Page:VCH Warwickshire 1.djvu/77

 BOTANY som Ford, Preston Bagot, and by Crab Mill to its confluence with the main stream, receiving a stream flowing through Lapworth and by Yarningale Common. The Alne now takes a course south and south- west near Wootton Wawen, Great Alne and Kinwarton to its confluence with the Arrow near Alcester, receiving on its left bank waters from Shrewley, Claverdon and Bearley. The course of the river from its source is about seventeen miles, draining a wide extent of country usually low- lying, but with elevated land near its source and at Henley-in-Arden. 9. THE ARROW The Arrow rises in Worcestershire in a valley north-east of Alve- church, and enters Warwickshire near Beoley Lane. Its course is at first south-west through Ipsley and Washford, receiving on its west bank streams from the high lands about Ipsley and Mappleborough Green. Now it flows south through Studley, Spernall and Coughton to Oversley Bridge, receiving on its way streams from east and west, bringing waters from Morton Bagot, Crabb's Cross and Sambourn. After its confluence with the Alne at Alcester, it takes a short turn eastward through the pretty village of Arrow, but rapidly recovering its southerly direction, flows through Wixford and Broom to its confluence with the Avon near Salford Bridge, receiving on either bank waters from Exhall and Beving- ton. Its whole course in the county is sixteen miles. The valley watered by the Arrow is narrow, hilly and well wooded ; the prevailing soils being those of the New Red Sandstone and marls, but in the more southern portion those of the Lias prevail, and its flora is characteristic of calcare- ous soils. 10. THE CHERWELL The Cherwell district includes that portion of Warwickshire lying south-west of Wormleighton, Fenny Compton and Burton Dassett, and a narrow tongue of land north-east of Wormleighton, part of Fenny Compton, Avon Dassett and part of the southern escarpment of the Edge Hill, Warmington and Shotswell. This district is drained by small tributaries of the Cherwell. The flora is poor, but includes one notice- able plant, the white-flowered helleborine, Cephalanthera pallens. In the following summary of the geographical distribution of the species and varieties of the Warwickshire plants the arrangement and nomenclature are those of the Student's Flora of the British Islands, except in the genus Rubus, where the arrangement and nomenclature of the 9th edition of the London Catalogue of British Plants is followed. The numbers following the scientific names of the plants i up to i o indicate the districts in which the plant has been found, but when found in three or more continuous districts, to save space this has been indicated by placing a hyphen between the first and last numbers: thus, I, 2, 3, 4, would be thus indicated, 1-4, etc. 39