (Griseb.)Benth. containingtwo species,C. nigricans L. and C. emeiflorus Reichenb. C. nigicans is an erect shrub to I or l 5 metrestall with twigs 45 cm or more long. The flowers are in terminal pseudoracemes,the tips frequently growing out again as leafy shoots (see drawing). The trifoliate leavesare distinctly petiolate.The pedicels (flower stalks) have one linear,long-persistent (6). The flowers are bright yellow, quickly tuming blackishwhen damagedor on drying. The wing petalsof the flower (4) are shorter than the rostrai,ekeel (3) and the standardpetal (2) becomescompletely reflexedin older flowers.The linear-oblonglegume (8) is appressedpubescent. The speciesflorvers in its first year, the t'loweringperiod being from the end of June until late August (occasionailyinto October).The plantsare reported to producecopious seedand certainly at Feltham there are severalnew seedlingsgrowing quite vigorously, but the plants are alsorecorded as being sliort lived. 'Ihe 'Black-Podded common name of the plant is the Broom' althoughthe species name nigricans(meaning blackish) may also ret-erto the black stemsof the shrub or to the fact that the llowers dry to black. Fl. Europaeagives the range of the speciesas "C. and S.E. Burope extendingNorth tastwardsto C. Russia". C. nigricansis said to have been introduced into England in 1730, becomingquite popular with severalnurseries and gardensin the late l8th, early 19th century. It is now lesscommonly cultivatedin this country. l'lre specieshas twice been figured as a plant of horticultural interest frefs.Botanical Mugazine,Vol. 1X, Tab.8419(1913) ^nd Botanical Register, Vol. X, t 802 (1824)1. In the Herbarium,R.B.G. Kew thereare voucher specimens of the speciescultivated in thegardens at Kew in 1881, 1935and 1936. There are, apparently, no previous records(a previousrecord existsin llild Flower Mag. 364:29 (1972) - on waste ground at Forstal, Kent, EJC.), of the plant having escapedliom cultivation. It seemsmost likely that the colony at Felthamis the resultof a recently self-sownplant (one specimenis more robust than all the others) that has its origin in a nearbygarden or nursery(? the seedsmay havebeen dispersed by ants).

(l) Inflorescence(x l); (2) Standardpetal (x 6); (3) Keel petal(x 6); (a) Wingpetal (x 6); (5) (x 6);(6) Pistiland remnantsof stamensstill attachedto calyx.Note bracton flower stalk(x 6); (7) Calyx(opened out) (x 6);(8) Maturepod (x 3). (l -7) drawn from livingmaterial from Feltham,(8) liom herbariumspecimen: Tauscher s.n.collected in Hungary. G.P.LEWIS, Herbarium, R.B.G. Kew, Richmond,Suney. August 1980.

