The flora of Buckinghamshire churchyards

Abstract

An outline of the establishment of Buckinghamshire as a county is given, together with a brief survey of its physical features. The 231 churchyards of the county are located and their phanerogamic floras listed, as a result of at least two visits having been made to each at different seasons of the year. An assessment of the floristic value of these sites is made in relation to the county as a whole by devising numerical values for the species and the sites. Each species found in the churchyards is allocated an Index Value, which is calculated according to its frequency in the whole county and put on a logarithmic scale, so that emphasis is given to rare species. By summing the Index Values for the species found at a particular site, an Index Score is obtained. This Score gives the indication of the floristic value of the site and brief accounts of the 25 churchyards in the county with the highest Index Scores are given. Factors affecting the distribution of churchyard species in Buckinghamshire include geology, size, management and number of habitats. These are discussed and particular attention is given to the range of habitats, especially the composition of the grassland and its relation to national criteria. Species which are rare in Buckinghamshire and its churchyards are commented upon, as are others of interest. Churchyards are well-defined sites and comparisons between their floras has been made possible by the innovation of quantitative methods of assessment.