GENERAL PHYSICAL CHARACTER OF THE COUNTY WITH RELATION TO THE FLORA
TAFFORDSHIRE is rhomboidal in shape and somewhat irregular in outline ; its surface is richly undulating and greatly diversified. The long range of hills extending from the Cheviots in Scotland southward enters Staffordshire at the extreme north, and forms a range of mountain-like hills having a south-west direction from above Flash to below Bosley, and rising from 600 to over 1,700 feet above sea level. On the northwest side of the county this elevated ridge is continued past Cloud Hill and over Congleton Edge and Mow Cop, and the elevation in many places is over 1,000 feet above the sea. The prevailing geological character of the rocks are those of the Coal Measures and Millstone Grit, and the prevailing vegetation is that peculiar to the mountain moorland, such as the black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), the whortle-berry (Vaccinium Vitis-Idæa), ling (Calluna vulgaris), heath (Erica cinerea), bilberry (Vaccinium Myrtillis), an abundant growth of bracken (Pteris aquilina), thin grass, grey lichens and dark masses of hair moss (Polytrichum commune). A narrow belt of mixed woodland, Forest Banks and Back Forest clothe a portion of the summit above Swithamley. Here is found the cow wheat (Melampyrum pratense), moss crop (Scirpus cæspitosus) and the hawkweed (Hieracium umbellatum). The intervening valleys have a somewhat impervious subsoil, and are watered by frequent springs which render them swampy, hence many of the bog-loving species are abundant, as sheep's rot (Hydrocotyle vulgaris), sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), the arrow grass (Triglochin palustre) and the pearl wort (Sagina nodosa). A ridge of high land, over which the high road from Leek to Buxton is carried, rising from 500 feet at Leek to about 1,400 feet at Axe Edge, forms the partings of the Dane and several of the important rivers of the country - the Dove, Manyfold, Churnet and Hamps. The country they water is wild flat lands, grass lands, moors and some little arable lands, with small woodlands and several round topped hills, attaining in places an elevation of 1,200 to 1,300 feet above the sea. These hills are covered with short herbage, beautifully green in the early season, but soon scorched in the hotter months of summer. The limestone rock is abundantly exposed on their sides, and many of the more rare lime-loving species have here their home, such as wild pansy (Viola lutea), the rock rose (Helianthemum vulgare), the jacob's ladder (Polemonium cæruleum), Corydalis claviculata and the rare little Hutchinsia petræa. The country around is broken by deep valleys, dales or gullies, watered by rivers and rivulets, in which are found the trailing stems of the water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) or streaming stems of water ranunculus (Ranunculus pseudo-fluitans), and on the marshy moorlands the golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium alternifolium), the marsh violet (Viola palustris) and the beautiful grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris). In the beautiful Dove dale the limestone rocks have been rent by the geological convulsions of nature, and present their naked faces or escarpments in the form of perpendicular rocks rising high above the level of the stream, attaining all elevation of over 1,000 feet above sea level, to which many fanciful names have been given. These rocks, abounding in fissures, are the homes of many of the rarest plants of the district, as the hairy violet (Viola hirta), the barberry (Berbetis vulgaris), the wall whitlow grass (Draba muralis), the rare bitter cress (Cardamine impatiens), the kidney vetch (Anthyllis Vulneraria) and the dwarf furze, (Ulex nanus). In the valleys of the Hamps and Manyfold are similar mountain limestone rocks, fantastic in appearance, one of the more notable being Beeston Tor. Here is found the wild pansy (Viola lutea), the white beam (Pyrus Aria) and the mossy saxifrage (Saxifraga hypnoides), and on Ecton Hill the vernal sandwort (Arenaria verna). South of this are the fine limestone eminences, the Weaver Hills, rising to some 1,150 feet above the sea, clothed with rich grass in spring, but very bare in the hotter months, and with abundant exposed rocky surfaces, affording a home for many of the limestone loving species, such as the rock rose (Helianthemum vulgare), the dropwort (Spiræa Filipendula), the sandwort (Arenaria tenuifolia), the autumn gentian (Gentiana Amarella), the field gentian (G. campestris) and the long-stalked crane's bill (Geranium columbinum). In the southern portion of the county, south-west of Rugeley, the country though richly undulating rarely rises to greater altitudes than from 600 to 800 feet above sea level. Here are a series of round topped hills, a portion of the extensive Cannock Chase. These are usually clothed with thin grass, abundant bracken (Pteris aquilina), and grey with a rich clothing of ling (Calluna vulgaris), heath (Erica cinerea and E. tetralix), with dark green bushes of crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), the whortleberry (Vaccinium Vitis-Idæa), and here and there gay with the golden flowers of the broom (Cytisus scoparius), but with furze and bramble really rare ; very well wooded in parts with oak, elm and pine, and with a rich undergrowth of bilberry and bracken and often bluebells (Scilla nutans). In the valleys between the hills are swampy grass lands, watered by small rapid streams and rich in marsh plants, as the forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris), and here also the bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), the grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris), the marsh violet (Viola palustris) and the trailing stems of the cranberry, are abundant. South-west of this are the limestone hills of Dudley Castle and Sedgley Beacon. These are slight elevations, but appear more elevated by contrast with the low level of most of the country around. Dudley Castle is 730 feet above the sea, and its ruins were formerly the home of Cheiranthus Cheiri, and in the grounds is the toothwort (Lathræa Squamaria) and the deadly nightshade (Atropa Belladonna). Sedgley Beacon is about 716 feet above the sea, the limestone quarries there being the home of the rare woolly thistle (Carduus heterophyllus), the hawkweed (Picris hieracioides), the mignonette (Reseda lutea), the gromwell (Lithospermum officinale) and the rare soft rose (Rosa mollis). The igneous rocks of Rowley Regis (820 ft.) do not harbour any special plants.