2A Cltixts nigicans del. G.P. Lewis o 1980

2l THE CROYDON NATURAL HISTORY AND SCIENTIFICSOCIETY The Society was founded, as the Croydon MicroscopicalClub, in 1870, but within ten yearsits name changedto the Croydon Microscopicaland Natural History Club with botany of'all kinds includedalnongst its members'activities. Its presentname was adopted in 1901 and now includesstudents of archaeology,geography, geology, local histr.rryand industrial archaeologyas well as natural historiansamongst its 750 members. A geographicalterritory fbr detailed study had eff'ectivelybeen adoptedwithin the first 15 years,and formally designated,as the RegionalSurvey Area, about 1912.Much coordinated field work and search amongst manuscript antl printed sources,in the 1920s,including pioneer studiesof land use and of ponds and streams,lead to the pub- lication of the first instalmentof sheetsof the Atlas of Croydonand District in 1936. The Society's continuous "Proceedings"have been published continuously since the MicroscopicalClub's First Report, in 1871. Current publishingpolicy providesfor an ambitious programme to be canied forward within reasonablefinancial bounds. Sales make a healthy contribution towards meeting the costs of production, and the publi- cation of a profit-earningseries of popular, illustratedlocal history books hashelped to subsidisethe printing of more specialisedpapers. Like rnany such bodies, the Society's accumulatediibrary and museum collections have,during the last decade,been thoroughly overhauledand brought up to acceptable, professional,standards. Very considerableproportions of the availablefunds, with some grant aid, are devoted to stockingand running the museumand library, the latter being strong in botanicalworks, including locai topographicaland botanicalliterature, county floras, taxonomic works, periodicalsetc. Substantialmap holdings,geological literature, and local history sources,assist research into all aspectsof particular sites and their pastmanagement - anotheradvantage of beingsuch a broadly-basedSociety. The museumcollections include FI.F.Parsons'and others'herbaria, divided into Suney and general British collections. The museum building is a hive of activity, although becauseof restricted spaceit is cunently usableonly for curation and research,rather than educationalwork or public display.Materiai and literatureof interestto the palaeo- botanist is also held. Croydon has, regrettably,no public museumservice and, indeed, the Society carrieson its work with relatively little material assistancefrom the local authority. The Society's Museum Servicewas proud to be askedto take the initiative in estab- lishing a Biological Records Centre for Surrey. If current negotiationswith relevant county and national bodies are successful,it is hoped that accommodationnear to,or associatedwith,our own library or museum collectionscan be found, enablingthese invaluableresources to find a role in supportof naturalhistory in the county asawhole. Besidesits publishing,library and museumwork, the Societyorganises indoor meetings, excursions(there is a meeting of somekind every two to three days!), and iield work. The Botany Section is currently engagedin the third year'swork on a Plant Recording Scheme, inaugurated to commemorate the Section's centenary,and to supplement, update and correct Lousley'sFlora of Surrey (1976). The First Report of this scheme, for 1978, is now published in the Society's Proceedings.(Copies of this Report are availablefrom the Society at the addressgiven below at 50p. incl. postage).This work, and the Reports,also extendsinto the Kentish part of the Society'sarea. Totals of over 200 plantsfrom 36 tetradsare mentioned in the Report,and over 800 of the 1,000or so speciesrecorded in the Flora of Surreyhave been found, as well asa few not previously recorded.

11 The Society's Botany Sectionhas a distinguishedhistory in plant recording,and has had asactive members such men as C.E. Salmon, H.F. Parson,D.P. Young and C.T.Prime. Closeworking links are maintainedwith the Kent and Surrey Trusts for Nature Conser- vation; the SurreyFlora Committee;theHolmesdale Natural History Club;the London Natural History Society:the ParksDepartments of the Inndon Boroughsof Bromley, Croydon, Sutton and Merton; the Nature CclnservancyCouncil's regionalofficers and others. It has also been associatedwith the BotanicalSociety of the British Isles,and its predecessors,and other suchnational bodies, and holdslong andvirtually complete runs of their publications. It is hoped that, in addition to straightforwardplant recording,it will be possiblein future, in associationwith the Suney Trust, to researchthe generalnatural history of selectedimportant sites, with a view to publication to a high academicstandard. A number of such studieshave already appeared,and others are currently in preparation or at the planningstage. PAUL W. SOWAN,Director & Sec.,96a Brighton Rd, S. Croydon,Surrey, CR2 6AD. LETTERS A TRANSITIONALABNORMALITY IN PLATANTHERA CHLORANTHA Cttst.ex. Rchb. During early July this year on the Isle of Skye, an abnormalplant of P. chlorantha wasphotographed growing on a roadsideverge near Camastianavaig. Only oneof a group of five plants was as follows:- Plant 300 mm high with a spike 60 mm long containing 17 florets. The lowest five florets each with three equally fully developedLips and Spurs, (see drawing) the largest floret being 16 mm diat the middle five florets with two equally developedLips and Spurs:the top florets being of normal form. The largest leafwas 45 x 110mm, the otherleaf being only I /3 the size. Associated spp. were:- Calluna, Anthoxanthum, Cynosurus, I'otus comiculatus, Potentilla erecto, Plantago lanceolata, Galium saxatile dominated by Pterid.ium. Other Orchid spp.in the vicinity werePlatonthera bifolia andGymnadenia conopseo. Perhapsthe complete spike was involved in similar abnormalitiesreferred to in the following: Godfrey 1933 Native British Orchidaceaep. 136; Summerhayesl95l Wild Orchidsof Biruin p.38 B.R. FOWLER,84 WoodthorneRoad South, WOLVERHAMPTON, WV6 8SL.

t -^. RearView | |crr. I FrontView

LJ WAYFARING - TREE I now have three recordsof late flowering by Vibumum lantann,viz. Icknield Way, lrwknor, Oxon, September1965;Beacon Hill, kwknor, Oxon, September29th, 1968; and Middle Assendon,Oxon, August29th, 1980.I can find no referenceto this in the literature.Has anybody else noticed it, in or out of the Chilterns? RICLIARDFITTER, Chinnor,Oxon, September 5th, 1980.

