BHOOOOOE cuides ‘Simply stupendous, both in its coverage and in good and often radical ideas for plant identification. It is a breathtaking achievement.’ Plantlife Marjorie Blamey, Richard Fitter & Alastair FitterHOW TO USE THIS BOOK THE REGION COVERED includes all Britain from the Shetlands to the Isles of Scilly, and all Ireland. THE PLANTS are principally arranged in scientific order of families, but for convenience most aquatic plants are treated together on pages 344-57; trees and larger shrubs on 358-401; specialities of West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on 456-9, and of Ireland on 460-2. Plants recently extinct in the region (but which might come back) are on 463-4. THE PAINTINGS illustrate in colour each plant's flowers or other notable aspects, with important details of fruit, leaf etc. The flowers are generally life-size, or at other scales as indicated where helpful. THE DESCRIPTIONS have important aspects in italics. Common species in a group are generally treated before the less common, and rarity indicated by one to three asterisks, as explained on p. 12. Many less widespread plants are subordinated or “sunk” under more common ‘ones, their caption numbers modified by a letter and their texts giving the ways in which they differ from the main species. THE MAPS show main distribution areas in a darker and subsidiary areas in a paler green. Ireland, Scotland or southern England are omitted when the plant is not found there. Small red arrows indicate areas (usually coastal) too small to be easily visible. Unmapped plants are seen in the text as either widespread and abundant or as casuals. Below the maps presence on islands not shown is indicated by: 8 (Scilly), O (Orkney), Z (Shetland - its older name is Zetland). POPULATION DENSITIES are shown by the symbols: 1 Dominant, ousting other plants — brambles, bracken, stinging nettle. Numerous but not dominant — daisies, common buttercups. [] Scattered, not in crowds — many orchids. Any notable increase or decrease in our region by single (moderate) or double (dramatic) upward or downward-pointing arrows, t | tf or || IDENTIFICATION Use the paintings, text and maps together. Group introductions should also be held in mind as applying to all species within it. Further aids include: Keys to big or complex groups, with numbered and coloured headings both in the initial summaries and in the following texts. A centred black tilde (~) indicates the end of a keyed or related section. Summary boxes show how related plants either share or differ in certain characteristics. There is a concise introduction, an illustrated glossary on pages 18-21, notes on further study, and indexes of scientific and English names. ‘A crowning glory of a field guide' PlantlifeWild Flowers of Britain and Ireland1+) D/0|M/i|N]o|-| GUIDES Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland Marjorie Blamey, Richard Fitter & Alastair Fitter BLOOMS BURY LONDON + NEW DELHI + NEW YORK + SYDNEYFirst edition published in 2003 by A&C Black Publishers Ltd. Second edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing 50 Bedford Square London WC1B 3DP www.bloomsbury.com ISBN 978-1-4801-7950-5 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Alastair Fitter gratefully acknowledges help with cartography from David Fitter and Robert Fitter © in the text and maps, Alastair Fitter, 2013 © in the paintings, Marjorie Blamey and Domino Books Ltd., 2013 A Domino book. Alll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission from Domino Books Ltd., 11-12 The Esplanade, St. Helier, Jersey JE4 8PH, Channel Islands Printed and bound in China by Toppan Leefung This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. ‘The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulation of the country of origin. 0987654321CONTENTS Introduction 9 Further reading 16 Glossary 18 THE WILD FLOWERS 22 Aquatic Plants with all leaves submerged 344 Trees and Tall Shrubs 358 Grasses, Sedges and Rushes 402 Ferns, Horsetails and Clubmosses 440 Specialities of the Isles of Scilly and West Cornwall 456 Irish specialities 460 Extinct British and Irish Plants 463 Index of Scientific Names 465 Index of English Names 474ATLANTIC am Soils formed on chalk, limestone and some volcanic rocks are not acid and have a richer flora. The map’s reddish area shows where those rocks, and hence those soils, are found, But in the north and west, where rainfall is high, the rocks are sometimes covered by acid peats, and there lime-rich soils are only found where the rocks out- crop through the peat.INTRODUCTION This is a mapped and illustrated guide to all the wild flowers that the reader is likely to find growing wild in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It includes all species that grow here naturally, and also many that have been introduced by humans, whether as garden plants or accidentally as weeds of farming. It does not include plants that are only ever seen planted, or which occur briefly after they are discarded or accidentally sown. The area covered is that between the Shetlands and the Scilly Isles, including the Isle of Man. The Channel Isles, however, are botanically French, part of the European Continent. The range of habitats represented by our area is immense: the tops of the highest Scottish mountains are true tundra, and have some plants elsewhere found only in the Arctic or the Alps. On the western fringes of our is- lands, especially in the south, there are plants whose main home is Spain and Portugal. In contrast, East Anglia has a climate more like that of central Europe —hot and dry in summer, cold in winter — and it has plants characteristic of that part of the continent. The botanist at large in Britain, therefore, has an exciting diversity of plants and habitats to explore. Arrangement. The plants are arranged in systematic order, reflecting their evo- lution, except that we have put groups such as waterweeds, trees and grasses separately at the back for ease of reference. Plants early in the book tend to have open, saucer-shaped flowers with many parts (petals, anthers etc.). Later on come plants with more distinctively-shaped flowers, often two-lipped, or with small flowers gathered into heads. Getting to know the pattern and sequence of families greatly helps in locating a new species. Coverage. As well as all the plants with obvious and conspicuous flowers, some groups of plants superficially look as if they have no flowers - usually because they are pollinated by wind rather than insects and so have no need for their flowers to be conspicuous. These include grasses, sedges and rushes and many trees and tall shrubs, including conifers (see below) which have cones rather than flowers. We also cover those that genuinely have no flowers — ferns and horsetails which, though not flowering plants at all, are conspicuous, beautiful and intriguing when encountered — as they are in many habitats.INTRODUCTION Flowering plants. Most of the plants in this guide are Seed Plants or spermato- phytes; the majority of them are true Flowering Plants or Angiosperms, but 15 species are Conifers or Gymnosperms — all trees or shrubs, nearly all evergreen, with narrow, usually needle-like leaves, and most producing their seeds in cones. The true Flowering Plants comprise Dicotyledons, with two seed-leaves (cotyledons), broad, net-veined leaves, and petals and sepals usually in fours and fives; and Monocotyledons with one seed-leaf, unstalked, parallel-sided and parallel-veined leaves, and 3 or 6 petals or sepals. The conspicuous plants of ferns, horsetails and their allies are called sporo- phytes because they produces spores, in tiny pouches or stripes under their leaves or in spikes. The spores germinate and grow into a tiny but distinct plant, called the gametophyte, which then itself reproduces to form the sporophyte again. Seed plants also have these two generations, but their gametophyte grows inside the sporophyte and so does not exist as a separate plant. The only plants we have left out of the book altogether are mosses and liverworts. English names are from the list approved by the Botanical Society of the Brit- ish Isles; in a few cases we have simplified those or used indigenous names for introduced plants (e.g. the Maori names of some introduced New Zealand shrubs). For scientific names we have followed Clive Stace’s authoritative New Flora of the British Isles, Third Edition, 2010. The systematic order is hierarchical: within the major groups (angiosperms, gymnosperms, ferns) are groups called families, which in turn are composed of genera (plural of genus), and genera of species. All the genera in a family share the diagnostic features of the family, and all the species in a genus share its key characters. Each species is described by two names: first the genus with a capital initial, then the species, with a small initial, and both in italic type. Hence the Common or Meadow Buttercup is Ranunculus acris. This system, devised by the great Swedish naturalist Linnaeus 250 years ago, is used internationally for all organisms, and avoids problems of communication as well as the idiosyncrasies of English names. The Burnet Saxifrage (p. 184), for example, is neither a burnet (p. 134) nor a saxifrage (p. 116-20)! The family names (which are not italicised) all end in -aceae, and usually start with the name of some typical genus; so the buttercup family is the Ranunculaceae because but- tercups are Ranunculus. There are categories within species (subspecies and vari- eties); we have only used these where there are very obvious differences within a species. Group introductions. Introductions in the text to families and other groupings of plants summarize the range of plants within each and characteristics they share or in which they may differ. This both saves the need for much repetition in the species descriptions and is important when learning to recognize andINTRODUCTION name plants within the group. These introductions must therefore always be read and borne in mind as the background to the descriptive texts within each group. Keys in this book are of two kinds. First, the whole arrangement of the plants is, wherever helpful, in the form of a key. Rather than simply list the plants in their approved scientific order, we have arranged them, particularly in the large or complex groups, in different sub-groups by recognizable characters they share. This is summarized at the head of each such group in the form of numbered and coloured headings, with page references to the start of each section where the key covers several pages of the book. The same numbered and coloured heading appears at the start of each such section’s text descriptions. Note that the num- bering used for these key headings is quite separate from the plant numbers used on each page for connecting illustrations, descriptions and maps. For the start of a key to a large and complex group, see for