A CHECKLIST OF THE FLORA OF STAFFORDSHIRE The previous checklist for the county was prepared by Ian Hopkins: Hopkins, I.J. (1985) Staffordshire Flowering Plants and Ferns . Stoke-on-Trent City Museum and Art Gallery. He used information from E.S. Edees' Flora of Staffordshire (1972 David & Charles) as a basis for frequency assessment with some changes where additional/more recent data suggested it was necessary. 800 tetrads were involved. Work on a new Flora commenced in 1998, with contributions from many botanists. Species accounts and distribution maps were completed in December 2010. The number of tetrads in which each taxon occurred within the period post-1994 was ascertained and its frequency assessed. The earlier checklist employed six frequency categories and this method is adopted here. However, the more recent Flora covers a larger geographical area than the earlier one. It includes all areas that have, at any stage, been included in administrative Staffordshire as well as the botanical vice-county (VC 39): all or part of 885 tetrads. Consequently, the upper limit of each category boundary has been raised by 10%: Very Common 649 - 885 tetrads Common 275 - 648 tetrads Frequent 110 - 274 tetrads Uncommon 39 - 109 tetrads Rare 9 - 38 tetrads Very Rare 1 - 8 tetrads Some sub-specific taxa have been under-recorded by some botanists and the same is certainly true within critical groups. Where the compiler is convinced in his own mind that the true frequency of occurrence would almost certainly move the frequency into the category above that corresponding to the actually recorded figure, a * is added. Thus: "Dryopteris affinis ssp. affinis….Rare*" indicates that many of the records for Scaly Male Fern were not determined to subspecific level and that, if they had, the frequency level of this ssp. would almost certainly be raised to "Uncommon". Although D.P. Earl has kindly provided many Rubus records, these were only from the north of the county. Those species which are extremely likely to be frequent enough further south to raise the frequency category are marked "‡" The frequency of Salix x sepulcralis is given as "Rare†". It is almost certainly "Uncommon", having often been incorrectly recorded as "S. babylonica ", which has not recently been confirmed for the county. Very recent work on Hieracium acuminatum indicates that it was previously largely misidentified. It may well be very rare, or even absent from Staffordshire, rather than frequent. It is designated "Frequent¥" The list follows the taxonomic order of the Second Edition of New Flora Of The British Isles . Clive Stace (1991). Cambridge The new Staffordshire Flora contains full acknowledgements of those organisations (including Staffordshire Ecological Record, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and EcoRecord) and the many individual botanists on whose records this list is based. J.E. Hawksford (December, 2010) LYCOPODIOPSIDA Lycopodiaceae Lycopodium clavatum Stag's-horn Clubmoss Very Rare Native Selaginaceae Selaginella kraussiana Kraus's Clubmoss Very Rare Neophyte EQUISETOPSIDA Equisetaceae Equisetum hyemale Rough Horsetail Very Rare Native Equisetum fluviatile Water Horsetail Frequent Native Equisetum x litorale (E. arvense x fluviatile) Shore Horsetail Rare Native Equisetum arvense Field Horsetail Very Common Native Equisetum sylvaticum Wood Horsetail Frequent Native Equisetum palustre Marsh Horsetail Frequent Native Equisetum telmateia Great Horsetail Uncommon Native PTEROPSIDA Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossum vulgatum Adder's-tongue Uncommon Native Botrychium lunaria Moonwort Very Rare Native Osmundaceae Osmunda regalis Royal Fern Rare Native Polypodiaceae Polypodium vulgare sens. str. Polypody Frequent Native Polypodium x mantoniae (P. interjectum x vulgare) a polypody Very Rare Native Polypodium x font-queri (P. cambricum x vulgare) a polypody Very Rare Native Polypodium interjectum Intermediate Polypody Rare Native Polypodium x shivasiae (P. cambricum x interjectum) a polypody Very Rare Native Polypodium cambricum Southern Polypody Very Rare Native Dennstaedtiaceae Pteridium aquilinum Bracken Very Common Native Thelypteridaceae Thelypteris palustris Marsh Fern Very Rare Native Phegopteris connectilis Beech Fern Very Rare Native Oreopteris limbosperma Lemon-scented Fern Uncommon Native Aspleniaceae Phyllitis scolopendrium Hart's-tongue Common Native X Asplenophyllitis confluens (Asplenium trichomanes x Phyllitis scolopendrium) Confluent Maidenhair Spleenwort Very Rare Extinct Asplenium adiantum-nigrum Black Spleenwort Uncommon Native Asplenium trichomanes Maidenhair Spleenwort Frequent Native Asplenium ruta-muraria Wall-rue Frequent Native Ceterach officinarum Rustyback Rare Native Woodsiaceae Matteuccia struthiopteris Ostrich Fern Very Rare Neophyte Onoclea sensibilis Sensitive