Containing an Account of Indigenous Animals, Plants, and Fossils; Vegetables, Part II., pp.238-249.

[History of Rutherglen Contents]

IN Kilbride, both soil and climate are unfavourable for the luxuriant production of exotic plants. Fruit trees very seldom do well: and a flower of any delicacy is hardly to be found. Small fruit comes to much greater perfection than the large. This is ascribed to the cold schistus, or till, that lies at no great depth from the surface; and which greatly injures the roots of large fruit trees, whilst the roots of Currant and Gooseberry bushes, not striking so deep, suffer less hurt. Besides, the trees are much injured by various species of Lichens, which almost wholly cover their bark. This, probably, is owing chiefly to the coldness and stiffness of the soil. The disease of the root greatly hurts the bark, by depriving it of that solidity, and smoothness, which are conducive to the health of the plant. The natural consequence is, that the very minute seeds, of the extremely prolific genus of Lichens, lodge in the blemishes of the bark. In these convenient apartments, replete with proper nourishment, they grow with amazing luxuriancy. That the fertility of the lichen is owing more to the soil than to the climate, appears from this, that some trees and shrubs, of the same species with those that are covered with it, and which are exposed to the same climate, but which happen to grow in a better soil, are greatly exempted. 

IN Rutherglen greater encouragement, both from soil and climate, is given for the cultivation of exotics. The gardens and orchards at Farme, Hamilton-Farm, Hanging-shaw, and Rosebank are in a tolerable condition. 

TO enumerate all the indigenous plants of these parishes, would render this part of the subject unnecessarily prolix. I shall therefore content myself with giving the following List of such as are not very frequently met with in this country.

A LIST

of Scarce Indigenous Plants,

in RUTHERGLEN and KILBRIDE.