example that of the Pea Family on page 140: 1, Flowers in loose heads or short spikes: (below) la. Leaves with many leaflet pairs, ending with a leaflet (below) 1b. Leaves with many leaflet pairs, ending with a tendril (p. 142) Ic, Leaves with many leaflet pairs, ending with neither leaflet nor tendril (p. 144) 1d. Leaves with 3-5 leaflets (p. 146) le. Leaves with 1-2 leaflet pairs (p. 148) If. Leaves undivided (p. 148) 2. Flowers in tight heads: (p. 148) 2a. Yellow (p. 150) 2b. Pink or pink-purple (p. 150) 2c. White (p. 152) 3. Flowers in long spikes: (p. 154) 4, Flowers solitary or paired: (p. 158) Nobody can master the Pea Family in 20 minutes, but by reading its introduc- tion, following its choices and finally confirming the diagnosis, the reader will we hope arrive at the right plant rather than give up in despair. A further type of quick visual key is found in the key boxes. These we provide wherever relevant and helpful in the course of text descriptions, at the start of a group or in the course of a main key. ‘An example of the last is on page 294 where in the Daisy Family we have reached yellow flowers of the dandelion type:INTRODUCTION 3a. Dandelion-type: Flowers yellow Stems with milky juice: Dandelion, Goatsbeard, Viper's Grass, Sow-thistles, Lettuces . Dandelion, Catsears, Hawkbits, some Hawkweeds, Mouse-ear Flowering stems leafless: ations Runners: Mouse-ear Hawkweeds, Fox-and-Cubs Leaves grass-like: _ Goatsbeard pimply: _Bristly Ox-tongue prickly: _Prickly/Great Lettuces Flowers orange: _Fox-and-Cubs At this point, the reader can quickly narrow the choice of likely plant by ob- serving whether or not it has milky juice, flowering stems with leaves, or the other aspects considered. If it has runners and distinctly orange flowers, it is probably the attractive Fox-and Cubs, or perhaps one of its two close relatives sometimes found as chance escapes — as the pictures, text and maps should then confirm. The text for cach plant gives at least three key identification clues, if possible visible to the naked eye; the most important ones are printed in italics. The pic- ture opposite gives a general impression of the plant and illustrates the clues. Facts not readily illustrated, such as height, habitat and flowering time, are given in the description of each species. Each plant has a number corresponding to the numbers below its map and/or illustration. For very similar species, the descriptions of some are often given briefly fol- lowing that of a commoner one. They keep its number if they are illustrated but are distinguished by an added letter — e.g. 3a. These subordinate or “sunk” spe- cies descriptions show only where they differ from the main one, so you need to bear its characteristics in mind. Sunk species that are not illustrated do not have a number or letter. Rarity. For the rarest native plants in Britain (but not for those found only in Ireland), we use a system of asterisks after each plant’s number to give a more precise idea of their rarity, based on recording the distribution of the plants in fine detail within areas of 1 kilometre (1 km) square: * = scarce, found in less than 100 1 km squares ** = endangered, found in less than 15 1 km squares 4 = rare, found in no more than 3 localities in Britain Some plants are easy to identify from the picture alone, but even then you need to check the description in the text. Plants can be quite variable in some features, so the most critical things are the shape and structure of the flowers, because these are what decide the position of a species in the evolutionary order. If your plant does not match those features, you need to look elsewhere. Very often, a group of plants, perhaps those in a single genus, will look simi- lar and be hard to separate just by studying pictures. In these cases, the diagnos- tic features in the text are critical. All the plants in a genus will share the obviousINTRODUCTION characters such as flower shape. In such cases, you will have to examine other features, for example the shape of the leaves and whether they are hairy or not, and sometimes habitat, flowering time or distribution. However, no two species differ only in ecology or geography: there has to be some morphological differ- ence for botanists to accept a plant as a separate species. Form. Unless the text specifies otherwise, plants are assumed to be upright but not woody. The height stated is the maximum typical height of the plant. This is indicated as: \\\\« *\ Low Tall \* Medium ©) Short less than over 60 cm © 30-60 em 10-30 em 10 em Some features can be very variable. For example, height varies greatly accord- ing to altitude, climate and soil, and for woody plants, age as well. A 2 cm high flowering specimen of Broad-leaved Willowherb (p. 160) has been found in a pavement crack, though it normally grows to 50-60 cm, while Docks (p. 60-4) and Goosefoots (p. 38) can grow much taller than normal on very fertile soil such as manure heaps. The flowering parts provide a wealth of identification factors. In addition to obvi- ous features such as size and colour, and the fundamental aspects of structure, there are many more subtle clues. The relative length of sepals and petals is often impor- tant, as are the presence and size of spurs (as in orchids and honeysuckle), or of the leaf-like bracts that often surround the flowers; and how the flowers are grouped to- gether, which may be in long spikes, branched or not, in clusters or singly. The shapes and arrangement of flowers are described in the Glossary (p. 18-21). Flowers are open and their sizes are diameters except where stated. Flower col- our refers to petals (or to sepals when there are no petals). Most red, pink, mauve, purple and blue flowers may produce white forms, and some white flowers can be tinged pink, but there will usually be a normally coloured flower nearby. Flowering times are given for southern England for widespread plants, and will often be earlier in the south-west, near the sea and in early springs, and later fur- ther north, on mountains and after severe winters. For plants with a wide geo- graphical range, the first flowering date can be a full two months difference between the south and the north. It is also common to find occasional plants that flower before most of the population, so an isolated plant may not be typical. ‘Some plants have very fixed flowering times, determined by an internal clock set by the length of the day. Others are more flexible and may flower a second time in au- tumn. Weeds such as Groundsel (p. 280) and White Dead-nettle (p. 216) regularlyINTRODUCTION flower through normal winters, and others, such as Cow Parsley (p. 182) will do so through mild winters. Plants that are cut just before they flower, for example on road verges, may try again later in the year and so produce a confusing late flowering. Leaves are stalked except where stated. Their characteristics are only given where they are diagnostic, but the pictures always show leaves. It is very com- mon for all the members of a genus to have a common leaf-shape, so it is impor- tant to check the genus (or even family) descriptions. Leaves are the plants’ food factories: the different shades of colour, shapes and sizes reflect habitat. It is common to find large, untoothed leaves in woodland plants and narrow or deeply toothed leaves in dry places. Underwater leaves are often feathery, creat- ing a huge surface area for absorbing carbon dioxide from the water. Leaves are what most plant-eating animals eat, so they and the stems which carry them are often well defended, by prickles, spines, thorns or stinging hairs. These are nearly always good identification features. Many plants are evergreen, either because they have leaves that live for more than a year, as in Holly or Scots Pine (p. 398), or because they produce leaves continually, as do most grasses (pp. 402-439). Where this is a useful identification feature, it is stated in the text. Fruits are usually only described when important for identification, and (except for sedges, p. 416-38) when a lens is not needed to see the important features. The fruit is the structure that protects and usually helps to disperse the seed. Some fruits (berries and apples, for example) are conspicuous to both birds and botanists, while other plants increase the surface area of the fruit, so making it easily carried by wind, as in sycamores and dandelions. These features too are valuable identification aids. Habitat is one of the most important aids to identifying plants. A key to under- standing plant distribution is to recognise geology: the acidity of the soil is, after climate and wetness, the main reason why plants grow in some places, not oth- ers. Soils formed on chalk and limestone and on sand-dunes where the sand is shell-sand all have large amounts of limestone (calcium carbonate) in them, and this neutralises the natural acidity of soil. Some species are restricted to such calcareous (lime-rich or base-rich) soils; others avoid them. Their distributions on the maps distinctively mirror the distribution of chalk and limestone rocks (see map on p. 8). The maps show where each species occurs in this area, distinguishing where it is commonest (in darker green) and where it is more scattered (pale green). Islands do not show up well on small maps, so the letters $ (Scilly), 0 (Orkney) and z (Shetland) indicate that the plant grows there. The maps do not generally distinguish between areas where the plant grows as a native and where it is in- troduced (unless stated in the text), nor show areas where it grows as a casual (ie. not fully established).INTRODUCTION Increase and decrease. A map is a snapshot in time, and many species are either becoming commoner or rarer, shown by: + for expanding species— 7 dramatically so | for declining species — | | dramatically so Local abundance (how it grows, when found at all) is shown by a symbol: Mi — dominant species that cover large areas with dense populations. © — species that are frequent where they are found, but rarely dominant. [4 — species that grow as isolated individuals among other species; many are also rare geographically. Plants vary hugely in abundance. The commonest plants are found almost every- where and are common wherever they are found; others may be equally wide- spread but even so have to be looked for, usually because they grow in more specialised habitats. The different colours on each map refer to the varying abun- dance of that plant only: you are more likely to find Sticky Mouse-ear (p. 52) in the areas where it is shown as less common (pale green), than you are to find Thyme-leaved Sandwort (p. 54) in its main (darker green) area. The distribution of a plant is a great help towards its identification. If you are in the Lake District or Ireland, you are extremely unlikely to be looking at a plant only known to occur in south-east England — or vice versa. However, plants do get