Birmingham Museums Birmingham Botany Collections The Herbarium of Walter Henry Hardaker Edited by Phil Watson © Birmingham Museums Version 1.0 September 2014 Birmingham Botany Collections – Herbarium of WH Hardaker 1 Birmingham Botany Collections – Herbarium of WH Hardaker Introduction Walter Henry Hardaker was born in Yorkshire in 1877. He studied for a BSc at Leeds University and after graduation went to teach at a school on the Isle of Man. He moved to Birmingham in 1902 and obtained an MSc from Birmingham University in 1910. He taught at Handsworth Technical School until his retirement in 1938. He lived at 451 City Road, Edgbaston from at least 1948 onwards on the basis of dated specimens listed as collected there. He died in 1970. His energy as a dedicated field collector, outpacing many younger students on his trips, and his contributions to local flora are reflected in his obituary ( Watsonia 9 (1972-73), 177). He presented his herbarium to Birmingham Museum in 1961 (accession number 1961B2). It comprises over 5,250 specimens all collected by Hardaker himself between 1897 and 1960. However, only about a quarter of the specimens are dated, most of these in the 1950s, so it is impossible to comment on his most concentrated period of fieldwork. This situation is reversed with findspots however as only 303 specimens have no location recorded. The museum inventory describes the collection as a “Flora of Worcestershire” although analysis shows that only 1224 specimens (23%) came from Worcestershire. There are an almost equal number of specimens, 1184, from Warwickshire. A further 286 samples from Staffordshire does indicate a local bias, these three counties accounting for 51% of the collection. England as a whole accounts for 81% of the collection with specimens from around 40 counties. After the three mentioned above those with more than a hundred specimens comprise Gloucestershire (157), Somerset (153), Yorkshire (142), Isle of Man (119), Cornwall (110) and Devon (100). Most of the Isle of Man specimens are dated between 1956-1960 so clearly reflect post-retirement visits rather than collecting during the period he taught there. Scotland accounts for 5% of the collection and over half of the 263 specimens come from Perthshire. Just over 200 samples from Wales accounts for 4% with Pembroke, Glamorgan, Merioneth and Carnarvon being the best represented counties. Over half of the 153 specimens from Ireland are from Antrim and Derry and all collected in 1953. The Checklist Hardaker numbered and arranged his herbarium according to the 11 th edition of The London Catalogue of British Plants (London, George Bell & Sons, 1925) an annotated, and in a few places hand-illustrated, copy of which accompanied the collection. Where he had specimens which did not appear in this publication he inserted them at the end of the relevant family. However, in order to maintain consistency with the previously published Herbarium of Edgar Marston Reynolds and with checklists that will appear for future herbaria in Birmingham the collection is here presented in the order of and according to the taxonomy in J.E. Dandy List of British Vascular Plants (London, British Museum, 1958). The checklist is arranged in the following columns: 1 The Dandy number consisting of his genus number followed after a decimal point by his species number within each genus. 2 The name 3 The date of collection 4 The county 5 More detailed provenance 2 Birmingham Botany Collections – Herbarium of WH Hardaker 1.1 Lycopodium selago n.d. x x 1.1 Lycopodium selago n.d. Yorkshire Cronkley Fell 1.2 Lycopodium inundatum n.d. Dorset Little Sea near Studland 1.3 Lycopodium annotinum n.d. Aberdeen near Loch Muick 1.3 Lycopodium annotinum n.d. Perth Sow of Atholl 1.4 Lycopodium clavatum n.d. Staffs Cannock Chase 1.4 Lycopodium clavatum n.d. Westmoreland Roman Fell 1.5 Lycopodium alpinum n.d. North Wales x 1.5 Lycopodium alpinum n.d. Carnarvon above Cwm Idwal, Snowdonia 1 Lycoposium sp. n.d. x x 2.1 Selaginella selaginoides n.d. Worcs Hartlebury Common 3.1 Isoetes lacustris n.d. Cumberland Easedale, Grasmere 3.2 Isoetes echinospora n.d. Dorset Little Sea near Studland 3.3 Isoetes histrix n.d. Channel Isles Lancresse Common, Guernsey 4.1 Equisetum hyemale n.d. Worcs Dowles Brook, Wyre Forest 4.4 Equisetum variegatum 00.06.1959 Merioneth Mochras dunes 4.4 Equisetum variegatum n.d. Lancs between Freshfield and Ainsdale 4.4 Equisetum variegatum n.d. Durham banks of Tees above Winch Bridge 4.4 Equisetum variegatum n.d. Ireland Maynooth, canal 4.5 Equisetum fluviatile 00.07.1955 Staffs pool north of