I{ERBARITJ]VTLABELS AND INDEX Referring to Robin Stevenson'splea for a standardherbarium label combinedwith an index card, I have seriousdoubts whether such a label would find generalacceptance and whether it would fulfill moderninformation needs.This is not to deny the attraction of Mr. Stevenson'sidea, but we must consider the limitations that might curtaii its usefulnessif it were adoptedand put into practice. The following remarks are basedupon experiencegained in cataloguingmore than 20,000 herbariumspecimens. A standard label can restrict the amount of information recorded becauseof its limited size, and becauseonly a few headingsare prescribedon it. Full documentation requiresan A5 (2l0mm x 148mm)record form, which is too largein the originaltobe used as a herbariumlabel. However,used as a written record to accompanya specimen, such a form can be devisedso that a reducedversion can be printed in l2-point typeface from an office word-processoror mini-computer. The use of a carbon copy index card is restrictedby the fact that a setof cardscan be arrangedin only one sequence,e.g.byDandy number orby gridsquare o/by vicecounty, etc. Finally, the introduction of a standardlabel of conventionaltype would not resolve the greaterproblem of makng availableexisting herbarium data. With the latter objective in view a project to catalogueall our British vascularplant specimenshas been in progressat BirminghamCity Museum(BIRA) sinceJune 1979.|t involvesfirstly, transcribingthe originalcollector's labels and annotationson to a standard form arrangedby subject headingsand secondly,typing into a computer keyboard to permit automatic sorting,selection, arrangement and printing of cataloguesand indexes. A full accountwill be publishedin due course(computer input will finish in June i98l), but readersmay like to know that our standardform is sizeA5 and containsno lessthan 20 headings.This is necessaryto accommodatethe miscellanyof information that the nineteenthcentury collector recordedand the additionaldata neededto createa modern biologicalrecord. A copy of this form canbe suppliedon receiptof a stampedaddressed envelope. The systemwe areoperating would very easilydeal with the accessionof new specimens and the minicomputer in use here offers far more versatileindexing than any carbon duplicate.On printing-out from the mini-computer(in typefacequality equalto electric typewriter), the data can be neatlycondensed to labelsize while at the sametime producing multiplecopies as index 'cards'. I would suggestadoption of record forms printed in books on tear-out pageswith interleavedcarbon for the collector to retain. Initially however, sometried and tested schemesshould be examinedto discoverthe best formula for recording. DRB.A. SEDDON,Keeper,Nat. Hist. Dep't, CityMuseumsandArt GaIIeT,BIRMINGHAM 83 3DH.