found outside their known areas, and some of the plants in this book, espe- cially those that have been recently introduced, are rapidly expanding their range. Others, less happily, are getting rarer and some may have become extinct in these islands. Plants that are decreasing are usually those of natural habitats that cope badly with disturbance or enrichment of the soil with nutrients — two things that we as a species are especially fond of doing. In any habitat, some species are dominant because they can compete strongly, either by rapid growth in good soils or by being able to survive on soils so miser- able that almost nothing else can grow there. Other species survive in a subordi- nate role, for example by exploiting micro-habitats that are favourable to them. Many plants have long underground stems that throw up shoots at intervals; these will almost always appear above ground as scattered individuals. The maps for rare species do not attempt to show precise localities, since many of these plants cannot withstand accidental trampling by visitors, let alone picking. Indeed, plants should never be picked unless they are very obviously common and widespread; if in doubt, and if you don’t have the book to hand, make notes of the plant’s appearance, using the hints given here as to what are likely to be the most important features. A photograph is always helpful. In no circumstances should a plant ever be dug up: indeed it is illegal to do so without the permission of the landowner. For certain rare plants it is always illegal to dig up, pick or remove any part (including the seeds); 110 species are protected in this way at present, listed on the website of the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee www.jnce.gov.uk.FURTHER READING GENERAL New Flora of the British Isles, by Clive Stace (Cambridge University Press, 3rd edition, 2010). The standard British flora for serious workers, with numerous keys and illustra- tions. The essential reference. Field Flora of the British Isles, by Clive Stace (Cambridge University Press, 1999), is a shortened version of the New Flora above. The New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora, by C.D. Preston, D.A. Pearman and T.D. Dines (Oxford University Press, 2002), is a tour-de-force providing maps of all plant spe- cies on a 10-km grid. Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe, by Richard Fitter, Alastair Fitter and Mar- jorie Blamey (HarperCollins, Sth edition, 1996). Pocketable. Covers the whole of north-west Europe from the Loire and the Alps to the Arctic. The Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe, by Marjorie Blamey and Christo- pher Grey-Wilson. A very handsome larger illustrated book, covering the same area as the above. The Wild Flower Key, by Francis Rose and Claire O'Reilly (Warne, 2006). Flora Britannica, by Richard Mabey. A personal survey, illustrated with fine photo- graphs and excellent background reading. List of Vascular Plants of the British Isles, by D.H. Kent, lists all species growing in the region (BSBI, 1992). Local Floras. These have now been published for most counties, and are invaluable for finding plants in one’s neighbourhood. The BSBI sells most of them to members, and their list is far the best, if there is one for your area. This is available from BSBI Publica- tions, c/o Summerfield Books, Main Street, Brough, Cumbria CA17 4AX, email bsbipubs @beeb.net. Alien Plants of the British Isles, by E.J. Clement and M.C. Foster (BSBI, 1994). Lists far more introduced plants than can be covered in this book, and Illustrations of the Alien Plants of the British Isles (BSBI, 2005) provides pictures. A Guide to Some Difficult Plants is a collection of useful articles about hard-to-identify plants from the Wild Flower Society magazine (WFS, 2006) while The Plant Crib by T.C.G. Rich and A.C. Jermy (BSBI) provides helpful identification pointers to many dif- ficult groups. English Names of Wild Flowers, by J.G. Dony, C.M. Rob and F.H. Perring (Butterworth, 1974). The Botanical Society’s recommended list, which we have largely followed for this book. Botanical Latin, by William T. Stearn (David & Charles, 3rd edition, 1983) will help those to whom scientific names of plants are apparently meaningless. The Vegetative Key to the British Flora, by John Poland and Eric Clement (BSBI, 2009). For the enthusiast, a remarkable book, laid out as a key, that enables identification of all British plant species in the absence of flowers.FURTHER READING PLANT GROUPS ‘The BSBI has published a series of Handbooks covering Docks and Sorrels, Willows and Poplars, Crucifers, Roses, Umbellifers, Dandelions, Pondweeds, Sedges, Whitebeams and Rowans, Water Starworts, Grasses, Violets and Fumitories. These provide detailed keys for the identification of plants in these difficult groups, including hybrids and microspecies. The Grasses, Sedges, Rushes and Ferns of Britain and Northern Europe, by Richard Fit- ter, Alastair Fitter and Ann Farrer (HarperCollins), is an illustrated guide to these groups, with maps. Aquatic Plants in Britain and Ireland, by C.D. Preston and J.M. Croft (Harley Books, 1997) is not an identification guide but an atlas, with maps and ecological information. The Trees of Britain and Northern Europe, by Alan Mitchell and John Wilkinson (HarperCollins) is a very attractive identification guide to all our native and widely planted trees. Trees of Britain and Northern Europe, by David More and John White (2003) is a new, much larger and more comprehensive manual. Grasses, by CE. Hubbard (Penguin, 3rd edition, 1984) is a favourite of grass aficionados, with line-drawings, keys and a detailed text. Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, Rushes and Ferns of the British Isles and NW Europe, Francis Rose (Viking, 1989). The Ferns of Britain and Ireland, by C.N. Page (Cambridge University Press, 2nd edi- tion, 1998) is a very comprehensive handbook, whereas The Fern Guide, by J. Merryweather and M. Hill (Field Studies Council, 1992) is key-based and intended spe- cifically for identification. Illustrations of British and Irish Orchids, by D.M. Turner-Ettlinger (1998), a comprehen- sive set of pictures. SOCIETIES TO JOIN Botanical Society of the British Isles, (BSBI), Membership Secretary, 68 Outwards Road, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3LY. The leading national society for those seriously inter- ested in the British flora, both amateur and professional. Runs field meetings. Website: www.bsbi.org.uk Plantlife International, 14 Rollestone St., Salisbury, Wiltshire, ST! 1DX, is the leading plant conservation charity. Runs field meetings. Website: www plantlife.org.uk. Wild Flower Society, clo 68 Outwoods Road, Loughborough LE11 3LY, caters for amateur lovers of wild flowers, who enjoy keeping annual diaries, enter for flower-hunting and re- cording competitions and attend field meetings. Website: www.thewildflowersociety.com. Many local Natural History Societies have botanical sections and run field meetings, which beginners will find useful for learning to recognise their local wild flowers. Most local li- braries can supply their addresses. All lovers of British wild flowers ought to join their local County Wildlife Trust, whose address can be supplied by the Wildlife Trusts, The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark, NG24 1WT. Website:www.wildlifetrusts.org.¥ achene WW alternate anther V ay appressed \ _@ te bipinnate YW WE bet -® | bulbil %#% calyx GLOSSARY Achene: a small dry fruit. Acid soils contain very few alkaline minerals and are formed above rocks such as sandstone. Peaty soils are usually acid since plant humus is often acid. Aggregate: group of closely related species. Alternate: neither opposite not whorled, Annual plants live for a year or less; ef. biennial, perennial, Anther: the tip of the stamen, producing the pollen, Appressed: flattened against the stem or leaf. Auricle: small ear-like outgrowth at base of leaf. Berry: fleshy fruit. snnial plants produce flowers in the second year and then usually die; cf. Annual, Perennial. Bipinnate: a double-pinnate leaf ~ one whose primary divisions are themselves pinnate. Bog: a mire on acid peat; cf. Fen Braet: a modified, usually small and often scale-like, leaf just beneath a flower. At the base of flowers in compound flowerheads it is a Bracteole. Bulb; underground storage organ, composed of modified fleshy leaves. Bulbil: small bulb-like organ at base of a leaf or instead of a flower, breaking off to form a new plant. Calyx: the sepals. catkin composite ® & corolla kd corymb +. cerucifer Capsule: a dry fruit that breaks open to liberate seeds. Carr: a fen wood, usually of alder or willow. Casual: plant that is not established and may turn up anywhere, usually on bare ground. Catkin: hanging spike of small flowers. Chalk: a soft white limestone. Cluster: a more or less loose spreading group of flowers at the top ofa stem. Composite: a member of the Daisy Family — Asteraceae, p. 264 (formerly Compositae). Conifer p. 398). : trees bearing cones (see Coppice: trees or shrubs, most often Ash or Hazel, cut nearly to the ground and growing again from the old stools. Not to be confused with a copse, which is a small patch of woodland. Corm: an swollen underground stem, forming a storage organ. Corolla: the petals. Corymb: a flat-headed raceme, the pedicels progressively shorter to bear flowers all at the same level. Crests: part of an Iris flower (see p. 322), Crucifer: a member of the Cabbage Family — Brassicaceae, p. 82 (formerly Cruciferae), Cultivar: a variety produced in cultivation, Deciduous: with leaves falling in autumn.a dicotyledon e dise floret we epicalyx iy female flowers % floret hip Decurrent: running down on toa stem. Deflexed: bent downwards. Dicotyledons, Dicots: plants with two seedling leaves; one of the major divisions of the flowering plants (see Introduction p.10). Disc florets (Composites): see p. 264. Dunes: areas of sand, usually lime-rich, almost always by the sea, and often with damp hollows called slacks. Epicalyx: a ring of extra sepals just below the true sepals, especially in the Mallow and Rose Families. Falls: part of an Iris flower (see p. 322). Female (9) flowers contain styles, not stamens. Fen: a mire on lime-tich peat; cf. Bog. Floret: a small flower, part of a compound head, especially in the Daisy Family. Flower: the reproductive element of a plant, usually brightly coloured to attract pollinators. It comprises petals, sepals, stamens and styles. Fruit: the seed or seeds of a plant and their covering. Glaucous: dull greyish blue or green. Head: more or less compact clusters of flowers. Heath: lowland area of acid, usually sandy soil, often dominated by Heather (p. 104); cf. Moor. Hemiparasite: plant with green leaves which derives part of its nnutriment from the roots of other plants, e.g, Yellow Rattle (p. 240). Cf. Parasite, Saprophyte. Hip: the