Adoxa	moschatellina	Tuberous Moschatel. Banks of Calder.
Æthusa	meum	Bawd-money. Kittochside, Crosshill in Kilbride.
Agrimonia	eupatoria	Agrimony. Crossbasket, Farme.
Aira	caryophylea	Silver Hair Grass. Scotstoun.
A.	coespitosa	Turfy [Hair Grass]. Whitemoss.
A.	flexuosa	Mountain [Hair Grass]. Maxwelltown.
Allium	ursinum	Ramsons, or Wild Garlic.1 Mauchlan-hole.
Anemone	nemerosa	Wood Anemone. Banks of Clyde and Calder.
Anthericum	ossifragum	Bastard Asphodel. Peat-mosses, K.
Anthyllis	vulneraria	Kidney Vetch. Quarry near Philipshill, and pastures between Kittochside & Carmunnock moor.
Arenaria	rubra	Purple-flower’d Chick-weed. Stonelaw.
Arum	maculatum	Wake-Robin. Under a hedge at Castelmilk.
Asperula	odorata	Woodroof. Banks of Calder.
Asplenium	scolopendrium	Harts-Tongue. Fissures of rocks near Calderwood.
A.	trichomanoides	Common Maidenhair. Banks of Calder.
A.	ruta muraria	Wall Rue. Walls at Calderwood.
A.	adiantum nigrum	Black Maidenhair. Browncastle.
Boletus	igniarius	Touch-Wood Boletus. On decayed wood, Kilbride.
B.	auriformis	Earlike Boletus. Castelmilk, R.
B.	lateralis	Lateral Boletus. Woodside.
Bromus	sterilis	Barren Brome-Grass. In the hedge between Rutherglen and Farme.
B.	giganteus	Tall Brome-Grass. [In the hedge between Rutherglen and Farme.]
Byssus	aurea	Saffron Rock Byssus. On stones in Polliskin-glen.
B.	candida	White Cobweb Byssus. Ruth.
B.	botryoides	Green Cluster Byssus. Bank of Crossbasket.
Campanula	rotundifolia	Round-leav’d Bell-flower.2 Blawart, Scotis.
C.	latifolia	Giant Throatwort. Banks at Calderwood, and in a hedge between Hamilton-Farm & Clyde.
Cardamine	hirsuta	Hairy Ladies-Smock. Gillburnsynke.
Carex	montana	Vernal Carex. Moors, Kilbride.
Carex	vulpina	Great rought Carex. Banks of Cl.
Chara	vulgaris	Common Chara. Ditches at Rogertounn, Limekilns, and Hamilton-Farm.
Cheiranthus	cheiri	Wall Flower. Ruins of Mains.
Chenopodium	bonus henricus	All-good. South-side of the church-yard next the main street, Ruth.
Chrysosplenium	oppositifolium	Common Golden Saxifrage. Banks of Calder, &c.
C.	alternifolium	Alternate-leav’d Golden Saxifrage. Mauchlan-hole, and banks at Castelmilk.
Circæa	lutetiana	Enchanter’s Night-shade. Gillburnsynke.
C.	alpina	Mountain Night-shade. Mauchlan-hole.
Conferva	rivularis	River Conferva. Kittoch at the Piel.
C.	fontinalis	Spring Conferva. Polliskin-glen, Cart.
C.	gelatinosa	Frog-Spawn Conferva. In the Cart a little above Rawhead.
Convolvulus	sepium	Great Bindweed. Hedges near Farme.
Cratægus	oxyacantha	Hawthorn. Banks of Cl. & Cald.
Cucubalus	behen	Bladder Campion. Kittochside.
Daucus	carota	Wild Carrot.3 Scotstoun, Rosebank.
Drosera	rotundifolia	Round-leav’d Sundew.4 Peat-mosses, Kilbride.
Empetrum	nigrum	Crow-Berries. Moors, Kilbride.
Equisetum	sylvaticum	Wood Horse-tail. Crossbasket.
Erica	vulgaris alba	White-flowering Heath. Herstocks.
E.	cinerea	Fine-leav’d Heath. Banks of Calder, Moors.
E.	tetralix	Cross-leav’d Heath. [Banks of Calder, Moors.]
Erysimum	barbarea	Winter Cresses. Castelmilk, and banks of Calder below Calderw.
E.	alliaria	Sauce-alone. Rocks at Calderw.
Festuca	decumbens	Decumbent Fescu-Grass. West quarry, Rutherglen.
Filago	germanica	Common Cudweed. Stonelaw.
F.	montana	Least Cudweed. Galloflat.
Fontinalis	antipyretica	Great Water-moss. Calder, Cart.
F.	minor	Less Water-moss. Gillburnsynke.
Gentiana	campestris	Gentian. Ardochrig.
Glecoma	hederacea	Ground-Ivy. Banks near Torr.
Gnaphalium	dioicum	Mountain Cudweed. Bank of Cald. near Pateshall, Rawhead.
Helvella	mitra (fortasse)	Curled Helvella.5
Hieracium	murorum	Wall Hawkweed. At a wall near Limekilns.
Hydnum	repandum	Yellow smooth Hydnum. Woods near Torrance.
Hypericum	quadrangulum	St. Peter’s Wort. Banks of Crossbasket.
H.	perforatum	St. John’s Wort. Banks of Clyde and Calder.
H.	humifusum	Trailing St. John’s Wort. [Banks of Clyde and Calder.]
H.	hirsutum	Hairy [St. John’s Wort. Banks of Clyde and Calder.]
H.	pulchrum	Elegant [St. John’s Wort.] Crossbasket.
Hypnum	bryoides	Little pinnated Hypnum. In a clump of firs near Stonelaw.
H.	undulatum	Waved Hypnum. Polliskin-glen.
Jasione	montana	Sheep’s Scabious. Way-side near Galloflat, Hamilton-Farm.
Ilex	aquifolium	Holly-Tree. Banks of Calder.
Imperatoria	ostruthium	Masterwort. In an old wall at Langland-house, and waste ground near Jackton.
Lichen	scriptus, geographicus, &c. &c. &c.	This numerous genus of plants grows very plentifully in Kilbride.
Ligustrum	vulgare	Privet. Bank of Calder a little above Torrance.
Lychnis	dioica	Wild Campion. Banks of Clyde and Calder.
L.	flos cuculi	meadow Pink. Avenues at Torr.
Lycopodium	clavatum	Common Club-Moss. Moors, K.
