1876, Hillhouse (1878A); JH, C.1900, Hamson (1906); Jeli, 1935, Little (1936): V.C. 30

1876, Hillhouse (1878a); JH, c.1900, Hamson (1906); JELi, 1935, Little (1936): v.c. 30, anon., undated, Watson (1883) + Druce (1926b) + Druce (1932) + Dony (1977c).

Thlaspi arvense L.

Field Penny-cress Ar; a

A frequent annual herb which occurs in arable fields, on abandoned allotments, on disturbed ground by roads and footpaths and in waste places. Dony (1953a) considered it to be “…common and probably increasing.” but its distribution has decreased markedly since the first survey by about 25%. It does not now seem to be recorded so often in arable fields and is found mainly in waste places and on pathsides.

122: 163 Hillhouse, W. 1876

1st record: Bedfordshire, unlocalised, WH, 1876, Hillhouse (1878a).

Hesperis matronalis L.

Dame's-violet Ne; a

A biennial to perennial herb which occurs as a garden escape on roadside verges, along hedges and on waste ground. It is sometimes established but more often is a casual. The records are scattered across the county with the map indicating a decrease since the first survey. It was recorded in the wild in Britain by 1805 and is a native of southern Europe and western Asia.

35: 41 Saunders, J. 1882

1st record: Luton Hoo, TL11E, JS, 1882, LTN + Ransom (1882) + Saunders (1883a) + Saunders (1885a) + Druce (1904a) + Dony (1953a).

Cochlearia danica L.

Danish Scurvygrass N; a

An annual herb which is a British native of maritime habitats but, inland, it occurs along the edges of salt-treated roads. There were only three records up to the middle of the 20th century when it appeared on the railways and was presumed to have spread along the tracks from the coast during the Second World War (Allen, 1953). Dony (1976a) notes that it was “Frequent on railway ballast 1945-1955.” but it was not recorded during the first survey. The first record for the county on the road system was on the M1 motorway in 1987 (TL03B). Since then, with the increasing use of

salt on the roads in winter, it has spread dramatically and now occurs on all classes of roads.

61: 0 Dony, J.G. 1947

Iberis amara Wild Candytuft on rabbit damaged area on the Pegsdon Hills (photo: Richard Revels)

1st record: East Hyde, railway ballast, TL11I, JGD, det. NYS, 1947, LTN + Wallace (1949) + Jacobs (1951) + Dony (1953a) + Allen (1953).

Iberis amara L.

Wild Candytuft N; n

A rare annual herb which occurs on bare chalk slopes and in arable fields on basic soils. It can flourish where rabbits have created areas of bare soil, as it did in the 19th century (Saunders, 1883a), and can be present in large numbers, as in 1997, and turn the slope white. It was clearly more frequent in the past in the Barton and Pegsdon area and it is likely that some of the place names below refer to the same sites; for instance the records for Knocking Hoe probably refer to Pegsdon Grasslands nearby. The native distribution has remained stable with it being recorded in the same three tetrads in both surveys. Reports as a casual from seed sowing on the verges of new roads, however, may refer to I. umbellata.

3(2): 3 Brown, I. 1839

1st record: Deacon Hill, TL1229, TL12J, IB, 1839, HbHCW + Watson (1883) + Dony (1953a).

SP95: Bromham, road verge, SP9950, SP95V, anon., 1988.

TL02: Dunstable, A5065 bypass verge, TL050222, TL02L, JGD, 1989.

TL03: Barton Hills, TL03V, anon., c.1855, Davis (1855) + Davis (1874); anon., c.1880, Ransom (1882); JS, 1879, LTN (Hexton Hills) + Saunders (1885a) + Saunders (1911) + Dony (1953a); JGD, c.1950, Dony (1953a) + Dony (1976a).

TL12: Deacon Hill (Pegsdon, near), TL119295, TL12E, JGD & CMD, c.1970, Plant Atlas db. + Rare plants db.; BRS, 1978, pre-87 db.; JGD & CMD, 1987, VPDB; CRB, 1992; SH, 1997: Pegsdon Hills NR, arable weed plot, TL119298, TL12E, DW, 2003: Deacon Hill (Pegsdon Hills), TL1229, TL12J, WHC, c.1840, Webb & Coleman (1849); JGD, c.1950, Dony (1953a); FSL, 1910-11, Saunders (1911): Deacon Hill (Pegsdon Hills), TL122295, TL12J, JGD & CMD, 1972, Plant Atlas db. + Rare plants db.; BRS, 1978, VPDB; JGD & CMD, 1980, pre-87 db.; BRS, 1981, VPDB + pre-87 db.; AJS, 1991, VPDB; CRB, 1992; SS, 2004.

