Shropshire - Botanical Society of the British Isles

(SJ4334). In 1970 Sinker found it atBirchgrove Pool (SJ4323), where it has sincebeen recorded by Wigginton (1980) and Stokes(1994).Will Prestwood and Chris Walker firstrecorded it at The Yesters (SJ4322) – apartially drained wetland in the Fenemere fens– where it was later seen by Pat Parker & RuthDawes in 1993. A tiny clump of plants wasrevealed at Fenemere recently when a newfishing platform was installed (SJ4423,Lockton, 2003).43210987Cladium mariscus2 3 4 5 6 7 8Clinopodium ascendens (Jord.) Samp.Common CalamintNative. Scarce.This is a plant of dry, calcareous soils in thesouth of Britain. It is recorded on roadsideverges, in quarries, and sometimes ingrassland. It appears to be something of acasual in Shropshire, where it is on the edge ofits range.Edward Williams recorded it in six places inabout 1800: in Sheinton Churchyard (SJ6103);on the sides of roads at Coalbrookdale(SJ6604), Harnage (SJ5604), Minsterley(SJ3705); between Uffington and Sundorne(SJ5214); and on Haughmond Hill (SJ5413).Leighton (1841) gives six more localities:Lincoln’s Hill, Coalbrookdale (SJ6703,Dickinson), Redhill (SJ4609), West Felton(SJ3425), Fields near Bomere Pool (SJ4908),Sharpstones Hill (SJ4909), and Ludlow(SO5174). In 1842 Frederic Westcott alsorecorded it at Ludlow, ‘on the banks of castlewalk.’ It was still there in 1905 (J.C. Melvill),in 1951 (R.C. Palmer) and in 2001 (A.K.Thorne).There is a specimen at HLU, collected in 1862(probably by John Fraser) at Bridgnorth(SO7192), where it has since been seen byBeckwith (1880), G.A. Audley (1902) and JoanBrown (SO7294, 1991 & 1992). In 1878William Phillips revisited it at Bomere andHaughmond Hill. Beckwith added Uffington(SJ5213) to the list of sites in 1880; Audleysaw it at Harnage again in 1902; W.B. Allenhad it at Wyke (SJ6402) in 1903; George Pottsfound it at Haughton (SO6795) in 1904; andG.E. Johnson recorded it at Forton (SJ4316) in1909. There were two other sites given inHamilton’s manuscript Flora of 1913, but wedo not have the details.The first record for the north-west of thecounty was in 1954, when Margaret Asterleyfound it at Pant (SJ2722). If this was on aroadside it soon spread to the quarries onLlanymynech Hill (SJ2621) on the Welsh sideof the border, but has only been recorded inShropshire by Helen Vickers in 1987, KateThorne in 1991 and Rob Stokes in 1994. It wasstill present in Pant in 1988 (Allan Dawes) and1994 (Celia Chaffey).J.B. Lawson found it at Bayston Hill (SJ4808)in 1956; Frank Perring & David Stones saw itat Netchwood (SO6292) in 1974; JohnBingham recorded it at Highley-AlveleyCountry Park (SO7584) in 2001. It seems to bereasonable to consider it a wayside plant atmost, if not all, of these sites, but if it is on theincrease it may establish itself more firmly inthe county.Rare Plants of Shropshire 43