From James Ward   June 1831

Dear Sir

Herewith you will receive a parcel of Plants which I trust will be acceptable to you. I take the present opportunity of sending them by M. ^r Fisher– Others in your list which I can procure I shall collect as they come into flower and send at some future opportunity I am sorry I could not procure better specimens of Gagea lutea for you. It is in such a situation that the Cattle eat it as it comes up – perhaps another season may be more favourable for it– The Daphne mezereum appears to be perfectly wild growing plentifully although the hedge in which it grows has been cut down this spring and the Mezereum along with it, but next year I hope to see it very fine– The Ribes spicatum is not to be found near Richmond, nor by the Tees in M. ^r Edw ^d. Robson’s habitat, I made inquiry of M. ^r W ^m Backhouse of Darlington who was related to E. Robson and he informs me that the R. spicatum is only a hybrid var: between R. petraeum and R. alpinum and I think it very probable as we have the R. petraeum growing abundantly by the banks of the Swale and R. alpinum in the woods adjoining – I am sorry I have only one specimen of Lysimachia punctata for you – I was at Darlington last summer & could not find a single plant in flower. I suspect some persons had been there before me and collected all they could find in flower – I send you a willow which I cannot find named in Smiths Eng. Flora– It grows by the edge of a large pool of water covering probably an acre of ground near Wensley in Wensleydale I was rather too late for gathering it as the catkins were fallen off there is only 1 tree which I could see and I was attracted by its dark brown or almost black stem which in drying assumes a glaucous hue the Plant is Monadelphous the Stamens being united about ½ way up. I shall be glad to have your opinion of it, also of all the other Salices which I send you, you will be as good as examine as some of them probably may be wrong named. I not having had much experience in this difficult genus– I send you also a Fedia, which I am not certain of. The capsules are slightly hairy and the lower ones placed in the forks of the branches, is it F. mixta of Hooker– I shall be very glad to hear from you at any early convenient opportunity. I also send you a full list of my Desiderata of Duplicates not having had sufficient room in my former letter to you–

I am Dear Sir yours sincerely | Ja. ^s Ward

Obs. The Red Scar is a steep precipice of Limestone Rock turned carboniferous or metalliferous below which runs the river Swale. It is situated about 3 miles west of Richmond.– Downholme Scar is about ½ a mile further west on the same range of Rock.–

N.B. I shall be glad to have your opinion of the following plants which I send you–

N.B. I shall be glad to have your opinion of the following plants which I send you.

Hieracium maculatum? Lotus decumbens Smith? Salix andersoniana? ------cinerea female? ------Forbyana? ------rubra ------with smooth germery (?) ------ ditto ditto styles divided ------with monadelphous flowers nr. Wensly Fedia mixta? Potamogeton lanceolatum? or is it heterophyllum ---------- lucens? or fluitans Geranium sylvaticum var. Allium carinatum? The leaves are quite flat towards the top channelled towards the base.