TL13: Knocking Hoe, TL1330, TL13F, JGD, 1917, LTN; JGD, 1946, Dony (1948c) + Dony (1953a); ECW, 1949, RNG + VPDB; JELo, 1950, RNG + VPDB; RAG, 1950, VPDB: Tingley Wood, nr, TL13F, JELi, 1929, RNG + VPDB + Thompson (ed.) (1930); CWB, 1982, VPDB: Pegsdon, field edge, TL132302, TL13F, JGD & CMD, c.1970, Plant Atlas db. + Rare plants db.; CRB, 1978, VPDB + Boon, C.R. ms.; TJJ, 1978, VPDB + pre-87 db.:

Pegsdon Grasslands CWS, TL128303, TL13F, GB & CRB, 1992, VPDB; ARO, 1993; PI, 2001; SS, 2002; DW, GB & AF, 2003.

Unlocalised: Bedfordshire, WH, 1876, Hillhouse (1878a); JS, c.1880, Saunders (1883a); GCD, c.1900, Druce (1904a): v.c. 30, anon., undated, Druce (1926b) + Druce (1932) + Dony (1977c).

Errors: [Turvey, SP95L, WH, 1875, Hillhouse (1877a) + Dony (1953a) (probably I. umbellata): High Down, cornfields near, TL13K, ARP, 1875, Pryor (1876a) + Dony (1953a) (site in Herts).]

Iberis umbellata L.

Garden Candytuft Ca; c

An annual herb which occurs as a casual on rubbish tips and as a garden escape. Early records and some recent introductions of I. amara probably refer to this species. It was first recorded in the wild in Britain in 1858 and is a native of the Mediterranean region.

1: 3 Dony, J.G. 1946

1st record: Ampthill, derelict garden, TL03J, JGD, 1946, LTN + Dony (1953a) + Dony (1976a).

SP92: Hockliffe churchyard, SP965269, SP92T, PB & CRBB, 2003.

TL12: Luton, rubbish tip, TL123216, TL12F, CGH, 1970, 1972, VPDB + Hanson, C.G. ms.; JGD & CMD, c.1970, Plant Atlas db.

TL02: Sundon Rubbish Dump, TL02J, JGD & CMD, c.1980, Plant Atlas db.

TL03: Maulden, arable field, TL03N, TBR, 1972, VPDB.

TL05: Clapham, rubbish dump, TL05G, JGD & CMD, c.1970, Plant Atlas db.

SANTALACEAE

Thesium humifusum DC.

Bastard-toadflax

A British native perennial herb which was noted for v.c. 30 by Watson (1883) from a specimen in his herbarium. Dony (1968b) noted that there was no such specimen from v.c. 30 but there was one from Elizabeth Twining for v.c. 20. It is assumed therefore that an error was made in assigning this species to v.c. 30. This species is not accepted as being a member of the county’s flora.

Error: [V.c 30, unlocalised, ETw, undated, HbHCW + Watson (1883) + Saunders (1899) + Saunders (1911) + Druce (1926b) + Druce (1932) + Dony (1953a) + Dony (1968b).]

Viscum album L.

Mistletoe N; n

An occasional hemiparasite which occurs on several species of tree. Dony (1953a) considered it to be “Uncommon and probably decreasing.” but this is not the case today. The largest, and old, concentrations, such as at Wrest Park and Ampthill Park, are mainly on Tilia x europaea but most small isolated populations are on Malus spp. or Crataegus spp. A survey in Wrest Park in 1972-3 (Boon, 1975) found mistletoe on 12 different species (Apple being classed as one species) and about 72% of the records were from Common Lime. In recent years there have been specific mistletoe surveys, both nationally and locally, which have swelled the number of records from trees in gardens. In particular, the latest, organised by the Bedfordshire Natural History Society in 2006, added about 20 tetrad records which has resulted in a doubling of the distribution in the county since the first survey. It is likely that many records are the result of seed introduced to apple trees, but all records are treated as native.

57: 28 Abbot, C. 1798

PLUMBAGINACEAE

Psylliostachys suworowii (Regel) Roshkova

Rat's-tail Statice Ca; c

Limonium suworowii Regel

An annual herb which has occurred once in the county as a casual on a rubbish dump. It is a garden plant and appeared amongst garden throw-out material. It is a native of Iran and central Asia.

0: 0 Dony, J.G. 1946

1st record: Sundon Rubbish Dump, TL02J, JGD, det. EMR, 1946, LTN + Dony (1953a) + Dony (1976a).

Armeria maritima (Mill.) Willd.

Thrift N; a

Armeria maritima subsp. maritima

A perennial herb which occurs as a British native mainly in coastal regions. In the county it occurs as an established relic in abandoned gardens and as a garden escape. It has recently been recorded once on salt-treated roads.

1: 0 Dony, J.G. 1946

1st record: Sundon, platelayer's garden, TL02J, JGD, 1946, LTN + Dony (1953a) + Dony (1976a).

SP93: Braystone House tetrad, SP93I, JGD & CMD, c.1980, Plant Atlas db.