C h a l k G r a s s l a n d K e y l o c a t i o n s . . . Salisbur y P lain is the lar g est u nbr ok en ex panse of chalk g r assland in N or th W est E ur ope. T he land is ow ned by the M inistr y of D ef ence and used f or m ilitar y tr aining ex er cises but, because it hasn’t been subjected to intensiv e f ar m ing m ethods, it is hom e to a lot of r ar e plants that hav e been lost in other places. O n e t o l o o k o u t f o r . . . E a r l y G e n t i a n ( G en t ia n el l a a n g l i ca ) A species only f ou nd in the U K that is up to 2 0 cm tall and has pur ple to w hite ow er s about 2 cm long , w hich can be seen in spr ing and ear ly su m m er . Habitat Wildower Guide Folklore The names of plants often relate to the medicinal properties that people believed these plants had. Often the reason for choosing a particular plant to treat an illness was based on which plant looked like the affected part of the body. Some of the plants found in chalk grassland were commonly used for medicinal purposes. Eyebrigh t is so -called because it was traditionally used to treat eye infections. Field Scabious was used to treat scabies and sores caused by the Bubonic Plague . Common Milkwort was us ed to increase the ow of a nursing mother’s milk. www.wildaboutplants.org.uk