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refound last year by Joscelyn Russell on its classic verge
near Norton Heath following the cutting back of a rampant
hedgerow.
Several other species in a precarious condition or not
reported in recent years have turned up again. The Dept-
ford Pink , Dianthus armeria, now a national rarity refound
by John Holden on Benfleet Downs, Lactuca saligna, the
Least Lettuce, is still well established at Fobbing and
has been refound in an old Forster locality at Purfleet
by Rodney Burton. Radiola linoides, All-seed, last seen
on Tiptree Heath in 1970 reappeared in quantity last year,
apparently in response to a subtle climatic fluctuation
as it was reported in several of its old localities in
the south eastern counties. Mention should also be made
of the spectacular recovery of Erica tetralix, the Cross-
leaved Heath, and Erica cinerea the Bell Heather on the
Heath as a result of conservation management involving
flail mowing of the encroaching birch scrub. It is a tragedy
that these techniques have not yet been applied to the last
vestiges of the 'Erica tetralix (E. cinerea is already
extinct) and Calluna, which are being slowly exterminated
by birch scrub and competition from ungrazed Purple Moor-
grass, on the fast disappearing heathlands of the higher
gravels of Epping Forest. In 197B, however, Epping Forest
provided a spectacular display in the form of the flowering
of the flat-flowered Bladderwort, Utricularia neglecta, not
U. Vulgaris (a species of base rich fen) as reported in the
Flora, which replaces the latter in acid waters but very
rarely flowers. Can anyone remember a previous flowering
on the Forest?
Unfortunately, we have to report that there was a mix-up
between the Marsh Fern, Thelypteris palustris, and the
Mountain Fern, T. Oreopteris, records in the Flora. The
Marsh Fern only occurs in two localities as a native plant
in Essex; the classic two colonies at Coopersale which have
survived the M11 motorway route, and a declining colony in
an overgrown bog on Woodham Walter Common, recently rescued
by Geoffrey Pyman's conservation group. The plants
transferred from Coopersale to several sites in Epping
Forest appear to have died out as a result of drying out of
their habitats by birch encroachment. Another plant over-