24 REQUESTS AMSINCKIA IN BRITAIN Since requestinginformation in BSBI News 25, I havereceived many moreAmsinckia records from numerous correspondents.These records confirm that the principal vice- countiesin which Amsinckia spp. are establishedas arable weeds are, E. Suffolk (v.c.25), E. Norfolk (v.c. 27) and S.E.Yorks (v.c. 61). To a lesserextent the plantsare established in S. and N. Lincs. (v.c.'s53 and 54), W. Suffolk (v.c.26) and W. Norfolk (v.c.28). lsolatedrecent records exist for other vice-countiesin E. England,but it is not yet clear to what extent Amsinckia spp. are establishedthere. Further recordswould be very welcome. Outside E. England, it appearslhat Amsinckla is well establishedin two areas,in East Lothian (E. Scotland)and Wiltshire,and in both caseshave been there for at least 25 years. Becauseof the potential interestof thesetwo coloniesI havedecided no longerto restrict my survey to E. England,and therefore would like to repeat my requestfor records andfor specimensof Amsinckia from anywherein Britain. Specificlocalities in Fl. Scotland or Wiltshire would be of particularinterest. As before, I will gladly refund postage. I shouid iike to thank the very large number of people who have readily provided information, and in particularMiss J. Gibbons,M. Grace,Mrs. E.M. Hyde, Mrs. K.L. Jefferies,P.W. Lambley,Peter f-awson,T.F. Medd,Miss J. Muscott,M.G. Rutherford, F.W.Simpson, E.L. Swann,Mrs. I. Westonand John Winham. MARK HYDE, Parkside,Woolverstone, IPSWICH, Suffolk, IP9 I AR. ABNORMAL A NA CAMPTISP YRAMIDA L IS Further to the letter from A.G. Hoare in B.S.B.l.1y'ewsNo. 24 in July this year, I found a plant of A. pyramidalrsconforming exactly to his descriptionof var. emarginata, althoughthe flower wasconsiderably paler than that of normal plants. I consideredthe possibility of its being a hybrid, but rejectedthe ideawhen a second plant was found with a most unusual appearance.One side of the inflorescencehad florets with lips of the emarginatetype, while those on the other side were normal. 'sport'perhaps Are theseabnormalities the resultof somegenetic upset, a ? I would like to mention yet another form of A. pyramidalrsthat appearedin the same colony this year. Here, the central part of the lip was two-lobed and the guide 'upside-down', plates absent or very rudimentary. Al1 the florets in this specimenwere (a charactersometimes found in normal plants),and the claspingleaflike bractson the upper part of the stemwere deeppink, the samecolour as the flower. None of the abovedescribed plants showedany signsof hybrid vigour, the first two were of normal sizeand height,while the third was somewhatshorter and weakly. I have transparenciesof all three plants which were growingon the Nature Reserve at Noar Hill, Selborne.Associated Orchid speciesof interestwere'. Gymnadenia conopseo, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Coeloglossumviride, Herminium monorchis, Ophrys apifera, Listera ovata. I should be most interestedto hear if anyonehas found plants similar to these,and any commentson var. emarginatawould be welcomed.Itwill be interestingto seewhether any of thesethree types re-appear next year. STEPHENPOVtsY, Dorton Cottage,Selborne, ALTON, Hants.GU34 3JN. SAXIFRAGA GRANULATA I am currently undertakinga postgraduateresearch project on the taxonomy ol' Meadow Saxifrage,Saxifraga granulata. S. granulata is higlrly polymorphic. In Northumberland,for example,there are at leastthree distinct races:(l) in opengrassy sward in the Cheviots;(2) as a component of the vernalground flora in denewoodlands; and (3) on doleriticoutcrops of theWhin Sill. These populationsare morphologicallydistinct and differ considerablyin their life cycles. In order to adequatelydescribe the variation in S. granulata,I need small samples from large populationsrepresentative of a diversityof habitatsthroughout its range. I should greatly appreciateany six figure grid referencesof S. granulalasites, especially of populationsin contrastinghabitats or with plantsof unusualappearance. Copies ol recentunpublished county distributionmaps, and generalobservations of habitatpref'- erence,iife cycleetc., would alsobe of interest. DAVID STEVENS,Department of Plant Biology,The llniversity,NEWCASTLF] UPON TYNE, NEl 7RIJ. SALVIA spp. I am preparing the Biological Flora of Salvia pratertsisL. and Sah,iahomtinoides Pourr.(CTW nomenclature),and I would appreciatehearing from anyonewho hasany information on the biology/ecology/distributionof theseor any other speciesof Salvia in Britain.Where populations are known or suspectedto be introductions,it would be helpfulif thiscould be mentioned.Postage will be refunded. Pleasesend all information (with six figure grid reference)to: JOHl.i HOLDEN, Departrnentof BiologicalSciences, City of [.ondon Polytechnic,Calcutta House, Old CastleStreet, LONDON E1 7NT.

RENDLE'S"CLASSIFICATION'' Would any readerwho has a copy of the two-volume"Classification of Flowering Plants" by A.ts. Rendlebe willing to offer it to a student?If so pleaseget in touch. statingp rice, with : G.P.AYLETT, QueensCollege, CAMBRIDGE, CB3 9ET.

