BOTANICAL NOTES AND RECORDS FOR 1962 133
Total
No. of 10 Km. squares 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 20 21 and over 57
No. of species 421 176 195 479 1,271
Percentages 33 14 15 38 100%
It is interesting to note that 62 % of the species recorded occur
in 20 or less squares. These can be classified as uncommon, rare
and very rare in Essex. A lot of the restricted distribution is
brought about by the physical features and other factors in the
way the County is divided up. There is no really high ground,
few heaths, little chalk and limited areas of sandy seashores.
There is also a great similarity in the plant life on the large areas
of saltings and marshes round the coast and up the tidal rivers
and creeks. The economic factors also have to be considered,
there is a large built-up area known as Metropolitan Essex and in
the South there is fairly widespread industrialisation with a high
density of population. In the part known botanically as North
Essex, v.c. 19, intensive farming is carried out.
During the year I visited 50 squares, but I am most grateful
to the following persons for contributing individual records or
lists for one or more squares: Dr. K. L. Alvin, Dr. A. Adams, Mr.
R. W. Ball, Miss B. A. Burroughs, Mr. J. Caine, Mr. J. Firmin, Mr.
J. Fielding, Miss J. M. Gracey, Mr. D. A. Hunford, Mr. J. R.
Ironside-Wood, Miss M. A. Johnson, Mr. A. G. Jones, Mrs. N.
Mansbridge, Miss E. M. Male, Miss E. M. Noyes, Miss N. B. Scarfe,
and Mr. E. Saunders.
The following list is a selection of the less common species and
it is arranged in alphabetical order by families. The nomenclature
adopted is taken from The Flora of the British Isles by Clapham,
Tutin and Warburg, Cambridge University Press, 1952, for the
purpose of maintaining consistency in the recording. The page
number of this work is quoted before the plant name and the
figures after the parish name are for the 10 km. square numbers.
See Essex Nat., 31 : 27 (1962), for further details.
Boraginaceae
846 Echium vulgare L. Viper's Bugloss Rainbow Wood 68
844 Lithospermum arvense L. Corn Gromwell Althorne 99
844 Lithospermum officinale L. Gromwell Mill Green 60
Caprifoliaceae
1000 Sambucus ebulus L. Danewort East Tilbury 67
Compositae
1086 Artemisia verlotorum Lam. Chinese Mugwort Stratford 38
(in flower)
Dagenham 48
1131 Cicerbita macrophylla
(Willd.) Wallr. — Little Hallingbury 51
1058 Filago minima (Sm.) Pers. — Bradwell 90
Fingringhoe 01
1165 Hieracium aurantiacum L. — Little Thurrock 57
(large patch)