BOTANY
FOR the purposes of Topographical Botany Lancashire was divided by Mr. H. C. Watson into three vice-counties, namely, V.C. 59, South Lancashire; 60, West Lancashire; and 69, Lake Lancashire. This last vice-county, however, was combined with Westmorland, but for this article only that part of Watson's vice-county which lies within the boundaries of the county of Lancaster is treated of.
V.C. 59.—Lancashire South is all the county north of the Mersey and south of the Ribble. Its flora, as regards flowering plants and mosses, is about as well known as any tract of land of similar size in Britain. The density of its population is only exceeded by that of Middlesex, and therefore great changes have taken place in its plant life during the past century. Some of the more interesting plants have disappeared from the mosses through drainage and the rapid spread of the towns. There are one or two cloughs in the east which afford a home for a few uncommon plants, and the sand-dunes of the coast have lost few of the rare plants which have been known to grow more or less abundantly there for over a century. The highest ground in this vice-county is Pendle Hill, 1831 feet, in the north-eastern corner near Clitheroe, a striking feature in the landscape when seen from the main line of the Midland Railway at Hellifield, as it is also from the other side from various standpoints. The summit of this hill is just above the superagrarian zone of Watson, and is the only land in this vice-county within the inferarctic zone. All the eastern side of the vice-county is hilly, but the rest is very little above sea level in any part. There are no rivers of importance within its boundaries. The geology is uniform and of no special interest to the botanist. The great port of Liverpool accounts for a considerable alien flora, propagated by seeds in ballast and in other ways common to all great seaports. Many of these seeds are very small and are easily blown by the wind from quays and wharves on to the banks of estuary and canal. Some few of these are spreading, but the majority only flower once and then disappear. Some of the larger seeds fall in the water, and are thrown up later amongst the dredgings, and soon produce flowers when the conditions are favourable. Almost all these aliens are annual or biennial. This extensive alien flora makes up in a measure for the loss of the few rare natives. Few districts have been so thoroughly and carefully worked by such a number of able bryologists during the last sixty years, therefore it is not likely that many additions will be made to the moss flora in the future. Little or nothing has been done with the fungi,[1] the algæ have been neglected,[1] and the lichens have only recently had any attention. No attempt has been made to study the mycetozoa of any part of the county as far as is known.[1] The student need not therefore travel far for material of interest and importance. There is no published flora of this vice-county. There are, however, several local floras
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