3 9
sands exposure to the north of the pit next
door was extensively colonised by Vicia
villosa and a patch of Kidney vetch. From
the rim of the pit could be seen colonies
of Red Valerian and the red variety of
Snapdragon in their precarious holds on the
cliff face. The scrubby old grassland area
just south of the old, overgrown Chalk
Farm Pit was found to support numerous
Pyramidal Orchids, Marjoram and Wayfaring
tree (Viburnum lantana) (but no sign of
Deptford Pink, formerly reported from here).
On entering the old pit itself a shrub
of Rhamnus catharticus was a new find for
the area. An extensive search for the Man
orchid colony was abortive, but Inula
conyza, Origanum and Hieracium acuminatum
were found in a grassy clearing, and
Listera ovata in the deeper parts of the
pit, together with Viola odorata and the
moss Thamnium alopecurum. On our return
we found we had walked right by a cornfield
full of Apera spica-venti just north of Grays
Chalk Pit:
KEN ADAMS
BOTANY MEETING, THORNDON PARK NORTH,
13TH JULY, 1986
The party first of all explored the small
patch of relict heathland just outside the
park, sandwiched between the footpath to
Thorndon Hall and Chantry Chapel. Approx-
imately half of the area has scrubbed over
with birch and sallow but the rest of it is
still open, with Calluna the dominant plant,