Thomas Bell Salter

“ No strangers ever come within many miles of Poole, without being struck with the apparent sterility of the scene. To the north of Poole as far as Wimborne and extending east and west to Christchurch and Wareham, dry heath land is the prevailing feature of the country. This is the general character also of the plastic clay portion of Purbeck. But to proceed to particulars:—
Poole is situated on a peninsula on the north side of the extensive harbour, and is very little above its level. I leave, however, the remarks I intend to make on the maritime botany of Poole, to a future period. ”

“ At a little farther distance in either direction, chalk downs and consequently chalk plants become abundant.
It remains to speak of the maritime botany of Poole. The harbour is a large sheet of water, which, though containing deep channels, is for the most part very shallow, the tide when it falls leaving immense tracts of mud which are covered with Zostera marina, Lin. In some situations where small streams empty themselves into the harbour, meadow land occurs, the lower parts of which are frequently covered with the tide, affording salt marshes with their plants. ”

“ On quitting Poole in every direction there is an elevation of surface, which, however, is not considerable. The lower situations are generally dry pasture, but the higher are the heath lands before named. Both are cultivated, but the soil is not very productive except as garden ground. There is no river or stream of any importance within about five miles of Poole. In many places, however, there are superficial springs ”

“ Some of the rarer plants, however, are found in land of this description, as for example, the Bartsia viscosa, Lin., which with us is quite a common plant. An abundance of oak trees, growing perfectly spontaneously, add greatly to the beauty of these fertile tracts. Though there are no rivers very near Poole, there are at about two miles distant occasional small streams and two ponds or tarns, one at Parkstone, and the other at Creekmoor, the latter containing abundance of the beautiful white water lily. ”

“ The district on which Poole lies, is denominated the Poole Trough, being a portion of the Isle of Wight basin, comprising a considerable part of its western extremity; though not its extreme point. Its northern boundary is between Wimborne and Hinton Martell, beyond which the chalk extends over a large tract of country. The southern boundary is a line of chalk, passing through Purbeck from near Corfe Castle to Studland, and corresponding with the chalk stratum running through the Isle of Wight. ”

“ Beyond this barren portion, extending in every direction towards the chalk, before arriving at it, the soil is a rich loam, and extremely fertile. The surface in these situations is also beautifully diversified and wooded with oaks. Spots of this kind are found in many directions, averaging the distance of five miles and a half from Poole, as at Studland, Organford, Lytchett, Corfe Mullen, Sturminster Marshall, the neighbourhood of Wimborne, Canford, Longham, Cudnell, and Ensbury. These places afford the plants of woods, coppices, and shady places ”

“ In all these situations the Scutellaria minor, Lin., abounds.
But meadow land is not so general a result of our springs as bogs, of which we have an immense extent, and all the varieties denominated moist heaths, turfy bogs, spongy bogs, &c., and in many parts there are large tracts of peat as perfect as I have seen in Scotland or Ireland. Between the roads to Longham and Christchurch, and within four miles of Poole, are hundreds of acres of peat ”

“ The large furze, Ulex europæus, Lin., has generally a second flowering at this season, and during many winters continues in blossom pretty freely, until the more abundant flowering in the spring, when it is the great ornament of our hills and hedges, and produces a general fragrance every where. Many other plants continue to flower through the whole autumn, and during the early winter months. ”

“ Some plants are marked as more common within the smaller distance than in the larger. As the larger district contains the smaller, it is obvious that the numerical number of specimens cannot be less, but must be more, unless the species be entirely confined to the smaller circuit. ”

“ They average two feet in height and are some of their very old, having very hard wood, about two inches in diameter near the root.
Poole harbour contains several islands, all of the plastic clay formation, which, though picturesque, and beautifully situated, afford little variety of indigenous species. The very largest of these is Brownsea island, the watering residence of Sir Charles Chad, Bart., which, among many other natural beauties, possesses several fresh water tarns, similar to those of Parkstone and Creekmoor, one of which contains a great abundance of the Typha angustifolia, Lin. ”

“ Juncus maritimus, Sm., and Carex extensa, Good., are remarkable exceptions. Atriplex patula is found both on the muddy shore of the harbour, and on the sandy beach of the open sea; but the varieties are remarkably different.
The Ballast quay at Ham, opposite Poole, frequently yields plants, not elsewhere found in the neighbourhood. Linum usitatissimum, Lin., Sinapis tenuifolia, Br., S. muralis, Br., Cynosurus echinatus, Lin., and Medicago denticulata, Willd., are the principal. Trifolium resupinatum, Lin., found near this quay, must, I fear, be attributed to the ballast. ”