SURREYBIOLOGICAL RECORDS CENTRE (v.c. l7) This RecordsCentre is beingestablished as an inclependentLibrary Unit by the County Councilat Leatherhead.Information on the existenceof collections.records and notes in out-county establishementsivould be gratefullyreceived so tlrat the recordsheld can be as completeas possible.and any notes concerningunpublished information or descriptionsre v.c. I 7 would be especiallywelcomed. Ideally the infbrmationshould state quantity, date and quality of rnaterialand the "degreeof risk" it rnightbe regardedas 'X' being under, e.g. "seen in damp basementof unheatedoutbuilding at museum" would obviouslysuggest a considerabledegree of risk. It is alsonecessary to raisemoney for equippingthe Centreand to matchihe Grant-aid offered by the Area MuseumsService for S.E. England(on a 4:6 basis).lt is hoped to raise{5,000 by the beginningof April. Pleasereply to : SURREY BIOLOGICAL RECORDSCENTRE, Biology Centre, Chipstead Valley Road, COULDSON,Surrey.

26 JUNIPERSON CHALK Wantedlbr comparativestudy of the subspeciesof Juniperuscommunis, cuttings for propagatiortfrom plantsgrowing on Englishchalk. Please send half-ripened shoots,about 6 irrches(15cm) or morein lengthin a polythenebag with a sprinklingof water,(postage will be refunded)to: illissAlison Rutherford,Rosslyn Cottage, Church Road. Rhu, HEI.ENSBURGII G84 8RW.

FOSSILFOOTPRINTS FLORA The short note in ly'cw,.s25 on the work of P.D. Mooreand Harperet al providedme with someprovoking tirought. and prompted this request. ln co-operationrvith Prof. Shotton and other specieiists,an ongoingprogramme of work on the palaeoenvironmentsof the (Warwick)Avon Valleyriver deposits is in hand. A pollen spectrumI'rom No. 3 terraceat Wick. Worcestershireshows uniquely high quantitiesol Plantagaspp. (41/a of herb.pollen. comnt. Dr J. Tallis:Manchester) from shallowpool sedimentsassociated with remainsof Hippopotamas(det PFW). The order of ageis likely to be 100,000+ years(i.e. Ipswichian).Could vertebrate tranrplingproduce the key to exphin the apparentdominance of Plontagoat this site? Prof. West lras ref-erredto locally high percentagesof Plontagoin spectraof variousages, at l-,exden(? alsrtlpswichian, see West in Shotton et al E-sscxNat. 1962)Plantago pgllen wasregarded as high at 8.O% I would be pleased1o hear from anyonewith knowledgeof the humic/mineralogic statusof soiiscolonised by Plantagomaior, (\t P. media,since great dominance does not 'c:old' appearto be reachedin environmentswhere macro-vertebrates also prevail. 'Moor P.F. Wt'llTEIIL,Al), teys', Little Comberton,PERSHORE, Worcs. WRl0 3EP.

BARBAREA spp. Seed,or seedlingsof Barbareaintermedio or B. venrawith locaiitiesspecified. required (postagerefunded) by: DR G. HALLIDAY, Dep't of BiologicalSciences, The University,Bailrigg, LANCASTER.

EDITOR'SREQUEST When in 1912 BSBLly'ewstirst appeared,it was ref'erredto, evenby its Editor, as "The Newsletter,"though, to be sure,it was neverpublished in letter form. But the name caughton and still persists,despite the fact that it is registeredwith the Inter- nationalStandard Serial Numbering scheme (ISSN) under its officialtitle of BSBINews. Would merrberstherefore please discontinue the desienation"Newsletter" in favourof its correcttitle.