Brocton 4.5 Equisetum fluviatile n.d. Staffs Swan Pool, West Bromwich 4.5 Equisetum fluviatile n.d. Worcs Frankley, sand pit 4.6 Equisetum palustre 00.06.1953 Co Antrim Glenariff 4.6 Equisetum palustre n.d. Staffs pool north of Brocton 4.6 Equisetum palustre n.d. Cheshire Runcorn, shore of Mersey 4.6 Equisetum palustre n.d. Warks Sutton Park 4.6 Equisetum palustre 00.08.1950 Warks Edgbaston reservoir 4.6 Equisetum palustre n.d. Lancs banks of Mersey near Warrington 4.7 Equisetum sylvaticum n.d. Worcs Frankley, Winwood Heath 4.7 Equisetum sylvaticum n.d. Worcs Wyre Forest, Psrk Brook 4.7 Equisetum sylvaticum 00.09.1955 Isle of Man Dhoon Glen 4.7 Equisetum sylvaticum 00.08.1957 Warks Earlswood 4.7 Equisetum sylvaticum 00.09.1960 Worcs Frankley 4.8 Equisetum pratense 16.06.1938 Yorkshire near Hetton, Grassington to Gargrave 4.8 Equisetum pratense n.d. Aberdeen near Ballater 4.9 Equisetum arvense 00.05.1953 Warks Longmoor Pool, Sutton Park 4.9 Equisetum arvense n.d. x x 4.9 Equisetum arvense 00.06.1953 Co Antrim Glenariff 4.10 Equisetum telmateia 00.09.1954 Worcs near Beoley Hall, Icknield Street 4.10 Equisetum telmateia 00.07.1955 Warks Welsh Road near Southam Holt 4.10 Equisetum telmateia n.d. Worcs Frankley, Westminster Wood 26.1 Pilularia globulifera n.d. Carnarvon Llyn-y-Cwm, Snowdonia 26.1 Pilularia globulifera n.d. Warks Coleshill Pool 26.1 Pilularia globulifera n.d. Perth Loch Brandy, Clova 27.1 Azolla filiculoides n.d. Cambridge Chippenham Fen x Salvinia sp. n.d. x x 33.1 Pinus sylvestris n.d. x x 33 Pinus strobus n.d. x x 34.1 Juniperus communis subsp. n.d. Yorkshire Ingleborough communis 3 Birmingham Botany Collections – Herbarium of WH Hardaker 34.1 Juniperus communis subsp. n.d. Lancs near tower at Arnside communis 34.1 Juniperus communis subsp. n.d. Durham Upper Teesdale communis 34.1 Juniperus communis subsp. n.d. Co Kerry Derrynane nana 34 Juniperus sabina n.d. Warks garden specimen x Cupressus lawsonii n.d. x x x Thuja orientalis n.d. x x x Ginkgo biloba 00.11.1956 Surrey Kew Gardens x Ginkgo biloba 00.07.1958 Warks Ragley Hall 35.1 Taxus baccata n.d. Derbyshire Millers Dale 36.1 Caltha palustris n.d. Staffs Cold Forge Pool, Handsworth 36.1 Caltha palustris n.d. Worcs Broadmoor Wood, Bowhills Dingle 36.1 Caltha palustris 00.05.1954 Warks Blythe Bridge, near Coleshill 36.1 Caltha palustris 00.05.1959 Warks Ettingshall, Stour Valley 36.1 Caltha palustris 00.05.1953 Warks Longmoor stream, Sutton Park 36.1 Caltha palustris n.d. Perth Ben Lawers 36.1 Caltha radicans n.d. Inverness between Aviemore and Grantown 37.1 Trollius europaeus n.d. Brecon river Wye near Erwood 37.1 Trollius europaeus 00.08.1954 Derbyshire Chee Tor 37.1 Trollius europaeus n.d. Durham Upper Teesdale 38.1 Helleborus foetidus n.d. Worcs Severn Stoke 38.1 Helleborus foetidus n.d. Gloucs Symonds Yat 38.2 Helleborus viridis n.d. Gloucs near Symonds Yat 38.2 Helleborus viridis 00.06.1956 Warks lane north of Shustoke Reservoir 38.2 Helleborus viridis n.d. Yorkshire Fountains Abbey 38.2 Helleborus viridis 00.06.1954 Yorkshire Linton Common, near Collingham 38.2 Helleborus viridis n.d. Worcs near Glasshampton Pools, Astley x Helleborus niger n.d. Warks garden 39.1 Eranthis hyemalis n.d. Shropshire near Badger Dingle 40.1 Aconitum napellus 00.06.1956 Worcs west edge of Arley wood 40.1 Aconitum napellus n.d. Worcs near Hall Farm, Trimpley 40.1 Aconitum napellus n.d. Worcs near Tenbury 41.1 Delphinium ajacis 00.08.1957 Oxford north of Sibford Gower 41.1 Delphinium ajacis n.d. Gloucs between Burford and Cirencester 42.1 Actaea spicata n.d. Yorkshire Colt Park Wood, Ingleboro 43.1 Anemone nemorosa n.d. Worcs Clent 43.1 Anemone nemorosa n.d. Staffs Oakley Wood 43.1 Anemone nemorosa n.d. Co Wicklow near Woodenbridge 43.1 Anemone nemorosa n.d. Worcs Chaddesley Woods 43.2 Anemone ranunculoides n.d. Suffolk Risby near Bury St Edmunds 43.3 Anemone apennina n.d. Worcs Blockley 44.1 Pulsatilla vulgaris 00.05.1954 Gloucs Bourton Downs 44.1 Pulsatilla vulgaris n.d. Worcs Hornsleasowes 45.1 Clematis vitalba n.d. x x 46.1 Ranunculus acris n.d. Worcs Hoobrook dump, Kidderminster 46.1 Ranunculus acris n.d. Worcs near Earlswood 46.1 Ranunculus acris n.d. Warks x 46.1 Ranunculus acris 00.06.1908 Warks Sutton Park 46.1 Ranunculus acris 00.05.1915 Worcs Belbroughton 4 Birmingham Botany Collections – Herbarium of WH Hardaker 46.1 Ranunculus acris 27.05.1909 Worcs Feckenham 46.1 Ranunculus acris 00.05.1953 Warks canal north of Wootton Wawen 46.1 Ranunculus acris 00.06.1955 Warks Edgbaston tennis court 46.1 Ranunculus acris 00.05.1954 Warks Wolford Wood, Moreton in Marsh 46.1 Ranunculus acris n.d.