69
PLANT DAMAGE BY SUMMER STORMS
loss due to drying up through severe bruising. Accompanying the wind, the heavy rain droplets would also cause damage to leaves (and under certain conditions could also cause detcrioration of soil structure.). In addition, big hailstones falling as they did in great quantity with a severe driving force inevitably accountcd for much damage to plants. Leaves torn off were again pitted as they lay on the ground, applcs were deeply holed, stems scarred deep and leaves torn off to leave a bare petiole. P.
J.
O.
TRIST.
ALIEN AND RARE PLANTS AT LAKENHEATH Many interesting plants have appeared from time to time within our village boundaries, this perhaps is not surprising, as Lakenheath lies in the North West corner of Suffolk, on the edge of Fen and " Breck " . T h e High Street is really the dividing line, the black fertile Fen being on the West side, whilst to the East we have the beautiful sandy " Breck " and the conifer plantations. A chicken run on the edge of the " Breck " has given us an astonishing variety of plants, including many aliens. In 1952, we had Broad Caucalis (Caucalis latifoliä) and Small Caucalis (Caucalis daucoides), both uncommon plants. Two years later the beautful Scarlet Horned Poppy {Glauciumcorniculatum) turned up. On May 27th of this year, my friend, John Hensby, who has an eye for such things, informed me that the Scarlet Horned Poppy was again in the chicken run. I told him of the rare poppy that had purple flowers and long seed pods, which many people would like to see. T h e next evening he called at my house and said the poppy in the chicken run had purple flowers. Upon visiting the site I saw it was undoubtedly the Purple Horned Poppy (Roemeria hybrida). T w o beautiful flowers were open and one seed pod was an inch long, altogether it flowered for five weeks and had a total of 70 flowers. What looked fairly tight buds overnight would be open the next morning and in bright sunlight the petals had fallen by mid-day. On cool, cloudy days the flowers would last all day. Nearly all the seed has been allowed to fall naturally. About 40 people from many parts of the British Isles came to see the plant. M.
G.
RUTTERFORD.