usually brightly coloured outer covering of a Rose fruit Hoary: greyish with short hairs. GLOSSARY BI keel g lanceolate # lobed male flowers. Honey-leaf: Nectary, the organ in the flower producing nectar. Humus: partly decomposed vegetable or animal matter in the soil. Introduced plants have been brought in by man, either aliens from abroad or natives from some other part of Britain or Ireland, Jizz: characteristic appearance. Keel (Peaflowers): see p. 140. Labiate: a member of the Dead-Nettle Family — Lamiaceae, p. 216 (formerly Labiatae), mostly with 2-lipped flowers and square stems. Lanceolate (of leaves): narrowly oval and pointed. Lazy-bed: a cultivated plot in the Hebrides, fertilised by seaweed. Lime: Calcium in the soil derived from the calcium carbonate in chalk and limestone rocks. Linear: almost parallel-sided. Lobed: of leaves deeply toothed but without separate leaflets. Male (3) flowers contain stamens only, no styles. Marsh: mire not on peat. Microspecies: closely related species, biologically distinct, but often hard to distinguish, except by a powerful lens or a microscope, Midrib: central leaf-vein, usually raised and thick. Mire: waterlogged ground forming peat, ef. Bog, Fen and Marsh. Monocotyledons, Monocots: plants with one seedling leaf, one of the major divisions of the flowering plants (see Introduction p.10). ‘Moor: an upland Heath (q.v.) typically on peaty soil.Nectar: sugary substance secreted Pollen: powdery grains produced on by plants to attract insects, and the anthers which must be transferred to chief ingredient of honey. Nectary, a stigma to fertilise the future seeds. netveined see Honey-leaf. raceme Raceme: an unbranched Net-veined: of a leaf with net-like flower-head in which the flowers smaller veins are borne on individual stalks (pedicels). Node: where leaves join the stem. J ny Ray (Umbellifers): see p. 180, and Ray floret (Composites): see p. 264. fm Rhizome: horizontal underground 1 stem. Rosette: ring of flattened leaves at the base of the stem. Ochrea (Dock Family): see p. 60. Opposite: on opposite sides of the stem. Ovary: the base of pistils containing Runner: horizontal above-ground ’ ovules (immature seeds). ovary been ac Thizome stem, leafy and often rooting at the pe nodes. ovate Palmate: with finger-| i ee — 7 Samara: a key-shaped winged fruit. Panicle: a loosely branched oeat Seale: unleaflike outgrowth, usually flowering spike or raceme. small, papery and brownish or colourless. Parasite: plant, usually without green colouring, which obtains its x 3 8 Seed-plants: plants which palmate futriment from other plants, e.g reproduce by seeds, not spores, Broomrapes, p. 244, ee comprising the Dicotyledons, = Monocotyledons and Conifers. Peaflower: member of the Pea Family ~ Fabaceae, p. 140. Sepal: part of the outer ring of the paniel flower, below the petals, around the Peat: Soil composed of undecayed ‘samara embryo fruit. plant matter, often acid; cf. Bog, Fen, Humus. Shoddy: wool waste used as peaflower manure. Pedicel: the stalk of an individual flower. pedicel Perennial plants survive for more than two years, are usually stouter than annuals and more likely to be seen in winter; cf. Biennial. Shrub: much branched woody plant, with no single trunk. Shy flowerer: perennial sometimes passing whole years without flowering, Petals, if present, are part of the iticul fied inner ring of the flower, above the aye ae mg Gee Oe petals | 7 sepals and surrounding the embryo in Crucifers (see p. 82) fruits siliqua Sinus: A bay or hollow between Planiste: leaf ahape with oppcsite two adjacent leaf-lobes or teeth. leaflets; pinnatifid if leaflets are inna joined at base. Slack: damp hollow in dunes. Pod: fruit, usually long and more or Spadix and Spathe: parts of Arum less cylindrical, as in garden pea flowerhead (see p. 340). pinnatifid pollen nq spadix spathe 20spike spine stalk 7 stamen % staminode Ss standard — £ of Q igma 7 stipule T style > tendril Species: the basic unit of plant and animal classification. Spike: flowerhead with the flowers, stalked or unstalked, up the stem. Spine: non-detachable, straight, sharp-tipped appendage: cf. Thorn. Spreading: standing out horizontally or at a wide angle from the stem Stalk: a subsidiary stem (q.v.), bearing a flower or leaf. Stamen: the male organ in a flower, comprising an anther (q.v.), bearing pollen, at the tip of a stem, the filament. Usually in a ring around the female organs (styles). Staminode: an infertile stamen, often reduced. Standard: part of the flower of Peaflowers (p. 140) or Irises (p. 322). Stem: the main axis of a plant and its branches; cf. Stalk. Stigma: the surface receptive to pollen at the tip of the style (q.v.) Stipule: scale-like or leaf-like organ at the base of the leaf- stalk. Stolon: a short-lived creeping stem, below or above ground. Style: the upper part of the female organ of a flower, a filament bearing the stigma (q.v.). Usually lying inthe ring of stamens. Subspecies: a category within a with various small distinctions from each other but able to interbreed. Tendril: a twisted filament arising from a leaf or stem, and used for climbing, ‘Tepal: a term used when petals and sepals are indistinguishable from each other. Thallus: plant body not differentiated into stems and leaves. GLOSSARY Ar thoms trefoil umbel whorl oe wings winged Thorn: detachable sharp-tipped woody appendage, straight or curved. Tree: tall woody plant, arising from a single woody stem; cf. Shrub. Trefoil, Trifoliate: with three leaflets. Turlough: a deep flooded hollow on limestone in W Ireland, often drying out and grassy in summer. Umbel: compound flowerhead with its lower branches longer than the upper, so that all flowerheads are level. Umbellifers are members of the Carrot Family — Apiaceae, p. 180, (formerly Umbelliferae) and mostly have flowers in umbels. Undershrub: low, often creeping woody perennial Variety: a naturally occurring distinct form of a plant, of lower rank than a subspecies. Cf. Cultivar. Vascular plants: Higher plants which have a vascular system (i.e. containing channels for conducting liquids) of plant tissue, and comprising the seed-plants (q.v.) and the ferns, the horsetails and their allies. Waste places: uncultivated areas much disturbed by man. Whorl: a group of stems or leaves arising at the same point on a stem; cf. Opposite. Wing (Peaflowers), see p. 140. Winged: with a flange running down the stem or stalk, or occasionally a seed.DICOTYLEDONS: flowering plants with two seed-leaves BUTTERCUP FAMILY Ranunculaceae Flowers with many stamens, usually five petals (or no petals but petal-like sepals, here re- ferred to as petals), and at their base often small honey-guides, which secrete nectar. Fruits with many separate nutlets or tiny pods. Yellow-flowered Ranunculus: Buttercups have palmate leaves: usually drier places. Spear- worts have usually narrow untoothed leaves: wet places. [Flowers imperfect: Goldilocks Pataca Sepals erectspreading: Meadow, Creeping, (Rough-fruited), Com, Goldilocks, Spearworts down-turned: _Bulbous, Hairy, Rough-fruted, Small-fowered, Celery-leaved | Creeping, Bulbous, Hairy, Small-flowered, Celery-leaved, Lesser Spearwort. Adderstongue Spearwort ot furrowed: Meadow, Corn, Goldilocks, Creeping Spearwort By fresh water: (Creeping), Celery-leaved, Spearworts Flower-stalks furrowed: 1 Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris. The tallest and most graceful of our common yel- low buttercups; a variable hairy perennial, to 80-100cm. Flowers glossy yellow, 15-25mm, with erect or spreading sepals and unfisrrowed stalks; April-Oct. Leaves palmate, deeply cut, the end lobe unstalked. Grassland; dwarf plants with less-lobed leaves on Scottish and Irish hills are ssp. borealis. 2 Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens. Our only common yellow buttercup with creep- # ing and rooting runners; a low/medium hairy perennial, to 40-60em but usually shorter. Flowers 2%soz a 4 glossy yellow, 20-30mm, with erect or spreading sepals and furrowed stalks; May-Oct and spo- radically through mild winters. Leaves triangular with three deeply cut lobes, the end one long- stalked. Damp, rather bare places in woods, mires, grassland and an invasive weed in gardens; 3~soz 3 on waysides and waste ground and by fresh water. 3 Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus. The commonest yellow buttercup that has, ¢ down-turned sepals when the flowers are fully open; a hairy perennial, to 40cm, with a markedly swollen stem-base. Flowers glossy yellow, 15-30mm; Late March-May. Leaves with three deeply cut lobes, the end one ustally stalked. Drier grassland, especially on lime. 4 Hairy Buttercup Ranunculus sardous. Annual and hairier than Bulbous Buttercup (3), with paler yellow flowers (May-Oct), stem-base not swollen and paler green, often shining leaves. Damp grassy and arable places, usually near the coast. 5 Small-flowered Buttercup Ranunculus parviflorus. Pale green downy annual, sprawl- ing, to 40cm. Flowers unbuttercup-like, pale yellow, 3-Smm, the petals no longer than the down-tumed sepals and not always fully formed; April-Dec. Root-leaves rounded, lobed, well toothed. Fruits with tubercles and very short hooked spines. Bare dry places on lime, often near coast, also among crops. 6 Corn Buttercup Ranunculus arvensis. Another unbuttercup-like buttercup, differing from Small-flowered Buttercup (5) mainly in its usually larger (4-12mm) flowers, the se- pals erect, narrower, much more deeply cut leaf-lobes and fruits with longer straight spines. A much decreased cornfield weed. Rough-fruited Buttercup Ranunculus muricatus and St. Martin’s Buttercup Ranunculus marginatus are Scilly specialities, see p. 456. 7 Goldilocks Buttercup Ranunculus auricomus. Our only non-acrid buttercup, usually with distinctively imperfect flowers, with 0-5 usually deformed petals. Medium hairless or downy perennial, to 40cm, Flowers glossy yellow, 15-25mm; sepals tipped purple; April- May. Root-leaves kidney-shaped, deeply lobed. Woods, hedges, occasionally on rocks. ButtercupsBUTTERCUPS lower leaf # i peal tern 7 Goldilocks Buttercup Buttercup1 Celery-leaved Buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus. Medium, pale green, usually hairless, often bushy annual, to 60cm. Flowers pale yellow, 5-/0mm; May-Sept. Leaves shiny, palmately lobed, narrower on the hollow stems. Fruits in an elongated head. By fresh water, marshy places, often on mud. 2 Greater Spearwort Ranunculus lingua. Our tallest and largest-flowered buttercup, t0 a stately 120cm; a hairless perennial with long creeping runners. Flowers glossy yellow, 20-50mm, with unfurrowed stalks; June-Aug. Leaves lanceolate, toothed, to 25cm long. Fruits winged, with a curved beak. Marshes, fens and by fresh water. 