27 PHOTOGRAPHYFOR PLANT IDENTIFICATION - Part 2 by D.M. Turner Ettlinger "Fill the (viewing) frame" is the murim to be observed.A special"Macro" lensis the best way of achievingthis - it hasan integralfocussing mechanism which will go down to Repro Ratiosof l:2 or l:1. and the specialcomputations will keepdefinition good even at thoseranges. Macro lensesmade by the cameramanufacturers tend to be very expensive; it is better to getone from an independentlens maker e.g.Tamron, Vivitar or Panagor. By buying a camerabody without lens and then addingan "independent"Macro, the costis reasonable. The traditional way of lengtheningthe focussingrange of an "ordinary" lens is by extension tubes inserted between lens and camerabody. Thesehave their defects - ordinary lensesdo not give the best results when extendedin this way, and the tubes for modern bayonet-fittinglenses are no longercheap. The useof extensionbellows is similar, but lessconvenient. Another method is to add supplementarylenses to the front of the main lens, but they impair the defirition, at leastwhen using the usualsimple- meniscustype. However,it is possibleto buy from accessoryfirms, somesupplementary lensesof more complicatedcemented-achromat construction, and theseare much better, evenup to powersof +10 dioptres(which will givec. 1:2 reproduction."Tele-extenders" or "tele-converters"double (or occasionallytreble) the focal length of the lens,but still keep the original focussingrange. Thus a 50mm lenswhich will normally focusdown to, say, 18 inches, will still do so when a converteris fitted. But in this casethe effective focal length is now 100mm, so the repro ratio is doubled.Definition with a converter lltted is usually noticeably worse at long ranges.but lessso when usedclose-up. I have seen some fine insect-photographersusing a combination of convertersand extension tubes. Finally, a recently-introducedgadget, the PanagorMacro Converter,consists of a variable-powerconverter, specially computed tbr closeranges. It has been well reviewed in the photographicpress and should be very suitablefor the personwho wants occas- ional goodquality close-ups(down to 1: l). Depth of Field. When a lens is focussedon a particularobject, somethings, in front of and behind that will also appear sharp.How far this "depth of field" extendsdepends on the aperture ("f' number) of the lens and on the actual range itself. For a whole plant at, say,3 feet f8 will be good enough;if you usefl6, the extradepth of field will make the unimportant backgrounddistractingly sharp. For an extremeclose-up, however, f8 will give insufficient depth to cover even one small flower, and ft6 or 122 will be required. Insufficient depth of field in close-upphotographs is a very common fault. Flash. The modern electronic flash has an effectivespeed quite fast enoughto prevent any carnera-shakeproblem. The amount of light producedis enough(often more than enough!) for the small aperturesused at close ranges,thus solving the depth-ot'-field problemalso. Its disadvantagesare that the colour tendsto be "cold" (a palepink "lA" filter on the lens is advisable).Also. becausethe actual dischargetube which emits the light is so small, the shadowsare sharp+dgedand resultscan be very contrastyit'a single flash-headis used to one side of the lens axis. Furthermore,since the illurnination falls off rapidly with increasingrange, (2 x the range gives/+ illumination), backgrounds tend to be undercxposed or even black - unaesthetic,though of no consequencein identifying the foregroundplant. Finally, the "computor" flashsets which automatically give the conect amount of light for the set aperture,do not operatewell at closeranges, so one needsto do somesums to work out the correctexposure;in practice, these sums can be done in advanceand a pre-calibratedtable of exposures/rangesprepared.

28 manufacturers'exposure tables are rarely much use in close-upsituations, except as a rough guide for one'sown calibrationtests. For close-ups(Repro ratios of, say, l:3 and closer),the best lighting for identifi- cation purposesis undoubtedly the Ring Flastr,where the dischargetube is arranged in a ring around the lens itself. Resultsare virtually shadowless.Though there is good modelling at close ranges,at longer distancesresults are often unacceptablyflat. kss expensively,one can arrangetwo small normal flash sets,one eachside of the lens and affixed temporarily to a lens-hood,result being very similar. The only trouble is that even the very smallestordinary flashesare often too powerful, and one should attach diffu.serssuch as layers of white handkerchiefor piecesof perspexwith their surfaces ground;there is at least one commercialtype of diffuser (the "Softouch") whichworks well. Using an ordinary flash set held (or mounted on a bracket)away from the lens,some 30' - 45' to the side of and abovethe lens axis, givesgood modellingat all ranges,but there is a need for a reflector, or another weatherflash as a fill-in, to give detail in the shadows;for close-ups,a piece of white card, held at an eppropriateangle (the other sideof the plant from the flash),will make a satisfactoryreflector. AN ARACHNOLOGIST'SVIEW OF BOTANIY Extracted from the newsletter of a South of England Naturalists Trust whosemembers take it in tum to wite up the account of fteld meetings. As August is not a particularly good time of the year for spiders,it was rather a disappointingtrip for the more intelligent naturalist.However, the sun stroneand John took us through a beautiful field of golden corn bedeckedwith bright red poppies. Proudly, in the centre,stood - a giganticwalnut tree! Throughout the walk, various people were making astonistLinglyenthusiastic noises over the most ordinary looking plants, including that dreary herbagethe orchid. How this humdrum collection of insignificantflora can arousesuch attention I'11never know. We did seeone attractivespecies that, I'm told was the Pyramidal,but it is so colourful that they will probably throw it out of the orchid family asbeing too ostentatious. Yvonne assuresme that she saw eighteendifferent types of butterflies which are listed below. I saw about three myself. Yvonne saysthat someof them are rarely seen and appearedvery proud ofherself. One good thing about the walk was that we were not pesteredby birds. Hardly one 'clever was seen all day. Andrew Guest did his Dick' bit at lunchtime by identifying 'song' different birds by the noisesthey were making. I say noises,as is altogetherthe wrong word for that cacophony.The Americanhumourist Robert Brenchley,who was of the sameopinion, statedthat, until scienceproved him wrong,he wassure they made that dreadfulrow becausethev had a headache. MARY BRICCS

