A NEW BRAMBLE FOR
SUFFOLK
ALEC BULL
On 20th July 1981, I collected specimens of a b r a m b l e f r o m beside a public f o o t p a t h at Priestley W o o d , Barking, and f o u n d the s a m e species in Middle W o o d , O f f t o n , w h e r e I t o o k a n o t h e r specimen. I then took t h e m to be aberrant f o r m s of a plant eventually n a m e d as Rubus norvicensis A . L. Bull & E . S. E d e e s ( W a l s o n i a , 14, 4 1 1 - 2 ) and they r e m a i n e d on my file f o r some years. I finally decided that t h e s e specimens were t o o pilose and the panicles too stiff for R. norvicensis, but u n f o r t u n a t e l y I omitted to delete t h e m f r o m the m a p of R. norvicensis in my p a p e r on Norfolk and Suffolk b r a m b l e s CWatsonia, 15, 3 6 1 - 8 0 ) . While walking r o u n d M o n k s W o o d , ( V C 31, H u n t i n g d o n ) in c o m p a n y with M r T . Wells, t h e Vice-County R e c o r d e r , I spotted a b r a m b l e which matched t h e plants m e n t i o n e d above in every respect. Samples were t a k e n and shown to t h e national Rubus r e f e r e e , Mr Alan N e w t o n , who pointed out that t h e leaves w e r e widest a b o v e rather than below the middle, and that the plant was t o o pilose for R. norvicensis. H e said that it was an excellent specimen of Rubus watsonii Mills, a regional e n d e m i c in the south Midlands. I then sent him my specimen f r o m O f f t o n Middle W o o d , and he confirmed that it t o o was R. watsonii. I q u o t e : - 'This is an interesting find since it is a long way f r o m the h e a d q u a r t e r s of t h e plant b e t w e e n L u t o n and H u n t i n g don. It m a k e s m e w o n d e r a b o u t the possibilities in t h e intervening rather poorly e x p l o r e d area in N o r t h Essex.' W e shall have to look t h e r e ! T h u s R. watsonii occurs b o t h in O f f t o n Middle W o o d and Priestley Barking. T h e r e a r e o t h e r isolated w o o d s in this a r e a which I have n o t which m a y well contain this species. T h e two dots on my m a p norvicensis in t h e second article m e n t i o n e d a b o v e , for T M 0 4 and 05, now b e 'initialled' Rubus watsonii,
Wood, visited for R. should
Alec Bull "Hillcrest", East Tuddenham, East D e r e h a m , N o r f o l k , N R 2 0 3JJ.
Trans. Suffolk
Nat. Soc. 24