3 Lesser Spearwort Ranunculus flammula. A very variable, common, shortmedium hairless perennial buttercup of wet places, erect or spreading, to 50cm, the runners some- times rooting at the leaf-nodes near the base. Flowers glossy yellow, 7-20mm; June-Oct. Leaves, especially in Scotland, vary from ovate through lanceolate to linear. May overlap in size with Greater Spearwort (2), when the slightly furrowed flower-stalks and short blunt beak of the unwinged fruits help to separate them, Wet mires and by fresh water. 3a ***Creeping Spearwort R. reptans is much shorter and slenderer, rooting at all leaf- nodes, with solitary flowers (June-Sept) c. 5mm and leaves only 1.2mm wide. Currently known only from two Scottish loch shores. Hybrid Spearwort 2. x /evenensis, the hybrid between 3 and 3a, differs from the much rarer 3a mainly in not rooting at all nodes and having flowers and leaves intermediate between the two. May occur away from 3a, 4 **'Adderstongue Spearwort Ranunculus ophioglossifolius. Hairless annual, to 40cm. Flowers yellow, 5-9mm, sepals spreading; May-August. Lower leaves ovare, un- toothed: stem-leaves narrower, obscurely toothed. By two ponds in Gloucestershire. 5 Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna. One of the first heralds of spring; low hairless peren- nial, to 30cm. Flowers solitary, 10-30mm, with 7-12 rather narrow, glossy yellow petals, often fading whitish; February-May. Leaves long-stalked, heart-shaped, dark green, often with dark or light patches. Grassland, woods, hedges, waysides, bare ground, by fresh wa- ter. Ssp fertilis produces ripe seed whereas ssp. verna has bulbils at the base of the leaf-stalks, fewer flowers, rarely ripens seed and is usually in the shade. 6 Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris. Medium hairless perennial, to 60cm, like a thick-set buttercup, making a brilliant splash of gold in spring. Flowers petalless with 5-8 glossy yellow sepals, /0-50mm; March-June. Leaves long-stalked, kidney-shaped, dark green, glossy and often mottled paler above. Wet grassland, marshes, by fresh water, but less common than formerly in the S and E. In the hills var. radicans is slenderer, creeping and rooting at the nodes, with smaller flowers and narrower sepals; May-July. 7 Globe Flower Trollius europaeus. Our only wild flower that looks like ‘orbed moons of pale yellow’, the 10 yellow sepals curving inwards to make a globe, 30-50mm; May- August. Medium hairless perennial, to 70cm, leaves palmate, deeply cut, very like Meadow Buttercup (p. 22) or Meadow Cranesbill (p. 174), but not downy. Damp pastures, and gullies, mainly in the hills. 8 Winter Aconite Eranthis hyemalis. Our only yellow spring (January-March) flower with a green frill that expands as the seeds ripen; chalice-shaped, 30mm. A low un- branched hairless perennial, to 15cm, with glossy palmate root-leaves appearing after the flowers until May. Widely naturalised in woods, parks and copses. 3a Creeping Spearwort 5 Lesser CelandineCelery-leave Buttercup £4 Adderstongue Spearwort. 8 Winter Aconite BUTTERCUPS3a Water Crowfoots Ranunculus subgenus Batrachium. Very variable hairless aquatic annuals or perennials, with white buttercup flowers, floating or above the surface, sometimes in glorious masses; at the base of each petal is a honey-guide (usually half-moon-shaped) and a yellow claw; sepals usually erect or spreading; April-Sept, at their best May-June. Stems numerous and trailing in the water or short and creeping on mud. Leaves floating or terrestrial (smallish, kidney-shaped or lobed) and/or submerged (more numerous, hairlike, in long tresses or stiffly curled bunches). Stems and leaves may vary according to the depth or speed of the water. No submerged leaves: Ivy-leaved, Round-leaved, Three-lobed, New Forest, (Brackish) ‘Some submerged leaves: Brackish, Common, Pond, (Chalk-stream) All leaves submerged: ‘Thread-leaved, Fan-leaved, Chalk-stream, River, Hybrid 1 Iyy-leaved Crowfoot Ranunculus hederaceus has flowers 4-8mm with gaps between the petals, which equal the sepals; March-Oct. Leaves shiny and iv-shaped, the 3-5 lobes widest at the base, usually terrestrial or floating. Usually on mud, when stems root at inter- vals, 1a Round-leaved Crowfoot R. omiophyllus has larger flowers (10-12mm) with down-turned sepals shorter than the petals and larger leaves, the lobes widest above the base. 1b **Three-lobed Crowfoot &. tripartitus has more variable flowers (March-May), 3-10mm, the sepals blue-ripped and down-turned, the usually three leaf lobes being widest above the base, and growing only in still water. New Forest Crowfoot R. x novae- ‘forestae, the hybrid between La and 1b, with often five leaf lobes, is confined to the New Forest, Hants, where 1b no longer occurs. 2 Brackish Water Crowfoot Ranunculus baudotii, The only water crowfoot of brackish wa- ter, with flowers 11-20mm and down-turned, usually blue-tipped sepals, Leaves usually both floating and submerged, but may be submerged only, and more rarely floating only: segments stiff, 3 Common Water Crowfoot Ranunculus aquatilis. Flowers 10-20mm, with honey- guides rounded. Leaves either both floating (usually 5-lobed, the sinus between the lobes pointed) and submerged, or submerged only. 3a Pond Water Crowfoot R. peliatus has larger flowers, 24-30mm, with pear-shaped honey-guides; leaf-sinuses obtuse. 4 Chalk-stream Water Crowfoot Ranunculus penicillatus. Prefers fast-flowing streams, especially with limy water. Flowers 20-30mm, the honey-guides pear-shaped. Leaves usually submerged only, with long trailing tresses of either loose parallel or stiff divergent segments, usually forked 6-8 times; sometimes also 5-lobed and floating. 4a River Water Crowfoot R. fluitans has sometimes smaller flowers 14-26mm, and sub- merged leaves only, the segments always parallel, usually not forked more than four times. Usually in larger rivers, avoiding limy water. Hybrid Water Crowfoot R. x bachii, the hybrid between the two, is most like 4, but often replaces da in larger rivers. 5 Thread-leaved Water Crowfoot Ranunculus trichophyllus. Flowers 7-12mm, with half: moon-shaped honey-guides. All leaves submerged, with tassels of usually stiff segments, repeatedly branching into three. 5a Fan-leaved Water Crowfoot R. circinatus has leaf- segments distinctively lying all in one plane and branching into two; flowers 8-20mm. 5a Fan-leaved Water Crowfoot Thread-leaved Water CrowfootWATER CROWFOOTS Round-leaved Crowfoot "3 Common Water Crowfoot The floating leaves of 3, 3a and 4 are illustrated upright to show their shape \ ae 3a Pond Water Crowfoot Water Crowfoot5 0 8 6% o att a f el 1 Stinking Hellebore Helleborus foetidus. Stout foetid perennial, to 80cm. Flowers bell-shaped, bright yellow-green, purple-edged, in clusters, 10-30mm; February-April. Leaves all on the stem, dark green, palmate, the leaflets lanceolate and toothed. Woods and scrub on lime; widely naturalised elsewhere. 2 Green Hellebore Helleborus viridis. Short perennial, to 40cm. The 40-50mm open Christmas-rose-like flowers much the same mid-green colour as the palmate or undivided leaves, all basal, which appear just after the flowers in February and grow steadily larger till summer. Woods on lime, often with same-coloured Dog's Mercury (p. 168); widely naturalised elsewhere. 3 Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum. Tall stout perennial, to 1m or more. Flow- ers small, in conspicuous dense clusters, coloured by their yellow stamens, which last longer than the obscure whitish petals. Leaves 2-3-pinnate, the leaflets wedge-shaped, the end one longer than broad. Wet meadows, fens and by fresh water. 4 Lesser Meadow-rue Thalictrum minus. Very variable mediumn/tall perennial, 25cm to more than Im, the rather wiry stems often zigzag. Flowers in open clusters, 4-petalled, yel- lowish, often tinged purple, with long yellowish stamens. Leaves 3-4 pinnate or 3-4- trefoil, with most leaflets about as broad as long, often glaucous on coastal dunes. Lime- stone rocks and grassland, mountain ledges, coastal dunes and gravelly or shingly fresh- water shores; widely naturalised 5 Alpine Meadow-rue Thalictrum alpinum. Slender low perennial, to 15cm, hard to de- tect among the grass, Flowers tiny, in a 7em spike, with four purplish petals and long yellow stamens. Leaves 2-trefoil with rounded leaflets. Mountain turf and ledges. 6 Columbine Aquilegia vulgaris. Medium/tall native perennial, to Im, also well known in gardens; easily told by its conspicuous blue flowers the five tubular petals with short hooked spurs. Escaped garden forms, often with violet, pink or white flowers and straighter spurs, are more frequent than the wild native, Root-leaves trifoliate. Woods, fens and damp limy grassland; elsewhere probably an escape. 7 *Monkshood Aconitum napellus. Tall perennial, to 1.5m, hairless except for downy flower-stalks, flowers in conspicuous spikes, helmeted, blue-violet, May-Sept. Leaves dark green, palmate, cut almost to midrib, Naturalised by shady stream-sides, also garden escape. Three other escapes are: Hybrid Monkshood A. x cammarum, with flowers sometimes blue and white, their stalks sometimes hairless; 7a Wolfsbane A. /ycoctonum, with yellow flowers; and 7b Larkspur Consolida ajacis, a shorter garden annual and cornfield weed with flowers spurred and blue, pink or white. fruit 1 Stinking Hellebore 2 Green Hellebore 7b Larkspur1 Traveller’s Joy Clematis vitalba. Deciduous woody climber with trusses of faintly rj fragrant, 4-petalled creamy to greenish-white flowers; July-Sept. More conspicuous with its autumnal ‘old man’s beard’ formed by the woolly greyish-white plumes on the fruits, which last through the winter. Our only climber with opposite pinnate leaves, their stalks 1s often twining and the leaflets often toothed. Scrub and hedges on lime, often reaching up to 30m into trees and hanging down like lianas: also creeps along the ground. 1a Virgin’s 3 Bower C. flammula with flowers white and leaves 2-pinnate is established on some # coastal cliffs and dunes. 2 Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa. Low/short hairless perennial, to 30cm, carpeting the spring (March-May) woodlands with its graceful solitary white (sometimes tinged 2 = purple) flowers, 1cm, above leaflike bracts. Leaves trifoliate, much divided. Deciduous woods, hedge-banks, occasionally in grassland and on mountains. Three fairly frequent garden escapes in shady places and on rough ground: 2a Yellow Anemone A. ranunculoi- des with smaller yellow flowers; 2b Blue Anemone A. apennina whose larger blue (or white or pink) flowers have more numerous narrower petals, downy beneath; and the less frequent 2c Balkan Anemone A. blanda, which is like 2b but with narrower petals hair- less beneath, 3 *Pasque Flower Pulsatilla vulgaris. One of our most gorgeous wild flowers, its rich violet petals with silky hairs on the back offset by a boss of golden anthers; April-May. Low, hairy perennial, to 30cm, with silky 2-pinnate leaves. The long silky plumes on the seeds may persist in the lengthened dead flowerheads well into summer. Short turf on lime. 4 *Mousetail Myosurus minimus. Low annual, to 10cm, with a basal tuft of grasslike leaves. The tiny greenish-yellow flowers, 6-8mm, solitary on long (to 7cm) leafless stalks (April-July), produce an elongated plantain-like (p. 248) fruiting head, fancifully like a ‘mouse’ tail. Bare, often arable and usually damp ground. 