Page:VCH Essex 1.djvu/89

 BOTANY specimens collected by myself near Colchester. There is a herbarium of mosses collected by the late Mr. J. English in Epping Forest and its vicinity in the possession of the museum of the Essex Field Club at Stratford, but unfortunately it will not be available in time for use for this publication. The county, as far as explored, is comparatively rich in species occurring in bogs, and such as are found at ordinary elevations in woods, heaths, clayey and sandy soils, and in maritime situations ; but it is chiefly deficient, as might be expected, in species which occur on sub- alpine and alpine districts, and on limestone or granitic rocks. The occurrence of several species characteristic of calcareous soil, such as Weissia crispa, Pottia /anceo/ata, Anomodon viticu/osus, Campto- tbecium lutescens, Eurbynchium tenellum and Hypnum molluscum, render it probable that the calcareous districts in the north of the county would, on further exploration, yield many more species. One moss found in Essex has a special interest, since it is only found, so far as is known, in two other counties in England, viz. Somersetshire and Sussex, and is rare and local on the continent. This is Zygodon Forsteri, which was first found in this country on a felled tree in a timber yard in Walthamstow early in the last century, and was not again seen in Essex until detected in Epping Forest by Mr. E. M. Holmes a few years ago and shortly afterwards in another locality in the Forest by Mr. H. N. Dixon. The exact Sussex locality is unknown, so that Essex can boast of possessing one of the rarest of British mosses. Other rare species found in the 'county are Pottia Wiltoni and Zygodon conoideus, Ortbotricbum pollens and Hypnum giganteum. Comparatively few species of Sphagna are recorded, but the list of species of this genus will probably be largely increased by further investigation. Sphagnum cymbifolium, Ehrh. Dicranella cerviculata, Schimp. - squarrosulum, Nees & Hornsch. varia, Schimp. rigidum, Schimp. Dicranoweisia cirrhata, Lindb. subsecundum, Nees Campylopus pyriformis, Brid. var. contortum, Schimp. - fragilis, Bruch. & Schimp. acutifolium, Ehrh. Dicranum Bonjeani, De Not. var. purpureum, Schimp. scoparium, Hedw. intermedium, Hoffm. Leucobryum glaucum, Schimp. Tetraphis pcllucida, Hedw. Fissidens exilis, Hedw. Catharinea undulata, Web. & Mohr. viridulus, Wahl. Polytrichum nanum, Neck. incurvus, Starke - abides, Hedw. bryoides, Hedw. - piliferum, Schreb. taxifolius, Hedw. - juniperinum, Willd. Grimmia apocarpa, Hedw. - formosum, Hedw. - pulvinata, Smith commune, Linn. Rhacomitrium canescens, Brid. Pleuridium axillare, Lindb. Acaulom muticum, C. Muell. subulatum, Rabenh. Phascum cuspidatum, Schreb. - alternifolium, Rabenh. Pottia Heimii, C. Muell. Ditrichum homomallum, Hampe. truncatula, Lindb. Ceratodon purpureus, Brid. intermedia, Fuernr. Dicranella hcteromalla, Schimp. Wilsoni, Bruch. & Schimp.