L.	selago	Fir Club-Moss. [Moors, K.]
Lysimachia	nemorum	Yellow Pimpernell of the woods. Mauchlan-hole.
Lythrum	salicaria	Willow Herb, or Loosestrife. Clinkert-hill.
Marchantia	polymorpha	Great star-headed Marchantia. Pateshall.
Melampyrum	pratense	Meadow Cow-wheat. Mauchl.
Menyanthes	trifoliata	Trefoil. Meadows near Mains.
Mercurialis	perennis	Dog’s Mercury.6 Banks of Clyde and Calder.
Myriophyllum	spicatum	Spiked Water Millfoil. In ponds at Galloflat, Farme & Torrance.
Ononis	arvensis	Restharrow. Way-side at Shawfield bank.
Osmunda	spicant	Rough Spleen-wort. Polliskin-glen.
Parietaria	officinalis	Pellitory of the wall. In an old dyke, on the road-side, between Rutherglen and the Farme.
Paris	quadrifolia	Herb Paris. Banks a little above Calderwood.
Peziza	cyathoides	Smooth scarlet Peziza. [Banks a little above Calderwood.]
Phalaris	arundinacea	Reed-grass. Clyde.
Phallus	impudicus	Stinking Morel. In a belt of Firs above Calderwood.
Pilularia	globulifera	Pepper-Grass. In the pond at Galloflat.
Pimpinella	saxifraga	Burnet Saxifrage. Pastures near Kittochside.
Pinguioula	vulgaris	Butterwort. Rawhead Moor.
Plantago	lanceolata ß multacapita	7
P.	maritima	Sea Plantain. On the way-side, near the entry of the avenue into Whitemoss.
Polygonum	bistorta	The greater Bistort, or Snake-weed. In the east end of Shawfield-bank; in waste ground near Kilbride, and in a bank at Castelmilk in great abundance.
P.	convolvulus	Black Bindweed. In corn-fields, Rutherglen.
P.	hydropiper	Water-Pepper. Stonelaw.
P.	amphibium	Perennial Arsmart. Shawfield-bank.
Polypodium	vulgare	Common Polypody. Banks of Calder.
P.	lonchitis	Rough P. In fissures of rocks below Calderwood.
P.	phegopteris	Soft pale-stalked P. Near the Cascade at Mauchlan-hole.
P.	cristatum	Crested P. Polliskin-glen.
P.	aculeatum	Prickly P. Crossbasket.
P.	fragile	Fine-leav’d brittle P. Gillburnsynke.
P.	dryopteris	Small-branch’d P. Polloskin-glen.
P.  P.	filix mas  filix femina	Male and Female Feru. Banks and way-sides.
Potomogeton	natans	Broad-leav’d Pondweed. Peat-mosses, Kilbride.
P.	perfoliatum	Perfoliated P. Clyde.
P.	crispum	Curled P. [Clyde.]
P.	compressum	Flat-stalk’d P. Pond at Castelmilk.
P.	gramineum	Grass-leav’d P. Clyde.
Prunus	padus	Bird-Cherry, Gillburnsynke, and the bank from that to Crossbasket.
Ranunculus	hederaceous	Ivy-leav’d Water Crowfoot. In spouty ground at Whitemoss, Crosshill, Braehead, &c.
R.	aquatilis	Various-leav’d Water Crowfoot. In Clyde, Calder, Cart, and in a rivulet between Nook and Bossfield.
Reseda	luteola	Dyers-weed, or Strawaald. East-quarry, Rutherglen.
Rubus	ideaus	Raspberry-Bush. Calderwood, Crossbasket, Torrance.
Sambucus	ebulus	Dwarf Elder, or Dane-wort. On the road-side between Kittochside and Carmunnock.
Sanicula	europæa	Sanicle. Woodside.
Scabiosa	succisa	Devil’s Bit. East-quarry, Law-moor.
Scirpus	setaceous	The least Rush. Clinkert-hill.
Scrophularia	nodosa	Fig-wort. Banks of Clyde.
Scuttellaria	minor	Little Scull-cap. Rosebank.
Sedum	villosum	Marsh Stonecrop. Highflat, Rigfoot.
Senecio	viscosus	Viscid Groundsel. Rawhead.
Solanum	dulcamara	Common Woody Night-shade. In hedges near Farme.
Sorbus	aucuparia	Quicken-Tree, or Mountain Ash. The Rown, or Roan-Tree. (Scotis.) Banks of Calder.
Spergula	nodosa	Knotted Spurry. Clinkert-hill.
Stellaria	nemorum	Broad-leav’d Stichwort. Banks of Clyde, and under a hedge near Drumlaw.
S.	Holostea	Greater Stichwort. Woodside.
S.	graminea	Lesser [Stichwort.] Farme, Rosebank.
Symphytum	officinale	Comfrey. Under a hedge at Castelmilk.
Teucrium	scorodonia	Wood Sage. Banks of Clyde, Kittoch, Calder.
Thymus	serpyllum	Mother of Thyme. Drumlaw, Rogertoun.
Trifolium	mel. officinalis	Melilot. On the road-side between Rutherglen and Farme.
Triglochin	palustre	Arrow-headed Grass. Ditches and peat-mosses near Crosshill, Kilbride.
Trollius	europæus	Lucken-Gowan. (Scotis) Globe-Flower. (Anglis) Mauchlan-hole, and meadows in the higher parts of Kilbride.
Tufsilago	petasites	Common Butter-bur. In the artificial bank at Hamilton-Farm.
Vaccinium	myrtillus	Blae-berries (Scotis) Billberries (Anglis.) Banks of Calder, and moors in Kilbride.
V.	oxycoccos	Common Cranberry, or Mossberry. Peat-mosses, Kilbride.
Valantia	cruciata	Crosswort. Banks of Clyde.
Valeriana	officinalis	Valerian. Rutherglen-Green, Polliskin-glen.
V.	locusta	Corn-Sallad, or Lamb’s Lettuce. Calderwood.
Verbascum	thapsus	Broad-leav’d Mullein, Shepherd’s Club (Scotis.) In old walls at Calderwood.
Veronica	hederifolia	Ivy-leav’d Speedwell, or small Henbit. In gardens near R.
Viburnum	apulus	Marsh Viburnum, or Gelder-Rose. Polliskin-glen, Gillburnsynke.