In several places in the county salt springs exist, and at Shirley Wich, Ingestre and Salt are the seat of extensive salt works. In these localities maritime plants have been found and sometimes in abundance ; these are lingerers possibly of a former rich maritime flora. Among the more notable are the sea aster (Aster Tripolium), the sea milkwort (Glaux maritima), the stork's-bill (Erodium maritimum), the sea sandwort (Spergularia maritima) and the celery Apium graveolens. Near these localities is Kingston Pool near Stafford, formerly an extensive sheet of water yielding many salt loving plants, as Erodium maritimum, sea sedge (Scirpus maritimus) and the sea dock (Rumex maritimus) ; and at Branstone near Burton-on-Trent salt springs also exist, and here are found R. maritimus and the celery Apium graveolens.
Marshes and bogs have in former times been extensive in many of the districts, more especially in the north and north-west, where even in comparatively recent times extensive moorlands existed ; but drainage, reclamation and the growth of centres of industry have greatly lessened their area. The remains of what have been extensive bogs or mosses are still found near Biddulph and Congleton Edge, where are the rare marsh hawkweed (Crepis paludosa), the golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium), sheep's penny rot (Hydrocotyle vulgaris) and the pondweed Potamogeton rufescens.
About Betley and Madeley much of the moorland is still marsh and bog, as at Craddock's Moss, formerly very extensive and the home of many rare bog plants, as the bladderwort (Utricularia minor), the bogbell (Andromeda Polifolia), grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris), the rare water soldier (Stratiotes aloides), the sundew (Drosera longifolia) and the small reed mace (Typha angustifolia) ; and a most notable marshy bog still exists near the ancient Chartley Castle, Chartley Moss. Here until lately the surroundings remained in their primitive condition and many of the rarest paludal plants were to be found, such as the marsh St. John's wort (Hypericum elodes), the cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus), the bog pimpernel (Anagalis tenella), the bogbell (Andromeda Polifolia), the fen sedge (Cladium Mariscus), the royal fern (Osmunda regalis) ; and in the adjoining woods, the rare shield ferns, Nephrodium cristatum, N. Thelypteris and N. Oreopteris. In the southern part of the county was an extensive morass, Norton Bog, now a great mining centre ; but here still linger noticable bog plants, as the black schœnus (Schœnus nigricans), the butter wort (Pinguicula vulgaris), the marsh violet (Viola palustris), the marsh crowoot (Ranunculus Lenormandi) and the marsh bedstraw (Gallium uliginosum) ; and a small marsh near Penkridge has yielded one of our rarest marsh plants, Elatine Hydropiper.
There are no natural lakes in Staffordshire but many of the pools are natural and some of them extensive and like lakes in character. The large lake at Rudyard is purely artificial and has been formed by damming up a deep valley. Swampy places are on its margins, where are found the mudwort (Limosella aquatica), the marsh cinquefoil (Comarum palustre), the money wort (Lysimachia vulgaris), and on the bank the trailing stems of Corydalis claviculata. On the north-west border, at Betley and Balterley are large pools where are found several water-loving plants as the white water lily (Nymphæa alba), the sweet flag (Acorus Calamus) and the frog bit (Hydrocharis Morsus-Ranæ), and in the valley of the Sow is the natural pool, Copmere Pool, very picturesque, clothed with a fringe of tall rushes and bulrushes, and in its waters a too abundant growth of Anacharis ; here are also Ranunculus circinatus, the pond weed Potamogeton filiforme, and all the British duck weeds (Lemna triscula, L. gibba, L. polyrhyizza and L. minor). Near this is the large pool of Maer, in which is an abundant growth of sweet flag (Acorus Calamus), and on its banks the trailing St. John's wort (Hypericum humifusum). In the park at Trentham is a fine lake-like pool formed by the river Trent. This is beautifully reed grown and fringed with the flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus), the arrow-head (Sagittaria sagittifolia), the rare bur reed (Sparganium neglectum), wood sedge (Scirpus sylvaticus), wood rush (Luzula sylvatica), and the rare pillwort (Pilularia pilulifera). But the finest natural sheet of water in the county is the large one, perfectly oval in form, called Aqualate Mere, which is one mile long and half a mile broad ; the margins are marshy and yield much floral wealth ; here are found the water violet (Hottonia palustris), the brook weed (Samolus Valerandi), the reed grasses Calamagrostis Epigejos and C. lanceolatus, and on the banks the wild liquorice (Astragalus glycyphyllos), the spindle tree (Euonymus europæus), the bog myrtle (Myrica gale), and the narrow-leaved reed mace (Typha angustifolia) ; near here is Forton Pool, where are the pondweeds Potamogeton heterophyllus and P. pectinatus. In the south-west of the county is Perton Pool ; here are the mare's tail (Hippurus vulgaris), and the rare water milfoil (Myriophyllum verticillatum), and on the confines of Birmingham is Harborn reservoir, where are Ranunculus circinatus and the rare mousetail (Myosurus verticillatum). The woodlands of Staffordshire are extensive, forming indeed one-twentieth of the whole area ; those of the southern portion of the county are usually destitute of any special wild flora, though often beautiful in the summer by the abundance of wild hyancinth (Scilla nutans), but in the north the woodlands are extensive and are the homes of some of our rarer native plants. The woods near Belmont in the valley of the Churnet possess craggy ravines watered by rapid streams, their banks clothed with a rich abundance of wild vegetation, and here are found the globe flower (Trollius europæus), the bear's foot (Helleborus fœtidus), the everlasting pea (Lathyrus Nissolia) and the London pride (Saxifraga umbrosa) ; and in the rich woods about Frog Hall and Oakamore are water-worn ravines yielding a wealth of rare plants, as the mountain nightshade (Circæa alpina), the mountain polypody (Polypodium Dryopteris), the winter green (Pyrola rotundifolia), the mountain valerian (Valeriana pyrenaica), sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata), the bladder fern (Cystopteris fragilis) and Veronica Buxbaumia ; and on the rocks near Alton Castle the deadly nightshade (Atropa Belladonna) ; and on the north-west side of the county are the extensive woodlands about Whitmore, where are the smaller skullcap (Scutellaria minor), abundance of woodruff (Asperula odorata) and the rare bramble Rubus suberectus. South of this is Bishop's Wood ; here are found the columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), the stork's bill (Erodium moschatum), the bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliata), the sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) and the shield ferns Nephrodium filix-mas and N. spinulosum. Near High Offley are the woods around Norbury, rich in rare brambles such as Rubus Lejeuni, R. hirtus and R. Bellardi, and near the large pool the sedges Carex stricta and C. teretiuscula and the rare water dropwort (Œnanthe Phellandrium. In the south-west of the county in the valley of the small river Smestow are extensive woodlands around Himley and Bagginton ; here are found the elecampane (Inula Helenium), the rare white mullein (Verbascum Lychnites), the mignonette (Reseda lutea), herb Paris (Paris quardifolia, the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) and the rare Lonicera Xylosteum ; on the south-eastern side of the county are extensive elevated woodlands, the remains of the great forest of Needwood, where are still found lingerers of a former rich sylvan flora, as the needle furze (Genista anglica), the small-leaved lime (Tilia parvifolia), frog orchis (Habernaria viridis), mezerion (Daphne Mezereon), Jacob's ladder (Polemonium cæruleum), the borage (Borago ) and the burnet saxifrage (Pimpinella major).
A comparison may be made here between the flora of Staffordshire and that of the surrounding counties. Staffordshire has 94 plants not found in Worcestershire, 70 not recorded from Warwickshire, 118 not recorded from Leicestershire, 168 not recorded from Derbyshire, 121 not recorded from Cheshire, and 106 not recorded from Shropshire. Worcestershire has 65 not recorded from Staffordshire, Warwickshire 65, Leicestershire 50, Derbyshire 26, Cheshire 85, and Shropshire 38. The total flora of Staffordshire is 948 species, including flowering plants, ferns, horsetails and charas. The total flora of Great Britain is 1,958 species ; hence it will be seen that Staffordshire yields less than half the British species.
From its central position it naturally possesses a large percentage of the common or British type, namely 515 out of 532 for the whole kingdom ; of the southern or English type 295 out of 409, one-eighth of the western type, one-sixth of the eastern type, and about one-eighth of the northern type.
The botanical districts are based on the river basins. These are : 1, the Weaver ; 2, the Dove ; 3, the Trent ; 4, the Sow ; 5, the Severn. With the exception of the Dane all the rivers of Staffordshire rise within the limits of the county, and nearly all have their whole course in the county and are tributary of the Trent. By an Act of Parliament, 1897, the small peninsula-like prolongation of Staffordshire in which Upper Arley is situated has been added to Worcestershire, so that the Severn proper flows through no portion of the county, but drains a portion of the west and south-west by streams tributary to the Severn.
The Botany of the Staffordshire River Basins
1. THE WEAVER
2. THE DOVE
3. THE TRENT
4. THE SOW
5. THE SEVERN
Thus far only the Trent, including it's tributaries the Blythe and the Tame, and the Sow, with its tributary the Penk, have been transcribed and are available. Of the remaining rivers; the Weaver (a tributary of the Mersey), the Dove (itself a tributary of the Trent), and the Severn, all of which being less relevant to a website based on Cannock Chase will most-likely be dealt with at some future date.