BSBI NEWS 27 Contributions intended for publication in this issue must reach the Editor BEFORE ITth FEBRUARY 1980

29 APPEALS

THE LIZARD AND AVON GORGE Bristol Universityhas launchedtwo appealsfor conservationmanagement studies of the unique assemblageof plant life at the Lizard, Cornwall,and the Avon Gorge,Bristol. In eachcase f4-\,000 is neededto engagefor threeyears a skilledbotanical worker and an assistantto concentrateon suchstudies. At THE LIZARD thereare nearly40 rareand uncommonplants of which l6 arelisted as ThreatenedSpecies while four additionalThreatened Species are fearedalready lost from the Lizard Flora and a further four rareor uncommonplants may havedied-out sincethe war. Theselosses are due largelyto the declinein roughgrazing, lack of use or over-useof the ancienttrackways, tourist pressureon sand-dunesand the prevalence of disastroussummer heathland fires as well asto habitatdestruction. The Appealwill also support conservationstudies of the uniquevegetation and soil typesand the pub- lication of an Atias of the Rareand UncommonPlants and a fully illustratedbook on the historyand present status of plantlife at the Lizard. The AVON GORGEsupports three endernics,namelySorDus bristoliensis, S. wilmottiana and Ophrys x pietzchii,as well as one ProtectedPlant, nine other ThreatenedSpecies and some 20 rare and uncommonplants. Many are endangeredby scrubdevelopment following the cessationof sheep grazingin the mid-l920's and myxomatosisof the rabbits.Alien treesand shrubs, mostly evergreens. have invaded the Gorgeand are shading- out some of the rarities.The recent removalof dangerousrocks has causedhabitat destructionand damageto severalrare plant populationsalthough the University's Rare Plant Rescueefforts rninimised the potentiallydisastrous effects. The University's plan to plant the roof of the tunnel at presentbeing constructed over the Portwaywith rare Gorge plants and grasseshas been willingly acceptedby Avon County Council. The Appealwill alsosr.lpport the publicationof a fully illustratedbook on the pastand presentplantlifeintheGorgewithitslonghistoryofbotanicalrecordsfrorn I562. H.R.H. Prince Charles,Duke of Cclrnwall,expressed his generoussupport of the Llzard Appealwhile His GraceThe Duke of Beaufortin contributingto the Avon Gorge Appealdescribed it as "this excellentcause". Sir Ralph Verney,Chairman of the Nature ConservancyCouncil, in announcinga donationof f4.,500said, "Although theseare difficult times, the NCC must supportthis excellentwork. The LizardAppeal deserves the widestsupport". Pleasesend donations, made payableto the "Universityof Bristol", to DR LEWIS FROST, Botany Department,Bristol University,BRISTOL, B58 lUG, who will gladly sendfull particularsof eitherAppeal on request.

CATCOTT HEATH A leaflet in which an appealis made for f,l 8,400 for the purchaseof 18 acreson Catcott Heath is enclosedwith this issueof ESBI News.All membersare earnestlyre- questedto respondto this appealand to sparea donationtowards saving a furtherremnant of these important wetlands.Soon there will be very little left. Donationsshould be sent to: THE SOMERSETTRIIST FOR NATURE CONSERVATION.Fvne Court. Broomfield,BRIDGWATER, Somerset. Your help is URGENTLYneeded.

