I can´t believe I wrote this with a straight face, but who knows?
This book is a flora of Leicestershire, a county in the English Midlands,
Great Britain. It was published in 1988. At the time, Rutland was part of
Leicestershire, but that region is not included in this book, since it has its
own flora. (Today, Rutland is a separate county.)
The bulk of this book is an extensive checklist of ferns and flowering plants found in Leicestershire. There are no illustrations, and the whole thing looks like a phone directory. Species presentations deal with taxonomy, geographic distribution and the localities where the specimens used for this book were first found. Thus, this is definitely *not* a field guide. Still, it's an impressive achievement in its own right, being the result of 20 years of research. 1,279 species of plants are described, 1,080 of which have distribution maps.
However, the introductory chapters could be of considerable interest for botany buffs or Leics local patriots. This part of the book describes the county itself, its geology, soils and climate. The botanical survey of Leicestershire was obviously very thorough. Thus, the section on "recreation" details every possible recent human impact on the local flora which can be traced to recreational activities. Golf courses turn out to have a surprisingly positive effect, since only some parts of the courses are mown and treated with herbicides. Wild plants thrive in the unmanaged parts! Fox-hunters have promoted shrubs which may otherwise have had a more limited distribution. (Fox-hunting is a traditional British blood sport. The shrubs are provided so that the fox can hide before it's found and mercilessly butchered by the hunters. No "sport" otherwise, apparently.) Hedgerows of wild apple trees have been planted to provide food for pheasants, another popular game. Gardeners dig up "weeds", such as primroses, thereby limiting their distribution. Alien species are introduced through "wild bird seed" used at bird tables, or "wild flower mixes" of enterprising seedsmen. This means that uncommon herbs may show up at the strangest of places! (As a sidepoint, I noticed that kids from a day-care centre deliberately seeded non-native flowering plants in "my" strolling area - I wouldn't be surprised if this happens in the Midlands, as well.)
This book is an important addition to every Leicestershire library, but probably also to the botany sections of other libraries the world over. However, the checklist probably does need an update. After all, it was published in 1988!
The bulk of this book is an extensive checklist of ferns and flowering plants found in Leicestershire. There are no illustrations, and the whole thing looks like a phone directory. Species presentations deal with taxonomy, geographic distribution and the localities where the specimens used for this book were first found. Thus, this is definitely *not* a field guide. Still, it's an impressive achievement in its own right, being the result of 20 years of research. 1,279 species of plants are described, 1,080 of which have distribution maps.
However, the introductory chapters could be of considerable interest for botany buffs or Leics local patriots. This part of the book describes the county itself, its geology, soils and climate. The botanical survey of Leicestershire was obviously very thorough. Thus, the section on "recreation" details every possible recent human impact on the local flora which can be traced to recreational activities. Golf courses turn out to have a surprisingly positive effect, since only some parts of the courses are mown and treated with herbicides. Wild plants thrive in the unmanaged parts! Fox-hunters have promoted shrubs which may otherwise have had a more limited distribution. (Fox-hunting is a traditional British blood sport. The shrubs are provided so that the fox can hide before it's found and mercilessly butchered by the hunters. No "sport" otherwise, apparently.) Hedgerows of wild apple trees have been planted to provide food for pheasants, another popular game. Gardeners dig up "weeds", such as primroses, thereby limiting their distribution. Alien species are introduced through "wild bird seed" used at bird tables, or "wild flower mixes" of enterprising seedsmen. This means that uncommon herbs may show up at the strangest of places! (As a sidepoint, I noticed that kids from a day-care centre deliberately seeded non-native flowering plants in "my" strolling area - I wouldn't be surprised if this happens in the Midlands, as well.)
This book is an important addition to every Leicestershire library, but probably also to the botany sections of other libraries the world over. However, the checklist probably does need an update. After all, it was published in 1988!
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