5 *Baneberry Aciaea spicata. A strong-smelling hairless medium perennial, 30-60cm. 5 Flowers in a stalked spike, white, with conspicuous stamens, turning to shiny black ber- ries. Leaves 2-pinnate or 2-trifoliate, the leaflets well toothed. Ashwoods, limestone pavements. 6 **Pheasant’s Eye Adonis annua. A long-established arable weed, now virtually ex- tinct except as a rare casual; hairless annual, to 40cm, Flowers deep scarlet, the petals, £ black-based, 15-25mm, not unlike a diminutive garden De Caen Anemone. Leaves feath- 6 Gill ery, 3-pinnate. Fruits in an elongated head. 7 Love-in-a-Mist Nigella damascena. Short annual, to 50cm. Flowers with five pale blue petal-like spurred sepals, often solitary, surrounded by leaf-like bracts, the ‘mist’; June- August. Leaves thread-like, pinnate. Fruits inflated. A frequent garden escape, sometimes persisting. 5 Baneberry plant in autumn, 6 Pheasant’s Eye ; 5 7 Love-in-a-mistANEMONES 2a Yellow Anemone fruiting head 4 MousetailPoppy FAMILY Papaveraceae Includes both poppies (below), with large, floppy-petalled flowers, and fumitories and allies (p. 34) which have unusual tubular, spurred flowers. DNA evidence shows that they are much more closely related than their appearance implies. Poppies Papaver are hairy annuals, mostly with red flowers, often with a blackish centre, blue-black anthers and (the red species) 1-2-pinnate leaves. Arable and other disturbed ground. Poppies have long-lived seed and can appear in disturbed ground after many years of absence. 1 Common Poppy Papaver rhoeas. Medium, to 70cm, with usually spreading hairs and juice rarely yellow. Flowers 50-100mm, bright scarlet; June-Oct, sometimes reddening unsprayed arable fields. Our only red poppy with rounded, flat-topped, hairless capsules. ‘The origin of garden Shirley Poppies, which may escape in various colours and sometimes yellow anthers. An outsize red poppy, with flowers 100-150mm across is likely to be the Oriental Poppy P. pseudoorientale, often established from gardens. 2. Long-headed Poppy Papaver dubium. Medium, to 60cm, with hairs closely appressed; juice yellow in 2a P. lecogii. Flowers smaller (30-70mm) and a pinker red than Common Poppy (1), much less often dark-centred; May-August. Our only red poppy with long hair- less capsules. 3 *Rough Poppy Papaver hybridum. Medium, to 50cm, with both spreading and ap- pressed hairs. Flowers the smallest of our red poppies, 20-5Omm, of a quite different red, deep crimson; June-August. Leaves neat, rather stiff. Our only red poppy with egg-shaped s capsules covered with straw-coloured bristles. Mainly on lime. 4 *Prickly Poppy Papaver argemone. Short/medium, to 45cm, with appressed hairs. Flowers 50-65mm, pale scarlet, the petals rather narrow and spaced out; May-July. Our only poppy with long, narrow, sparsely bristled capsules, 5 Opium Poppy Papaver somniferum. Shorthall, to 30-120cm, greyish and almost hair- less; the white juice of some varieties yields opium. Flowers 100-180mm, usually lilac with purple centre, but escaping cultivars can often be red or white; June-August. Leaves wavy, coarsely toothed, clasping the stem. Capsule rounded, hairless. 6 #Welsh Poppy Meconopsis cambrica. A dainty and attractive, tufted, slightly hairy medium perennial, to 60cm; juice yellow. Flowers yellow, 50-75mm; May-August. Leaves pale green, pinnate, the leaflets pinnately lobed, Capsule narrowly egg-shaped, beaked. Rocky places in hill districts; much more widespread as a frequent garden escape. 6a Atlantic Poppy Papaver atlanticum, an increasing garden escape, has orange or red- dish flowers, white juice and pinnately lobed leaves. 7 Yellow Horned-poppy Glaucium flavum. A conspicuous sprawling seaside bien- nial/perennial, to 80cm; juice yellow. Flowers yellow, 60-90mm; June-Sept. Leaves sil- very grey, the root ones pinnate. Capsules curved, 15-30cem, the longest of any British plant. Coastal shingle. 8 Greater Celandine Chelidonium majus. A rather greyish, sparsely hairy, medium, bushy perennial, to 85cm, resembling Lesser Celandine (p. 24) only in name and flower colour; juice orange. Flowers rich yellow, 15-25mm; April-Oct, Leaves pinnate with lobed leaflets. Capsule thinly cylindrical. Walls, disturbed ground, usually near buildings. 6a 2a Papaver lecogii Atlantic PoppyPOPPIES 7 seed capsules u 5 Opium Poppy 8 Greater Celandine < .Fumitories Fumaria are hairless, rather floppy annual weeds of disturbed ground, or scramblers on hedge-banks or walls to Im. They have distinctive tubular, 2-lipped, spurred flowers in stalked spikes, elongating in fruit, which is globular; April-Nov. Leaves 1-3-pinnate, greyish. One widespread and common species: the rest with flowers either larger or smaller. 1 Common Fumitory Fumaria officinalis, Much the commonest of our 10 species; when it grows in mass its leaves are grey enough to look smoky at a distance, hence the name. Flowers pink, tipped darker, 7-8mm long, the sepals more than quarter the length of the stalks, usually more than 20 in the spike, which is longer than its stalk, Species robuster and with flowers /arger than Common Fumitory, often scrambling over other plants; often on hedge-banks and walls. 2 Common Ramping Fumitory Fumaria muralis. Our second commonest fumitory; flowers pink, 9-/Jmm long, lower petal slightly broader at tip, toothed near base, and spikes equalling their stalk; April-Oct. 2a Tall Ramping Fumitory F. bastardii has flow- ets pink or pale pink, 9-1 Imm, sepals sharply toothed all round, spikes longer than theit stalks. 2b ***Martin’s Ramping Fumitory F. reuteri has flowers pink, 11-13mm, with sepals scarcely toothed and spike much longer than its stalk; established in two sites only. 2c *Purple Ramping Fumitory F. purpurea has purplish-pink flowers, 10-13mm, upper petal with erect margins, sepals sometimes toothed; fruiting stalks recurved. 3. White Ramping Fumitory Fumaria capreolata, Flowers creamy-white, often tinged pink, tipped blackish-pink, 10-13mm, petals with narrow margins, sepals toothed, usually near base. Fruiting stalks recurved. 3a ** Western Ramping Fumitory F. occidentalis has flowers whitish, turning pink, wings of upper petal purple and white-edged, and lower petals with broad margins, 12-14mm. Species slenderer and with flowers smaller than Common Fumitory; arable weeds, mainly on lime. 4 *Dense-flowered Fumitory Fumaria densiflora. Flowers pink, 6-7mm, spike much Jonger than its stalk and bracts no shorter than fruiting stalks. Leaf-lobes channelled. 4a *Fine-leaved Fumitory F. parviflora has flowers white or pale pink, 5-6mm, spike scarcely stalked. 4b *Few-flowered Fumitory F. vaillantii has flowers pale pink, 5-6mm, and spike loose and much longer than stalk and bracts shorter than fruiting stalks. Leaf-lobes flat. 5 Climbing Corydalis Ceratocapnos claviculata. A delicate annual scrambler, to 75em. Flowers pale creamy yellow, in clusters opposite leaves, 46mm long; May-Sept. Leaves grey- ish, pinnate, ending in rendrils, unlike the Fumitories (above). Woods, rocks, avoiding lime, increasingly in conifer plantations. 6 Bird-in-a-Bush Corydalis solida. Low/short perennial, to 20cm, Flowers in loose spikes, purple, 15-25mm long, with an almost straight spur and lobed bracts; April-May, Leaves greyish, 3-4-ternate with wedge-shaped segments, almost all from roots, with a large scale beneath the lowest, Widely naturalised, sometimes in quantity. 6a Hollowroot C. cava has a hollow (not solid) root, curved spur, unlobed bracts and no scale beneath lowest leaf. Less often naturalised. 6b Bleeding Heart Dicentra formosa has 2-spurted pink flowers on always leafless stems. Naturalised mainly by streams. 7 Yellow Corydalis Pseudofumaria lutea. Short, tufted perennial, to 30cm. Flowers rich yellow, in dense spikes opposite upper leaves; May-Oct. Leaves greyish, 2-pinnate. Well naturalised on wails. sepals x3FUMITORIES = 4a Fineseaved 4) /) Fumitory Few-flowered Fumitory Climbing CorydalisHEMP FAMILY Cannabaceae Flowers greenish, male and female on separate plants. 1 Hop Humulus lupulus. Roughly hairy perennial climber, the 4-angled stems twining clockwise to 8m. Flowers greenish-yellow, the male in branched catkins and the female in short globular heads, which enlarge to become the fruiting cones used to make beer bitter and so are commoner. Leaves palmately lobed, coarsely toothed. Hedges, scrub, fens. 2. Hemp Cannabis sativa. Mediun/tall strong-smelling annual, to 2.5m. Flowers green, male in a branching cluster, female in stalked spikes; July-Sept. Leaves palmately 3-9- lobed almost to base. Casual of disturbed ground; cultivated for fibre and (illegally) as a drug. NETTLE FAMILY Urticaceae 3 Common or Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica. A tall tenacious patch-forming perennial to 2m; avoided for its coarse stinging hairs, but relished by the caterpillars of peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies. Flowers tiny, greenish (rarely tinged purple) with yellow an- thers, male and female on separate plants, in thin catkins at the base of the lanceolate/oval leaves; May-Sept. Shady places, including woods, river banks, road verges, and around towns, villages and farm buildings wherever the soil is rich in nitrogen. *Fen Nettle U. dioica ssp. galeopsifolia, with somewhat narrower leaves, is almost stingless and does not flower until July. Fens, especially at Wicken, Cambs, and by fresh water. Aka Stingless Net- tle. 4 Small Nettle Urtica urens. Low/short annual, smaller, greener and less hairy than Com- mon Nettle (3), to 60cm, Flowers similar but in much shorter catkins, male and female on the same plant; April onwards and through mild winters. Leaves rounder, with less strongly stinging hairs. A frequent weed of disturbed, mainly cultivated ground. 5 Pellitory of the Wall Parietaria judaica. Spreading hairy perennial to 50cm; stems red: dish, Flowers tiny, green, becoming red-brown in fruit, anthers creamy white: in clusters at base of slightly glossy oval/lanceolate leaves; May-Oct. Mainly on walls. 6 Mind-your-own-business Soleirolia soleirolii. Prostrate, mat-forming perennial with thread-like stems to 20cm, Flowers tiny, bright pink, male and female separate, solitary at the base of the roundish evergreen 4-Smm leaves; May-August. An increasing garden es- 6 “soz Fit cape, especially on walls in relatively frost-free areas. GOOSEFOOT FAMILY Amaranthaceae Amaranths (formerly a separate family) are mostly casual annuals with leafless spikes or tight clusters of usually small brownish-green petalless flowers (goosefoots, p. 38 and or- aches, p. 40 have green flowers) with 3-5 bracteoles; male and female separate. Leaves untoothed. Bare or cultivated ground. Besides the three most frequent species below, some 30 amaranths have been recorded as casuals, including the well known 7¢ Love-lies-bleed- ing A. caudatus of gardens, with its long tassel-like flowerhead, variously red, yellow, green or white. 