BOTANY a ballast plant. Smyrnium Olusatrum, L. (Alexanders) is frequent and native near tidal waters. Bupleurum rotundifolium, L. (hare's-ear) has its chief range on the chalk in district 2 ; B. tenuissimum, L. being a fairly common littoral species. Falcaria vulgaris, Bernh., a denizen or alien, grows in chalky fields at Birchington and Wingham. Sium latifolium, L. has disappeared from many of its old localities, but remains fairly common in and near Romney Marsh. Pimpinella major, Huds. [magna, L.) is unusually plentiful in Kent (both type and var. dissecta, N. E. Br.). Crithmum maritimum, L. (samphire), frequent from Deal to Folkestone, is also recorded from Halstow and Romney. (Enanthe silaifolia, Bieb. (easily overlooked), grows at Chiddingstone, Sarre, between Sheerness and Queenborough, and between Seabrooke and Appledore ; (E. Lachenalii, C. Gmel. (in salt marshes) and CE. Phellandrium, Lam. (especially in the Weald) occur freely ; but CE. fluviatilis, Coleman is restricted to streams in east Kent. Peucedanum officinale, L., lost from the Thames marshes since Ray's time, can still be obtained about Faversham, Whitstable and Heme Bay. The localities for Daucus gummifer. Lam. are in Thanet, and at Dover and Folkestone. Caucalis daucoides, L. occurs sparingly in district 2, and was formerly found between Rochester and Maidstone ; C. arvensis, Huds., though not very common, grows in all the districts. Caprifoliace^. — Sambucus Ebulus, L. (dwarf elder) is reported in over twenty locaHties ; and S. nigra, L. (var. laciniata, L.) in eleven. Lonicera Caprifolium, L. (probably bird sown) grows at Bromley, Short- lands, Knockholt and Upper Hailing. RuBiACE^. — Rubia peregrina, L. (wild madder) appears to be con- fined to the south coast, about Dover, Folkestone and Hythe. Galium erectum, Huds. has been observed sparingly in seven districts ; while G. uliginosum, L. is rare, except in district i. G. anglicum, Huds. is (or was) found at Eltham, Bromley, Dartford, Crayford, Cobham, Farming- ham and Lydden Spout (near Dover) ; G. tricorne, Stokes being rather common in chalky soil. Valeriane^. — Valeriatia dioica, L., rare in the dry chalk districts, is not unfrequent elsewhere. V. Mikanii, Syme, hitherto known for cer- tain only about Hailing and Wye, should prove to be more frequent in copses on the chalk. Centranthus ruber, DC. (spur valerian) is abun- dantly naturalized ; but C. Calcitrapa, Dufr. may be extinct at Eltham. Valerianella carinata, Loisel. seems to be native, at least in some of its stations, which are as follows : between West Wickham and Keston, Upper Deal, between Wrotham and Ryarsh, Sutton Valence, and Bough- ton Quarries, Linton. V. rimosa. Bast. {Auricula, DC.) has only occurred in cornfields about West Wickham, Keston and Hayes, near Cobham, and between Oare and Sheppey. Composite. — Filago spathulata, Presl and F. minima, Fr. are both rather uncommon. F. gallica, L., formerly found about Dartford, was probably introduced with the crop. Gnaphalium syhaticum, L. is gene- rally but locally distributed. Inula Helenium, L. (elecampane), a very doubtful native, occurs quite rarely ; /. crithmoides, L. (golden samphire) I 57 8
