Doubtful records of Orobanche purpurea Jacq.

DOUBTFUL RECORDS OF OROBANCHE F. W .

PURPĂœREA

Jacq.

SIMPSON

When the Rev. W. M. Hind compiled his Flora of Suffolk, 1889, he incorporated the records of David Elisha Davy (1769-1851) of Yoxford and U f f o r d . These records were taken from manuscript lists in the extensive Davy collection in the British Library. Davy was recognised as a good botanist who had earlier supplied records for inclusion in the Botanist's G u i d e , 1805. A t that time he lived at the Grove, Yoxford. and his records in the Botanist's Guide refer mainly to his finds in that area of the County. In 1823 he moved to U f f o r d House.

Hind attributed to Davy fourteen of the earliest records. A m o n g them is Orobanche purpurea Jacq. (O. caerulea Vill.), Yarrow or Purple Broomrape, at Pettistree in 1828. This record I also gave as the first for that species in my Flora of Suffolk, 1982. However, further information on Davy's find has now come to light with the publication of ' A Journal of Excursions through the County of Suffolk 1823-1844'. A diary kept by Davy was discovered in 1979 by Dr. John Blatchly in a Norfolk bookshop, and gives a few references to botanical observations made during his travels. Part of his entry f o r T u e s . July 29th, 1823, is asfollows: 'As I walked thro' the fields past U f f o r d Mill, I observed in a piece of Clover, a considerable quantity of Orobanche cerulea\I had a few days before in Walking thro' Lowdham Park, observed the same plant in the same kind of Situation, in the greatest profusion.' Lowdham Park refers to his record for Pettistree. It is indeed most unlikely that Davy observed O. purpurea. It is far more probable that he saw O. minor Sm., C o m m o n or Lesser Broomrape, which is sometimes abundant a m o n g clover crops. O. purpurea is parasitic on Yarrow and a few other Compositae. O. minor often has purplish stems and mauvish flowers.

T h e other record for O. purpurea in Hind is: 'In the Rectory G r e e n h o u s e , Cockfield, C. Babington'. N o mention is m a d e of the host plant. O n two occasions I have had O. minor parasitical on Zonal Pelargoniums in the greenhouse.

T h e r e is a m o r e recent record of O. purpurea found by Miss N. Cracknell of Mariesford in the Woodbridge district in 71933. This record was published in the Transactions of the Society for 1933, in the section of Observations under Phanerogamic Discoveries, compiled by Ronald Burn. I am unable to vouch for the accuracy of this record, or whether Burn as recorder at that time saw a specimen or had it checked.

The species occurs in Norfolk, but only occasionally, and is chiefiy confined to cliff-top habitats in the north-east between Mundesley and Sheringham. Perhaps it may be found in similar habitats in Suffolk. I have found it on Alderney.

References Burn, R. (1933). Phanerogamic Discoveries. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 2,172.

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 19

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 19

Davy, D. E. (1982). A Journal ofExcursions through the County of Suffolk 1823-1844. Ed. Blatchly, J. The Suffolk Records Soc 24 Hind, W. M. (1889). Flora of-Suffolk. London.

Petch, C. P., Swann, E. L. (1968). Flora of Norfolk. Norwich Simpson, F. W. (1982). Simpsons Flora of Suffolk. Suffolk Nat. Soc. Swann, E . L. (1975). Supplement to the Flora of Norfolk. Norwich Turner, D . , Dillwyn, L. W. (1805). The Botanist's Guide through England and Wales. London.

F. W. Simpson, 40 Ruskin Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1PT.

Shoreline discoveries at Dunwich After strong southeasterly winds considerable heaps of seaweed were piled up on the shingle at Dunwich on 8th November 1982. Amongst the usual wrack species were two seaweeds of more distant distribution: Cystoseira baccata (Gmelin) Silva apparently not common east of the English Channel and Sargassum muticum Yendo which is spreading around southern coasts of Britain after first having been noticed in 1973 at the Isle of Wight. (Spp. identified by Mr. I. Tittley (British Museum N. H.)) On several items of litter were Clusters of Goose Barnacles— Lepas anatifera Linnaeus. A discarded cylinder possessed about 100 living individuals with a similar number cemented via stalks on to a Portuguese wine bottle. Several possessed bodies (with platelike shells) of 4 cm length and stalks of some 10 cm.

On another isolated crustacean of the same species were found the acorn barnacle Elminius modestus Darwin and the living serpulid worm Hydroides norvegica Gunnerus.

Peter Quinn

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 19