¹  Cows eat this plant so plentifully, in the beginning of Summer, that the milk partakes of the taste and smell of garlic. 

²  I mention this plant not because it is rare, but because it has given a proper name to some places in Scotland; as Blawart-hill in the parish of Renfrew. 

³  Although this useful plant grows abundantly in Rutherglen, Cambuslang, Blantyre and some other neighbouring parishes; yet I could not find, in all the parish of Kilbride, more than a specimen or two. The scarcity is probably owing to the exposed situation of the place. 

⁴  Dr. Borlase (Hist. Cornw. p. 230.) says, “that this plant is extremely hurtful to sheep that feed upon it, and of which they eat greedily, wherever they find it. Its hurtful qualities are thought to be owing to an insect, or worm, which, feeding on this herb, lays its eggs on the leaf, and fixes them there by some poisonous gum: the eggs are swallowed with the flower and leaf, and, eluding the menstrua of the stomach, get into the chyle and blood: they are detained in the capillary vessels of the liver, where, meeting with the requisite degree of heat and moisture, they fecundate; the animalcules grow, and there make holes in which several of them lodge together, and feed upon the liver, till it can no longer perform the functions of its station, and the sheep dies. In Cornwall sheep-feeders take all possible care that the sheep may not come near it.” 

⁵  Of this plant I found several specimens, in a wood near Castelmilk, in the month of October 1792. The stalk was about an inch in height, and ⅛ in thickness. It was cylindrical and solid, and grew from a thick tuberculated, or bulbous-like root, without fibres. The pileus was entire, but greatly deflexed on two sides, whilst the other sides were raised up in two regular arches. The margin all round bended upwards with a beautiful curve. The colour was a bright white; but faded a little in the dry state. The substance was wax-like, brittle and soft to the touch. Neither the stalk, nor pileus, was ornamented with furrows, gills or pores; but, when viewed through a magnifying glass, seemed to be covered with a kind of down. All the specimens were growing separately. 

⁶  A whole family, in the parish of Cambuslang, was, a few years ago, poisoned nearly to death, by drinking an infusion of this plant, which, by mistake, had been gathered in place of the Teucrium Scorodonia, or Wood Sage. 

⁷  I have taken the liberty to give this name to a variety of Ribwort, which, in 1790, I found growing at Stonelaw; and a specimen of which I transplanted into Major John Spens’ garden at Rutherglen, where it now grows in great perfection. Every stalk bears about 12 or 15 spikes, which are sessile, and adhere to the base of the main spike. they are, however, well shaped, and bear seed: but whether the seeds will produce the same variety is yet uncertain.