30 CORRECTIONSTO BSBINEWS 25

Tips On page19 paragraph3 the first line shouldread: (b) I'-requentspecies (on between25% to 50%of the cards). from A.L. Grenfell In my note on aliensat BrislingtonTip (p. 18)Dipsacus pilosus L. shouldread Dipsacus sotivus(L.) Honckery.I am indebtedto CaptainR.G.B. Roe for pointingout that the Fullers'Teasel is still cultivatedin Somersetand sometimesescapes, although not per- sisting in the wild. Also that neither Eruca sativa nor Amarantlrusstandleyanus were rrewto v.c.6: the latter havingbeen twice previouslyrecorded under Amaranthusvulga- /issinls Speg.

Slips Apologiesto Tom Cairns,Secretary of the CoEnCoWildlife Link Committeefor the printer'ssiip which mis-spelthis name in B.S.B./.News 25.

No'L' The Editor cannotexplain how Dactylorhizacame to be printedfour timeson pp 22 and 23 without its "l". Apologiesall the same.Also, as Mary Briggspointed ovtOphio- glossumvulgare in the first paragraphof her llon. Gen. Sec'sNotes should have been O. vulgatum.

STOPPRESS

Nature in Parliament At the time of going to press,it is anticipatedthat a WILDLIFE AND COUNTRY- SIDE BILL will be goingthrough Parliament during this currentsession. BSBI members are asked to contact their local Trust for Nature Conservationto find out how best they can support the conservationof f lora and habitatsby legislationintroduced through thisBill.

BSBI NEWS27 Contributionsintended for publicationin this issr.re lnust reachthe Editor I}EFORE ITth FEBRUARY I98O

3l CONTENTSLIST ADMINISTRATION Administration ...... 2 PermanentWorkingco*.iti".,: : : ::: . :. : :...... 2 HON.GEN.SEC'SNOTES ...... 3 Congtatulations. .,.....3 Newthreattowildlife ...... 3 Italiannaturetrail...... 4 Weedseedlings ...... 5 C.forN.Leaf1ets .....5 Hieraciumspecialistdies...... 5 Algalalert ...... 6 PERRING'SPIECE...... 7 ChangesofRecorders...... 7 BSBlPublications...... 7 PRESIDENT'SMESSAGE(ProblemSolving) ...... 9 LivetreesreplaceD.E.D...... 9 NOTICES ....10 Waterplants(conference) . . . ..10 Floraoftjig(Lewis) ...... 10 Englishnamesofwildflowers ...... 10 F'loraofDerby(Supplements)...... 10 BMKeysandreprints...... 11 LivinginaWildGarden ...... 11 ReedGrove(Naturereservefilm) ...... 11 SuffolkNat.Res.Opendays...... 11 Greektour...... 11 ALIENSandADVENTMS... ..,.....12 AdventiveNewsl8 ....12 Petasitesalbus ...... 19 Tipsinlondonarea...... ,I9 Fagopyrumtartaricum ...... 19 Cyttsusnigicans ...... 20 CroydonNat.Hist.andScientificSoc...... 22 LETTERS ... .23 Wayfaringtree...... 24 Herbariumlabelsandindex...... 24 REQLTESTS ....25 AmsinckiainBritain ...... 25 AbnormalArwcamptispyramidalis...... 25 Saxifragagranulata...... 26 Salviaspp...... 26 Rendle's'Classification' ...,..26 Junipersonchalk ....2'l Fossilfootprintsflora .,...,27 Barbareaspp...... ,27 Editor'srequest. ....27 Photographyfor plant identification@r D . . - ...... 28 An arachnologist'sview of Botany ...... 29 APPEALS ,...,30 ThelizardandAvonGorge...... 30 CatcottHeath...... 30 CorrectionstoBSBlNews2s...... 31 STOPPRESS-NatureinParliament ...... 31

All text and illustrations appearing n BSBI News are copyright and no reproduction in any form may be made without witten permissionfrom the Editor. "BSBI News' (ISSN0309-930X) is published by the BotanicalSociety of the Britishlsles. Enquirier @ncerningthe Society'sactivities and membershipshould be addressedto :- The Hon.Gen. Sec,, BSBI, c/o BotanyDept, British Museum (Nat, Hiet,l, Cromwell Road, london S:w75BD. Printed by Suffolh Offset, 50 VictoriaStreet, Felixstowe Tel. 77117