NOTES AND
OBSERVATIONS
RECORDS. We have had some useful additions to the parishes being recorded for wild flowers and further records for parishes partly surveyed for one season only and it is interesting to have some rarer species discovered in new places, such as Silene otites and Baldellia ranimculoides in East Suffolk and to learn that Crithmum maritimum recorded by Hind, in 1889 for only one spot has now been found in two others. The rare Verbascum virgatum Twiggy Mullein or Large-flowered Mullein still occurs in West Suffolk—hitherto we have had only two records of it, both in East Suffolk. PARISH
GRASSES. Some of our botanists who have done considerable records of wild flowers in their own and neighbouring parishes have excused themselves from doing the grasses, saying that C.T.W, make them too difficult. I am going to rob you of that excuse. Mr. Boreham has lately told me of an excellent and easy book to use—I should have heard of it before—GRASSES by C. E. HUBBARD in the Pelican Series, price 5 /-. A few who have used this book and found identification easy have only done small parts of the county and as a whole our records lack grasses. I read in Hubbard that there are about 160 species of native or naturalised grasses in the British Isles and Mr. Simpson says we could easily find 50 to 70 species in most parts of the county. You good people who have recorded about 400 species of other plants in your own and neighbouring parishes do, please, add another 50 or so. This book has füll page illustrations of 152 species with parts of each plant enlarged for easy identification. All you need besides is a small lens and a large darning needle to open out the flower. J. C. N .
WILLIS.
ROADSIDE VERGES. It is disappointing to have so little response to my appeals to members to report the exact sites of rare or beautiful flowers that they would wish to be preserved. Roadsides are important for preservation now that Agriculture and Forestry have invaded the age-old homes of native wild flowers. These often survive only on the verges.
The County Surveyors of both East and West Suffolk are sympathetic. They have lent me large road and footpath maps on which to star spots of special interest. I shall be ashamed to send them back with only the six marks I have at present, because botanists won't bother to write. J. C. N .
WILLIS.