7 Common Amaranth Amaranthus retroflexus. Erect, to 1m; stems grey-downy. Flow- ers in erect terminal spike-like tassels, mixed with shining, bristle-like bracteoles with a green midrib and twice as long as the five sepals; female sepals blunt; July-Sept. Leaves pointed oval. Aka Pigweed. 7a Green Amaranth A. hybridus is almost hairless, yellowish-green, with shorter, looser, sometimes nodding tassels and female sepals pointed, Aka Green Pigweed. 7b White Pigweed A. albus has often prostrate, whitish stems, 3-sepalled flowers in clusters along the stem, bracteoles with a spiny tip and small, pale green, wavy-edged, minutely pointed, rounded leaves. A. bouchonii, very similar to Green Amaranth but with fruits not opening naturally, is the most frequent of three ama- ranths more or less established locally in E Anglia. The others are A. blitoides and A. de- flexus.NETTLES ‘Th White ane q 2 Ta Green Amaranth ia |Most Goosefoots Chenopodium and Oraches Atriplex are unattractive mealy annual weeds, prostrate or erect to 50cm or in rich soils to 1.5m. Their tiny petalless flowers, with joined green sepals and yellow stamens, are in spikes; leaves toothed and alternate. They are often hard to tell apart, though goosefoots have stamens and styles in the same flower and fruits surrounded by a ring of 3-5 small sepals, while oraches have separate male and female flowers on the same plant and fruits enclosed in two triangular bracts. These swell as the fruits ripen and become much larger and more obvious than goosefoot fruits, making the spike irregular. There are 16 other rare goosefoot casuals, some very hard to tell from commoner species. 3 flower fruit bract GOosEFOOT ‘ORACHE Fat-Hen, Fig-leaved G, Nettle-leaved G, Upright G, Many-seeded G, Good Henry; of. Amaranths, p. 36 | [inland & seashore: Red G, Oak-leaved G, Stinking G, Common O, Spear-leaved O Saltmarsh G, Babington’s O, Long-stalked O, Early O, Grass-leaved O, Frosted O, Sea Purslane, Annual Sea Purslane | Ink \d only: | Seashore only: 1 Fat Hen Chenopodium album. Much the commonest and most variable goosefoot, well branched, erect to 1.5m; stems sometimes purplish, especially at leaf junctions, Flower- spike usually leafy; late June-Oct. Leaves lanceolate to diamond-shaped, the lower toothed, mealy especially when young. Cultivated and other disturbed ground, 1a Fig- leaved Goosefoot C. ficifolium has no purple on stems and lower leaves deeply 3-lobed, the upper linear; flowering July-August. 2 Red Goosefoot Chenopodium rubrum. Fleshy, not mealy; prostrate or erect to 80cm. Flower spike leafy; August-Oct. Leaves diamond-shaped, well but irregularly toothed, of- ten reddening in fruit. Sepals surrounding fruits fused to half-way. Manure heaps and other disturbed soils rich in nitrogen, also drier saltmarshes, dune slacks. 2a**Saltmarsh Goosefoot C. chenopodioides is shorter, to 30cm, and more often prostrate, with smaller, more triangular, untoothed or less well toothed leaves; sepals surrounding fruits fused to near the tip. Not inland. 3 Maple-leaved Goosefoot Chenopodium hybridum. Erect to Im, rarely mealy. Flowers in loose leafless clusters; July-Oct. Leaves triangular, heart-shaped, with a few large teeth. Aka Sowbane. Disturbed ground. 3a Nettle-leaved Goosefoot C. murale is more often mealy, with leaves not heart-shaped and sepals minutely toothed. 3b Upright Goosefoot C. urbicum also has leaves not heart-shaped but sepals untoothed. (The native status of the above three casuals is much debated. ) 4 Oak-leaved Goosefoot Chenopodium glaucum. Prostrate to erect, to 50cm, Flowers in leafy spikes; June-Sept. Leaves oak-like, irregularly lobed, mealy white or grey beneath. Dis- turbed ground, rarely on sea-shore. 5 Many-seeded Goosefoot Chenopodium polyspermum. Erect or sprawling, to Im; stems usually square. Flowers in leaty spikes; July-Sept. Leaves pointed oval to elliptic, scarcely toothed, reddening in autumn. Cultivated and other disturbed soils 6 ***Stinking Goosefoot Chenopodium vulvaria. Aptly named for its roiting-fish stench, erect or sprawling to 40cm, mealy grey. Flowers in almost leafless spikes; July- Sept. Leaves oval, scarcely toothed. Bare ground, usually near the sea. 7 Good King Henry Chenopodium bonus-henricus. Our only perennial goosefoot, me- dium to 50cm; stems often mealy when young and reddish when old. Flowers in almost leafless spikes; May-August. Leaves large, broadly triangular, otherwise untoothed and scarcely lobed. Bare and grassy places near rural buildings.GOOSEFOOTS Ja Fig-leaved Goosefoot 3 Maple-leaved Goosefoot 3a _Nettle-leaved Goosefoot 3 lower leaf Good King Q\ Henry 4 5 Many-seeded » Oak-leaved u Goosefoot Goosefoot 6 Stinking Goosefoot5° oz Ait x : Te Oraches Airiplex. For differences from Chenopodium see p. 38. Most species have bracteoles toothed or not and fused only at the base. Flowers in slender open leafy spikes: July-Sept. Many hybrids occur, often without one or both parents. 1 Common Orache Airiplex patula. Generally the commonest orache, very variable, of- ten mealy, sometimes reddish, erect or sprawling to Im. Leaves lanceolate to triangular, the lower ones with basal lobes pointing forwards and narrowing into the stalk, Fruits with bracteoles triangular, sometimes stalked, fused below halfway. Bare and disturbed ground, including sea-shores. 2 Spear-leaved Orache Atriplex prostrata. Differs from Common Orache (1) especially in having the lower leaves more triangular, the basal lobes pointing sideways at right an- gles to the stalk and bracteoles unstalked, sometimes spongy at base and fused only at base. Less frequent inland, 2a Babington’s Orache A. glabriuscula is usually prostrate and mealier, with bracteoles always spongy at base and fused to halfway. Seashores only. 3 *Long-stalked Orache Arriplex longipes. Erect, to 80cm; not mealy. Leaves narrowly triangular, often toothed, and basal lobes pointing either forwards or sideways. Bracteoles untoothed. Salimarshes, among reeds and other tall plants. The hybrid with Babington’s Orache (2a) may be more frequent than Long-stalked Orache itself. 4 *Early Orache Atriplex praecox. Erect or sprawling, to 10cm; not mealy. Flowers June-July. Leaves narrowly triangular, with basal lobes variously directed; reddening in late summer, Sandy or shingly shores, especially of sea lochs. 5 Grass-leaved Orache Atriplex littoralis. Medium/tall annual, with upright branches, to 1.5m, Leaves linear to linear lanceolate, toothed or not. Bracteoles unstalked. May resem- ble narrow-leaved forms of Common Orache (1), which, however, have spreading branches and translucent, not opaque, leaf-veins. Bracteoles spongy at base. Sandier edges of saltmarshes, increasing on salted road verges inland. 6 Frosted Orache Atriplex laciniata. Sprawling, to 30cm; much more silvery-white than our other oraches, the buff or pinkish stems and the neat diamond-shaped toothed leaves being both very mealy. Bracteoles fused to halfway, sometimes short-stalked. Sandy beaches. 7 Sea Purslane Atriplex portulacoides. Short undershrub, to Lm, mealy grey, often fring- ing saltmarsh creeks and pools. Flowers small, with conspicuous yellow stamens in slen- der leafless spikes; July-Sept. Leaves elliptical, evergreen. Bracteoles 3-lobed. Saltmarshes. 8 Annual Sea Purslane Atriplex pedunculata. Low mealy annual, to 30cm. Flowers in a leafless branched spike, August-Sept. Leaves elliptic, untoothed. Bracteoles long- stalked, 3-lobed, fused to tip. Drier saltmarshes. Believed extinct, but refound in Essex in 1987.ORACHES & i a 2a is gx4 Sy (1 bract removed) Qa 2a Babington’s’ Orache fruit <41 Summer Cypress Bassia scoparia. Medium, densely bushy annual, to Im; grown for foliage reddening in autumn, Flowers tiny, green/red, petalless; July-August. Leaves linear to linear/lanceolate, numerous. Disturbed ground, now colonising motorway system in E England. 2 Sea Beet Bera vulgaris ssp. maritima. A dull-looking, often sprawling perennial, to 80cm, Flowers tiny, green, sometimes reddening, petalless, in long, narrow leafy spikes; June-Sept. Leaves dark green, shiny, leathery, the lower roughly triangular and wavy, the upper narrow. Bare ground by the sea. Other subspecies, the cultivated beets, occur as casuals. 3 Prickly Saltwort Salsola kali. A stiff, prickly, sometimes hairy, often half-prostrate, grey/blue-green annual, to 50cm; stems often pink-striped. Flowers tiny, white or tinged pink, usually singly in a tuft of leaf-like bracts at the base of the leaves; July-Oct. Leaves short, linear, fleshy, spine-tipped. Sandy shores, usually on the drift-line. 4 Annual Seablite Suaeda maritima, An erect ot prostrate glaucous annual, to 30cm. Flowers tiny, green or purplish-red, petalless, 1-3 together at base of upper leaves; July- Oct. Leaves short, fleshy, cylindrical, pointed, green, turning dull purple then red. Sait- marshes, tidal mud, 5 *Shrubby Seablite Suaeda vera. A greyish evergreen bush, with stout woody stems to c. Im; young shoots tinged red. Flowers as Annual Seablite (4), but yellowish-green; June-Oct, Leaves short, cylindrical, rounded at base and tip. Coastal shingle and sand. Glassworts Salicornia. Succulent (edible) annuals, erect or spreading, to 50cm, sometimes unbranched, often reddening or yellowing in fruit. Flowers tiny, green with yellow anthers, usually in groups of three in the leaf-nodes up the stem; August-Sept. Leaves scale-like, translucent, fused to envelop the stem. Muddy saltmarshes. 6 Common Glasswort Salicornia europaea. Usually erect; branches straight, often nu- merous. Has the central flower the largest of the three. Fertile segments with convex sides. Becomes yellow-green tinged red or pink. May include 6a Purple Glasswort S. ramosis- sima; often sprawling, tinged purple. 66 Glaucous Glasswort S. obscura has branches (if any) curved; glaucous, becoming dull yellow-green. 7 Long-spiked Glasswort Salicornia dolichostachya. Often sprawling, usually much branched. Has all three flowers the same size. Fertile segments cylindrical. Becoming dull green, dull yellow or yellow-brown, sometimes tinged purple, Mainly lower saltmarshes, aka Marsh Samphire. 7a Shiny Glasswort S. emerici is usually erect and little branched, with fertile segments variable. Becoming brownish, tinged purple, red or orange. Mainly up- per and middle saltmarshes. 7b Yellow Glasswort S. fragilis is usually erect and variably branched, becoming yellow or yellow-green, sometimes tinged purple. 8 *One-flowered Glasswort Salicornia pusilla. Differs from all other annual Glassworts in having only one flower at each node. Becomes pink, tinged purple or orange. Fertile stem segments disintegrate when ripe. Drier saltmarshes. 