Fern Very Rare Neophyte Athyrium filix-femina Lady-Fern Common Native Gymnocarpium dryopteris Oak Fern Very Rare Native Gymnocarpium robertianum Limestone Fern Very Rare Native Cystopteris fragilis Brittle Bladder-fern Rare Native Dryopteridaceae Polystichum setiferum Soft Shield-fern Uncommon Native Polystichum aculeatum Hard Shield-fern Uncommon Native Dryopteris filix-mas Common Male Fern Very Common Native Dryopteris x complexa (D. affinis x filix-mas) a male fern Very Rare Native Dryopteris affinis: all taxa Scaly Male Fern Frequent Native Dryopteris affinis ssp. affinis a scaly male fern Rare* Native Dryopteris affinis ssp. cambrensis a scaly male fern Very Rare Native Dryopteris affinis ssp. borreri a scaly male fern Rare* Native Dryopteris carthusiana Narrow Buckler-fern Uncommon Native Dryopteris x deweveri (D. carthusiana x dilatata) a buckler-fern Very Rare Native Dryopteris dilatata Broad Buckler-fern Very Common Native Blechnaceae Blechnum spicant Hard-Fern Frequent Native Azollaceae Azolla filiculoides Water Fern Rare Neophyte GINKGOOPSIDA Ginkgoaceae Ginkgo biloba Ginkgo Very Rare Neophyte PINOPSIDA Pinaceae Abies alba European Silver-fir Very Rare Neophyte Abies nordmanniana Caucasian Fir Very Rare Neophyte Abies grandis Giant Fir Very Rare Neophyte Abies procera Noble Fir Very Rare Neophyte Abies amabilis Red Silver-fir Very Rare Neophyte Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas Fir Uncommon Neophyte Tsuga heterophylla Western Hemlock Rare Neophyte Tsuga canadensis Eastern Hemlock-spruce Very Rare Neophyte Picea sitchensis Sitka Spruce Uncommon Neophyte Picea omorika Serbian Spruce Very Rare Neophyte Picea abies Norway Spruce Frequent Neophyte Picea breweriana Brewer's Weeping-spruce Very Rare Neophyte Picea pungens Glauca group Colorado Blue-spruce Very Rare Neophyte Picea pungens Colorado Spruce Very Rare Neophyte Larix decidua European Larch Common Neophyte Larix x marschlinsii (L. decidua x kaempferi) Hybrid Larch Frequent Neophyte Larix kaempferi Japanese Larch Rare Neophyte Cedrus deodara Deodar Rare Neophyte Cedrus libani Cedar-of-Lebanon Rare Neophyte Cedrus atlantica Atlas Cedar Very Rare Neophyte Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca' an atlas cedar Rare Neophyte Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine Common Neophyte Pinus nigra: all records Black Pine Uncommon Neophyte Pinus nigra ssp. laricio Corsican Pine Rare Neophyte Pinus nigra ssp. nigra Austrian Pine Rare Neophyte Pinus contorta Lodgepole Pine Uncommon Neophyte Pinus pinaster Maritime Pine Very Rare Neophyte Pinus radiata Monterey Pine Very Rare Neophyte Pinus ponderosa Western Yellow-pine Very Rare Neophyte Pinus strobus Weymouth Pine Very Rare Neophyte Pinus wallichiana Bhutan Pine Very Rare Neophyte Pinus cembra Arolla Pine Very Rare Neophyte Taxodiaceae Sequoia sempervirens Coastal Redwood Very Rare Neophyte Sequoiadendron giganteum Wellingtonia Rare Neophyte Cryptomeria japonica Japanese Red-cedar Very Rare Neophyte Taxodium distichum Swamp Cypress Very Rare Neophyte Metasequoia glyptostroboides Dawn Redwood Very Rare Neophyte Cupressaceae Cupressus goveniana Californian Cypress Very Rare Neophyte x Cupressocyparis leylandii Leyland Cypress Uncommon Neophyte Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Lawson's Cypress Uncommon Neophyte Chamaecyparis pisifera Sawara Cypress Very Rare Neophyte Chamaecyparis nootkatensis Nootka Cypress Very Rare Neophyte Thuja plicata Western Red-cedar Rare Neophyte Thuja occidentalis Northern White-cedar Very Rare Neophyte Juniperus communis Juniper Very Rare Neophyte Calocedrus decurrens Californian Incense-cedar Very Rare Neophyte Araucariaceae Araucaria araucana Monkey-puzzle Rare Neophyte Taxaceae Taxus baccata Yew Common Native Taxus bacatta 'Fastigiata' Irish Yew Very Rare Neophyte MAGNOLIOPSIDA Magnoliacea Liriodendron tulipifera Tulip Tree Very Rare Neophyte Lauraceae Laurus nobilis Bay Very Rare Neophyte Piperaceae Peperomia pellucida Pepper Elder Very Rare Neophyte Nymphaeaceae Nymphaea alba White Water-lily Frequent Native? Nymphaea marliacea a water-lily Very Rare Neophyte Nuphar lutea Yellow Water-lily Frequent Native Ceratophyllaceae Ceratophyllum demersum Rigid Hornwort Uncommon Native Ranunculaceae Caltha palustris Marsh Marigold Common Native Trollius europaeus Globeflower Very Rare Native Helleborus foetidus Stinking Hellebore Very Rare Neophyte Helleborus argutifolius Corsican Hellebore Very Rare Neophyte Helleborus viridis Green Hellebore Very Rare Neophyte Helleborus orientalis Lenten-rose Very Rare Casual Eranthis hyemalis Winter Aconite Very Rare Neophyte Nigella damascena Love-in-a-mist Rare Casual Aconitum napellus s.l. Monk's-hood Rare Neophyte Aconitum x cammarum (A. napellus x variegatum) Hybrid Monk's-hood Rare Neophyte Consolida ajacis Larkspur Very Rare Casual Anemone nemorosa Wood