BOTANY 6. Frome This district comprises the basin of the Frome brook and its tributaries on the east, and is drained by affluents of the Lugg on the west. On the south-east and north sides it is conterminous with districts 3, 4 and 5 : on the west its boundary follows the line of the main roads from a point near Dormington through Withington, Felton, and Bodenham, near which place it takes the course of the Humber Brook as far as Steen's Bridge, where it turns eastwards. The area thus delineated is composed almost wholly of Old Red Sandstone, interrupted at Shucknall Hill upon the south by a wedge of Aymestrey rock. This hill forms the most interesting portion of the district from a botanical point of view, supporting as it does several rare mosses as well as flowering plants. Two of the latter usually to be reckoned only as introduced plants are here possibly native, the white horehound [Marruhium vulgare) and one of the stonecrops {Sedum reflexum var. albescens). This stonecrop is more common than the type throughout Herefordshire and often appears on rocks and in quarries at a distance from houses. On Shucknall Hill also grows the crested hair-grass [Koehleria cristatd) which is very rare in the county : and several local brambles {Ruhus anglosaxonicus, ericetorum sub-sp. serti- florus, and serpens). The capreolate fumitory (Fumaria pallidiflord) is an abundant garden weed at Yarkhill, closely adjoining Shucknall ; while still further to the east the monk's-hood [Aconitum Napellus) is found on the wooded banks of a stream near Munsley. Two rare brambles {Rubus hirt'ifoltus and Bloxamii) are found near UUingswick, the latter here alone in the county of Hereford. On the Humber Brook in the north-west of the district the green hellebore (Helleborus v'lridis) is clearly a native plant, and its position here is one of the chief reasons for giving it a native status throughout the county. The very local burnet rose {Rosa spinosissima) is abundant in hedges near Docklow both in this district and in the Leominster district (9). The following gives a fuller list : — Ranunculus sardous, Crantz. Helleborus viridis, L. Aconitum Napellus, L. Fumaria pallldiflora, Jord. Rubus nemoralis, P. J. Muell., var. glabratus, Bab. — Lindebergii, P. J. Muell. — Salteri, Bab. Rubus hirtifolius, Muell. & Wirtg., Sedum reflexum, L., var. danicus (Focke) — ericetorum, Lefv., sub-sp. sertiflorus (P. J. Muell.) — Bloxamii, Lees — serpens, W. Rosa spinosissima, L. var. albescens. Haw. Hieracium sciaphilum, Oech., var. amplifollum, A. Ley Marrubium vulgare, L. Orchis pyramidalis, L. Koehleria cristata, Pers. 7. Hereford This district comprises the central plain of the county in the middle of which stands the city of Hereford. The boundaries, adopted beginning at the south-east, run from Mordiford westwards along the northern base of Aconbury Hill through the villages of Dewsall, Thruxton, and King- stone to Tyberton and Preston-on-Wye : thence in a north-east direction through Byford, Bridge SoUers, Credenhill, Wellington, and Bodenham to England's Gate : thence south-east and south- wards through Felton, Withington, and Bartestree to Mordiford. The area thus comprised consists mainly of alluvial drifts and gravels of the Wye together with the alluvium of the lower Lugg. There are numerous plants of interest in this district. Taking the Wye, the beautiful water crow- foot {Ranunculus fiultans) deserves first mention : on a tributary immediately adjoining the Wye the water avens and its rare hybrid {Geum rivale and intermedium) abound, also a willow (Salix triandra var. Hoffmanniana) : the deadly night-shade {Atropa Belladonna) is found in the neighbourhood of the New Weir, and the alpine enchanter's night-shade {Circaea alpina) and the field garlic {Allium oleraceum) quite near Hereford, and a rare sedge {Carex stricta) near Eaton Bishop. The Lugg system gives another rare water crowfoot {^Ranunculus circinatus), the rare winter-cress {Barbarea stricta)^ the yellow water-lily {Nuphar luteum), parsley water-dropwort {CEnanthe silalfolia), the arrow-head {Sagittaria sagittifolia), and the flowering rush {Butomus umbellatus). Numerous interesting brambles ire found in some of the woods, notably those near Belmont and Rotherwas Park Wood, and the following are only a small selection from these : Rubus nemoralis var. glabratus, amphichloros, Drejeri and its var. Leyanus, oigoclados var. Newbouldii, obscurus, and rosaceus sub-sp. Purchasianus. Typical R. obscurus with its deep red flowers abounds in Belmont Wood, one of its two known stations in Britain. Here follows the fuller list : — Ranunculus fluitans, L. ■ — - clrcinatus, Sibth. — trichophyllus, Chaix. — Drouetii, Godr. Aconitum Napellus, L. Nuphar luteum, Sm. Barbarea stricta, Andrz. Trifolium fragiferum, L. Anthyllis Vulneraria, L. Lathyrus sylvestris, L. Prunus Cerasus, L. Rubus nemoralis, P. J. Muell., var. glabratus, Bab. — amphichloros, P. J. Muell. 47 Rubus Salteri, Bab. — mucronatus, Blox. — Gelertii, Frider — Drejeri, G. Jensen, sub-sp. Leyanus (Rogers) — oigoclados, Muell. & Leftr., var. Newbouldii, Rogers
