Botanists divide Cornwall and Scilly into two
vice-counties: West (1) and East (2): the boundary runs irregularly from Truro to Wadebridge. The standard
flora is
F. Hamilton Davey's
Flora of Cornwall (1909). Davey was assisted by
A. O. Hume and he thanks Hume, his companion on excursions in Cornwall and Devon, for help in the compilation and publication of that flora. Davey gives an account of all the reports of Cornish plants from 1576 until his own time and divides the county into eight districts. The Isles of Scilly are covered by the flora but not very thoroughly: there is a good flora of Scilly by
J. E. Lousley.
Edgar Thurston and Chambré C. Vigurs published a supplement to the flora in 1922 and in 1981 L. J. Margetts and R. W. David published
A Review of the Cornish Flora (1980). Pool: Institute of Cornish Studies . A supplement to this for 1980–1991 by Margetts and K. L. Spurgin appeared in 1991. Another useful source of botanical information is
The Flowers of the Field, by
C. A. Johns (1853): it treats the country as a whole (with a supplement on
grasses), but Johns was a Cornishman and very knowledgeable about its flora and fauna. The Rev Charles Alexander Johns, F.L.S. (1811–1974) is also responsible for calling the attention of botanists to the very specialised flora of the Lizard in
A Week at the Lizard, 1848, written when he was a teacher at
Helston Grammar School. ;Plants of the environs of Tintagel "Within easy reach of Tintagel at least 385 varieties of flowers, 30 kinds of grasses, and 16 of ferns can be found ... a 'happy hunting ground' for botanists" and a list of 39 of the rarest is given. (Contribution by E.M.S. to W. J. C. Armstrong's ''Rambler's Guide'', 1935.)
Botanic gardens There are botanic gardens at the
Eden Project, the
Lost Gardens of Heligan, and at
Trebah and
Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Isles of Scilly.
Araucaria araucana derives its popular name of "monkey puzzle tree" from what happened when a young specimen of it at
Pencarrow was shown to a group of friends of the owner; one of them made the remark "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that"; as the species had no existing popular name, first "monkey puzzler", then "monkey puzzle" stuck.
Gardening '' hybrid at Trengwainton It is probable that no area of the world has the conditions for growing such a great variety of plants. Gardeners in Devon and Cornwall supported plant collectors such as Forest, Wilson and Kingdon Ward by taking infinite trouble in caring for seedlings and extended their gardens into woods to provide the right conditions. Plants seen in Cornish gardens have encouraged upcountry gardeners to grow such plants as
Magnolia campbellii. Some plants (e.g.
Rhododendron macabeanum) can grow larger in Cornwall than they can in their native habitats. Before the period of tourism Cornish gardens were designed for spring effect; however the tourists who come in summer want to see magnificence at that time of year so the gardeners have adapted accordingly, though a good effect is still made in spring. Wind shelter is an important precondition for the site of a good garden, particularly near the coast.
Monterey pine, sycamore and ash are good for providing such shelter. The majority of soils are acid and full of accumulated leaf mould. Water draining from the granite moorlands also raises the acidity. Most of the great gardens are near the coast where the climate is milder and with higher rainfall than further inland. Rhododendrons flourish particularly well, both species and the hybrids which gardeners have created such as 'Cornish Cross' and 'Penjerrick'. Plants from South America have also flourished well; these include the
Crinodendrons and Embothrium coccineum. The rectory and vicarage gardens of Cornwall are highly varied. Some are large enough to allow for tree planting and both formal and informal garden of this kind exist. Some have been cared for by noted horticulturists such as
Arthur Boscawen of
Ludgvan and others by amateur gardeners such as
Bernard Walke of St Hilary where a former vicar had planted an avenue of beech trees.
Joseph Hunkin, Bishop of Truro, was a keen gardener; he was commemorated by a garden in the cathedral close and a shrub donated to every parish. His articles on gardening topics were collected and published as ''From a Cornish Bishop's Garden'' in 2001.
Trees The
Darley Oak is an oak tree which grows near
Darleyford on the edge of
Bodmin Moor. This ancient tree is thought to be at least 1,000 years old, and a considerable amount of legends take it as their core.
Elms Cornish Elm The Cornish Elm was once common in Cornwall but can now only be found outside Cornwall. The origin of the
Cornish Elm in the UK remains a matter of contention; commonly assumed to have been introduced from Brittany by man, it is also considered possible that it may have survived the
ice ages on lands to the south of
Cornwall long since lost to the sea. Certainly, its current distribution owes much to man's activities. The tree was traditionally considered the best choice for providing shelter along the Cornish coast; moreover its timber was much prized for its strength, and commonly used in wheel and wagon construction.
Davey Elm The
Davey Elm (
Ulmus ×
hollandica 'Daveyi') is an English
cultivar of unknown specific origin, generally restricted to the valleys of Cornwall. Its apparent south-west England provenance, along with its foliage and habit, suggest that it may be a
hybrid of
wych elm and
Cornish Elm.
Fruit trees ;
Cornish Aromatic Cornish Aromatic is an apple cultivar with a crisp, nut-like aromatic flavour that was first recorded in Cornwall in 1813. ;
Cornish Gilliflower The
Cornish Gilliflower cultivar of apple is so named as it was found in
Truro, Cornwall, around 1800, the word "gilliflower" being a corruption of a French word
giroflier meaning
clove, believed to be a reference to its odour. The cultivar was brought to the attention of commercial growers in 1813. ;
Dufflin Dufflin is an old variety of
cider apple from Cornwall. It was included in orchard trials by
Long Ashton Research Station in 1957. ;''Hocking's Green'' This is an apple variety which originated in
Coad's Green. ;
King Byerd The
King Byerd is a Cornish
cultivar of
apple. It is a heavy cropping, large fruit, suitable for culinary or desert use. Harvested from late October. ;
Kea Plum The Kea Plum is a damson-like variety deriving its name from the parish of
Kea.
Other Cornish varieties of plants The Cornish heath (
Erica vagans) is found only on the Lizard and has been recognised as the floral emblem of Cornwall although it has been reported to be found in
Fermanagh, according to
W. Keble Martin. In recent years
daffodils have been popular on the annual
Saint Piran's day march on Perran Sands, although the plants are donated by a local daffodil grower and the daffodil is already considered to be the national flower of
Wales. As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity
Plantlife chose
thrift (
Armeria maritima) as the
"county flower" of the
Isles of Scilly. The Cornish moneywort (
Sibthorpia europaea) is found locally in south-west England, Wales and the south of Ireland; in the rest of southern England it is rare.
Cornish path-moss (
Ditrichum cornubicum), discovered in 1963 at
Lanner by
Jean Paton. The distribution of
least adder's tongue in Britain is restricted to one small area of coastal heath on
St Agnes, Isles of Scilly. It grows in short turf on Wingletang Downs where some colonies are suffering from an increase of competitive grasses, gorse (
Ulex europaeus) and bramble (
Rubus fruticosus). Cornish palm is a local common name for the monocot tree
Cordyline australis endemic to New Zealand. ==See also==