“ Pulteney, in the situation above named, and subsequently in other situations, by Sir W. Hooker and others, but without any distinctive appellation. It resembles the Peloria of L. vulgaris, Mœnch., and I have therefore given it the name of pelorioides. ↑ In 1831, I discovered this second British station of Trifolium Resupinatum, L., at the east end of the rope-walk, close by the anchorage, at Ham. From specimens which I have distributed to different botanists, it is now generally known to grow near Poole, though a great mistake prevails as to its frequency and abundance. ”

“ Acorus, L. †Calamus, L.1 Adonis, L. *autumnalis, L.† Adoxa, L. *moschatellina, L.* Ægopodium, L. †Podagraria, L. Æthusa, L. **Cynapium L.** Agrimonia, L. **Eupatoria, L.* Agrostemma, L. *Githago, L.* Agrostis, L. **alba, L.** *canina, L.* *setacea, Curt.** **vulgaris, With.** Aira, L. **cæspitosa, L.** †canescens, L.†¶ **caryophyllea, L.** †cristata, L.†2 †flexuosa, L.† **præcox, L.** Ajuga, L. **reptans, L.** Alchemilla, L. *arvensis, Sm.** †vulgaris, L.† Alisma, L. *Plantago, L.* †ranunculoides, L. Allium, L. ǁ†arenarium, L. *ursinum, L.† **vineale, L.** Alnus, Tourn. ”

“ L.** Utricularia, L. †minor, L.†¶ †vulgaris, L.† Vaccinium, L. *Myrtillus, L.* ǁ†Vitis-Idæa, L. Valeriana, L. †diœca, L.† **officinalis, L.* ‡†rubra, L. Verbascum, L. †Blattaria, L. †nigrum, L.† ǁ†pulverulentum, Vill. **Thapsus, L.* Verbena, L. *officinalis, L.* Veronica, L. **agrestis, L.** *Anagallis, L.† **arvensis, L.** **Beccabunga, L.** **Chamædrys, L.** **hederifolia, L.** †montana, L.† **officinalis, L.* *polita, Fries.* †scutellata, L.† *serpyllifolia, L.* Viburnum, L. **Lantana, L.* *Opulus, L.* Vicia, L. *angustifolia, Sibth.** †bithynica, L.109 **Cracea, L.** ǁ†lævigata, Sm. ”

“ Congesta, D. C.* ǁ§Forsteri, D. C. *pilosa, Willd.§70 *sylvatica, Bich.§71 Lychnis, L. **Flos-Cuculi, L.** **sylvestris, Hoppe.* *vespertina, Sibth.** Lycopodium, L. †clavatum, L.†¶T *inundatum, L.* †Selago, L.† Lycopsis, L. *arvensis, L.* Lycopus, L. *europæus, L.* Lysimachia, L. †nemorum, L.† †nummularia, L.† *vulgaris, L.* Lythrum, L. *salacaria, L.* Malva, L. *mosehata, L.* *rotundifolia, L.* ǁ†β. pusilla, Sm. ”

“ Elymus, L. †arenarius, L. Epilobium, L. ǁ?†angustifolium, L. *hirsutum, L.* **montanum, L.** **palustre, L.** *parviflorum, Schreb.* ǁ†roseum, Schreb.43 *tetragonum, L.* Epipactis. Br. †grandiflora, Sm.44 †latifolia. Sw.45 †palustris, Sw.46 Equisetum, L. **arvense, L.** *fluviatile, L.* *limosum, L.* **palustre, L.** †β alpinum, Hook.†¶47 Erica, L. §ciliaris, L.§¶ **cinerea, L.** **Tetralix, L.** Erigeron, L. †acris, L.† Eriophorum, L. *angustifolium, Roth.** Erodium, L'Herit. **cicutarium, Sm.** maritimum, Sm.48 ǁ†moschatum, Sm. ”

“ Neottia, Jacq. §spiralis, Rich.§¶76 Nepeta, L. †Cataria, L. Nuphar, Sm. *lutea, Sm.* †pumila, D. C.77 Nymphæa, L. *alba, L.* Œnanthe, L. *crocata, L.** †fistulosa, L. †peucidanifolia, Poll. †Phellandrium, Spreng§78 *pimpinelloides, L.** Œnothera, L. ‡†biennis, L.‡† Onobrychis, Tourn. ‡†sativa, Lam. Ononis, L. *arvensis, L.* †β. spinosa, L.† Onopordum, L. §Acanthium, L.§ Ophroglossum, L. §vulgatum, L. Ophrys, L. †apifera, Huds.†79 ǁ†arachnites, Willd. ǁ†muscifera, Huds. ”