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 A HISTORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE comprised in the county, consisting for the most part of elevated ridges, intersected by deep valleys. As originally delineated, it was formed to embrace the outlying valley of Monmouthshire in which the hamlet and abbey of Llanthony lie, in addition to the isolated portion of Herefordshire (about six miles long) lying in the Grwyne valley. It has been thought best for the sake of bringing the whole of the mountain flora into a single review to embrace in this paper also the Breconshire portions of the Black Mountain system as far as the Grwyne Fawr River on the south-west and the flank of the hills on the north-west. This brings in the whole valleys of the Monnow, Honddu, and Grwyne with their intervening ridges at the Hatterell and the Ffwddog Hills, and comprehends the whole of the mountain flora. These ridges reach an elevation of 2,306 ft. on the Hatterell hill, 2,228 ft. on the Ffwddog, and comprise within the area here in view some 12 to 14 miles in length of ground over 2,000 ft. in elevation. The highest elevation of the system is reached in the Pen-y-gader range outside our boundary (2,660 ft.), but its inclusion would not, it is believed, add anything to the flora of the region. The whole of the parallel ranges with their intersecting valleys lie north-north-west to south-south-east, the drainage being to the latter point. All the streams fall into the Wye through the Monnow, with the exception of the Grwyne which falls into the Usk. The whole region is one of Old Red Sandstone, and this in its higher parts frequently breaks into low cliffs, locally termed ' darens,' which when facing north or north-east afford homes for many of the rarer plants of the district. The flora is, as might be expected, almost wholly of a montane and sub-montane character, and may be called fairly rich, especially in mosses and hawk- weeds. The beautiful bird-cherry {Prunus Padus) is abundant in the mountain valleys. Ling {Calluna vulgaris), cross-leaved heath [Erica Tetralix), crowberry {Empetrum nigrum), whortle- berry and cowberry {Faccinium Myrtillus and Fitis-idaea) are among the universally distributed mountain plants which are found on all the higher grounds. It is remarkable that the common heath [Erica cinerea) seems to be entirely absent, not only from this region, but also from all the higher moorlands and heaths of South Wales. A form of Lenormand's crowfoot [Ranunculus Lenormandi), making a near approach to the rare south-country Ranunculus intermedius, is common in springy places ; the three cotton grasses and the tufted club-rush [Eriophorum vaginatum, angustifolium, and latifolium, and Scirpus caespitosus) are abundant in boggy peat ; the beautiful butterwort [Pinguicula vulgaris) is common, as is also the creeping forget-me-not [Myosotis repens). More rare but still fairly abundant are the buck-bean [Menyanthes trifoliata), the tufted spurrey [Sagina nodosa), the round-leaved sundew [Drosera rotundifolia), and the green-ribbed sedge [Carex binervis) ; while the Lancashire asphodel [Narthecium Ossifragum), the mountain pansy [Fiola lutea), the mountain everlasting [Antennaria dioica), and the shore-weed [Litorella lacustris) are exceedingly rare. A group of rare or local hawk-weeds [Hieracium), for the names of which the subjoined list may be consulted, make the darens a happy hunting-ground for the specialist ; and here also plants of more general interest, such as the Welsh poppy [Meconopsis cambrica), the wood cranesbill [Geranium sylvaticum), the burnet, the sabine, and the true soft-leaved roses [Rosa spino- sissima, involuta, and mollis), are found, and the mossy saxifrages [Saxifraga hypnoides and sponhemica). Here also a grass occurs of great rarity [Poa ParnelUi). The valley of the Honddu is remarkable for the abundance of its alternate-leaved golden saxifrage [Chrysosplenium alternifoUum), that of the Grwyne for the sweet cicely [Myrrhis odorata), which follows the stream-side thickets for some miles and may be reckoned native there if anywhere in Britain. One of our rarest Herefordshire orchids, Habenaria albida, is found both in the Grwyne and Cusop valleys and has been detected hybridizing with the sweet orchis [Habenaria conopsea). Cusop valley is the only known Hereford- shire station for the mountain-vetch [Ficia Orobus) and the boggy hills above it for the creeping willow [Salix repens) : the field gentian [Gentiana campestris) has been detected at Llanthony, and the heads of the Monnow and its tributary brooks support a great abundance of the globe flower [Trollius europaeus). Once found in the county near Rowlstone in this district, and always subsequently sought in vain, is the lesser flea bane [Inula Pulicaria). The full list is now given : — Ranunculus Lenormandi, Schultz. — Lingua, L. — sardous, Crantz., var. parvulus (L.) TroUius europaeus, L. Meconopsis cambrica, Vig, Viola lutea, Huds. Polygala oxyiptera, Reichb. Stellaria nemorum, L. Sagina nodosa, Fenzl. Geranium sylvaticum, L. Ornithopus perpusillus, L. Vicia Orobus, DC. F. Prunus Padus, L. Rubus Lindebergii, P. J. Muell. — sciaphilus, Lange — silvaticus, W. and N. — macrophyllus, W. and N. — rudis, W. and N. — dumetorum, W. and N., var. britannicus (Rogers) Geum rivale, L. Rosa spinosissima, L. — involuta, Sm. — mollis, Sm. Saxifraga hypnoides, L. var. sponhemica, Gmel. 52 Chrysosplenium alternifolium, L. Drosera rotundifolia, L. Myrrhis odorata, Scop. Antennaria dioica, R. Br. Pulicaria vulgaris, Gaertn. Hieracium rubicundum, F. J. Hanb. — pellucidum, Laest. var. lucidulum, A. Ley — subulatidens, Dahl. var. cuneifrons, A. Ley — platyphyllum, A. Ley — euprepes, F. J. Hanb.