9 *Perennial Glasswort Sarcocornia perennis. Our only shrubby glasswort, forming tussocks up to 30cm tall and Im across. Flowers as annual Glassworts, in same-sized groups of three. Dark green, becoming yellowish to reddish. Mainly middle and upper saltmarshes. - ‘ 4GLASSWORTS oe? bs, OEE i 3 Prickly Saltwort 6b Glaucous\ Glasswort | ae WH hy Yellow ““Q\\y Glasswort \ Glasswort SG One-flowered GlasswortPINK FAMILY Caryophyllaceae Stems usually swollen at the nodes of the opposite pairs of usually untoothed and unstalked leaves, with stipules only in spurreys and their allies (p. 56). Flowering shoots repeatedly forked; flowers with 4-5 petals or none and 4-5 sepals, often joined at the base, in the campi- ons and pinks (below) forming a tube or more or less inflated bladder. Stitchworts (p. 50), chickweeds (p. 50) and mouse-ears (p. 52) have notched peials; those of sandworts (p. 54), pearlworts (p. 58) and spurreys (p. 56) are not notched. Campions, Catchflies and Pinks. Sepals fused to form a more or less inflated tube. Petals 5. Catchflies are so called because their sticky hairs do actually entrap flies. 1 Red Campion Silene dioica. Medium/all perennial, to 1m; stems downy, densely so in Shetland, rarely hairless. Flowers bright rosy-pink, 18-25mm, unscented, petals cleft; male and female (styles 3) on separate plants; March-Nov and throughout the winter in the far SW. Flower colour ranges from deep red in Shetland through the normal bright rosy-pink and the paler pink of the frequent hybrid with White Campion (2) to the occa- sional albino sport, which has purer white flowers than White Campion and triangular ca- lyx-teeth. Leaves lanceolate with long winged stalks, the upper pointed oval. Fruit with 10 rolled-back teeth when ripe. Rich soils in light shade in woods and hedge-banks, also on river banks, mountains and sea cliffs 2 White Campion Silene latifolia. The white-flowered counterpart of Red Campion (1). from which it also differs in being sometimes annual, with flowers slightly larger, 25-30mm, “the teeth of the greener calyx narrower and twice as long, and slightly fragrant at night; May-Oct; lower leaves with unwinged stalks and ripe fruits with more or less erect teeth. For hybrid with Red Campion, see above. Arable fields and other disturbed ground, declining in the west. 3 Night-flowering Catchfly Silene noctiflora. Not unlike a rather starved, stickily hairy White Campion (2), but annual only, and has flowers c. 18mm, the deeply cleft, very pale pink petals usually rolled up and showing only their yellowish undersides by day, at night opening and becoming fragrant to attract moths; styles 3; July-Sept. Leaves broad lanceolate. Ripe fruits with six recurved teeth. Arable fields, especially on lime. 4 Bladder Campion Silene vulgaris. A much-branched medium grey-green perennial, erect or half-sprawling to Im. Flowers white, 17-19mm, petals deeply cleft, the calyx bladder-like, purplish or yellowish; May-August. Leaves narrowly pointed oval, often wavy-edged. Fruits with erect to spreading teeth. Bare and thinly grassy, more or less dis- turbed places. The Mediterranean ssp, macrocarpa with pink or greenish flowers has for many years been naturalised on Plymouth Hoe, Devon. 4a Berry Catchfly S. baccifera, with léss deeply cut greenish-white petals and fruit a black berry, is naturalised in at least six woods in Norfolk. 5 Sea Campion Silene uniflora. The coastal counterpart of Bladder Campion (4), but with a mat of non-flowering shoots to 30cm, and large flowers, 20-25mm, often solitary and with broader sepals; March-Oct; also fruits with spreading to down-turned teeth; and fleshier and narrower leaves. Cliffs, rocks, shingle by the sea, also by fresh water on mountains, 6 “Nottingham Catehfly Silene nutans. A variable, medium/all, often stickily hairy pe- rennial, to 80cm, Flowers 17-19mm, often drooping, in very open clusters, all usually pointing one way; the petals white above, greenish or pinkish beneath, deeply cleft into very narrow lobes, rolled-back by day and with a small rounded scale at the base; opening and fragrant at night; May-July. Leaves narrow, broadest at tip, the lower long-stalked. Rocks, cliffs, shingle and other dry, undisturbed, bare or sparsely grassy places. 6a Italian Catehfly S. italica has larger flowers, c. 30mm, with the scales at the base of the petals very pointed, Naturalised in and near quarries at Greenhithe, Kent, since 1863, and casual elsewhere. at ww 5 Sea CampionCAMPIONS capsule g seed N capsule day time 3 Night-flowering Catehfly 6 Nottingham Catchfly1 **Spanish Catehfly Silene otites. A most puzzling plant at first sight, appearing quite unlike other Catchflies; an unbranched, medium, stickily hairy perennial, to 80cm. Flowers only 3-4mm, yellowish-green, with unnotched petals, in leafless spikes of whorl-like clusters, June-July. Leaves dark green, broadest towards the tip, mainly in basal rosettes. Grass heaths in E Anglian Breckland. 2 *Small-flowered Catehfly Silene gallica. A short stickily hairy annual, to 45cm, Flow- ers yellowish-white or pink (rarely, 2a var. quinquevulnera, red-blotched), 10-12mm, the petals notched and the bladder inflated in fruit; June-Oct. Leaves lanceolate, the lower broader at tip, Bare and sparsely grassy sandy places. 3 *Sand Catehfly Silene conica. A neat greyish, stickily hairy, erect or sprawling annual, to 35cm. Flowers tiny, 4-5mm, variably pink, with notched petals, the bladder inflated to hide the fruit; May-July. Leaves narrow lanceolate. Sandy places, especially dunes. 4 **Sticky Catchfly Silene viscaria, A short/medium tufted perennial, to 60cm; stems often purplish, sticky at leaf-nodes. Flowers bright rosy red, 18-20mm, with petals notched, apparently whorled, in long spikes; May-June. Leaves lanceolate. Cliffs and rocks inland, not on lime. 5 ***Alpine Catehfly Silene suecica. Shorter than Sticky Catchfly (4), to 20em, with eaf-nodes not sticky and compact clusters of smaller, 6-12mm, pinker flowers; June-July. ‘Two native localities only, high mountains in Cumbria and Angus. 6 Ragged Robin Silene flos-cuculi. Easily told by its ‘ragged’ red petals, a mediunvitall perennial to 75cm. Flowers 3-4em, with petals deeply cleft into four narrow lobes; May- July; also differs from Red Campion (p. 44) in having its stamens and styles in the same flower and 5-toothed fruits. Leaves lanceolate. Marshes, fens and wet meadows. 7 Moss Campion Silene acaulis. The most distinctive of the campions and one of our most attractive high-mountain flowers; a low tufted perennial to 10cm. Flowers 10-12mm, rose-pink, starring the cushions of tiny pointed leaves, which end in a more prominent tooth than the yellow-green Cyphel (p. 54); June-July. Mountain tops, ledges and screes, but near sea-level in the far north. Petal from colour forms 9 flower form Long-stemmed form x2 7 Moss CampionCATCHFLIES 2a Silene gallica var. quinguevulnera1 Soapwort Saponaria officinalis. A mediunyiall straggling pale green perennial with runners, formerly used to make soap; stems rather thick and brittle, to 90cm. Flowers soft pink, 2-2.5cm, the petals unnoiched, and standing clear of the scarcely inflated sepal-tube: double-flowered forms (1a Bouncing Bett) are frequent; July-Sept. Leaves lanceolate. Hedge-and stream-banks, grassy places; perhaps native in the SW. 2 Corn-cockle Agrostemma githago. A once abundant comtfield weed that is now effec- tively extinct, except as a casual or when (as it often is) sown in “wildflower mixtures”; a medium/tall softly hairy annual, to Im. Flowers red-purple, large, 3-5cm, the slightly in- flated sepal-tube with five long narrow teeth protruding starfish-like well beyond the pet- als; June-August. Leaves narrow lanceolate. Pinks Dianthus. Distinguished by the epicalyx below the sepal-tube, formed by bracteoles. Petals usually toothed. Leaves linear to narrow lanceolate. 3 *Maiden Pink Dianthus delioides. Loosely tufted, shortly hairy, often greyish peren- nial, to 45cm. Flowers pink, with darker or paler spots, /2-20mm, unscented; the epicalyx with two long-pointed scales half as long as the sepal-tube; in dull weather the flowers close and the plant merges into the surrounding grass; June-August. Leaves rough-edged. Decreasing in dry grassland, usually on sand: occasionally introduced in waste places. 4 *Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria. Slightly downy, dark green or greyish, short/me- dium, annual/biennial; stems stiff, to 60cm. Flowers bright pink, with darker or paler spots, 8-/3mm, unscented, in small crowded heads, the buds hidden among the long nar- row sepal-like bracts; epicalyx nearly as long as sepal-tube; June-August. Decreasing in dry grassy places. 4a Sweet William D. barbatus, the well known garden plant, often es- caping for short periods, is larger in all its parts and hairless, with flowers more conspicu- ous and often red, and sterile shoots at flowering time. 5 "Cheddar Pink Dianthus gratianopolitanus. One of our most attractive rarities, na~ tive only on limestone cliffs and rocks around Cheddar Gorge, Somerset. A low hairless greyish perennial to 20cm, mat-forming with long creeping sterile shoots. Flowers pink, 14-30mm, solitary and clove-scented, petals hairy near the base; epicalyx with 2-4 short pointed teeth; June-July. Leaves rough-edged. Both Cheddar Pink and its hybrid with Pink (6) are often grown in gardens and escape. 6 Pink Dianthus plumarius. Greyish tufted low/short perennial, to 30cm. Flowers pale mauvish-pink or white, 20-40mm, fragrant, the petals almost hairless and cut to half-way with feathery teeth and long sepal-teeth; epicalyx with 2-4 short pointed teeth; June- August. Leaves rough-edged. Old walls, e.g. Beaulieu Abbey, Hants, often long estab- lished; also as a more recent escape. Hybridises with both Cheddar (5) and Clove Pinks 6a Clove Pink D. caryophyllus, the origin of the garden Carnation, is taller, to 60cm, with slightly smaller flowers, petals only toothed, a longer sepal-tube and smooth-edged leaves. On fewer old walls, e.g. Rochester Castle, Kent, for more than 300 years. 7 ***Childing Pink Petrorhagia nanteulii. Together with Proliferous Pink (7a) differs from all other Pinks in the large brownish chaffy bracts that enfold the close cluster of small pink flowers, 6-9mm, which only open one ata time; late June-Sept. A short greyish annual; stems hairless or slightly downy, to 50cm. Leaves linear, rough-edged, with sheaths about as long as wide. Now only one site, on sand and shingle near the sea in West. Sussex. 7a ***Proliferous Pink P. prolifera differs especially in its more thickly downy stem and leaf-sheaths up to twice as long as wide; flowering June-August. Naturalised in its two sites on dry banks in Bedfordshire and Norfolk. seed capsule lower leaf underside of petal fruiting calyxStitchworts and Chickweeds Stellaria. Flowers white, petals notched; stems rather weak and straggling; stamens usually 10. Stitchworts tend to be perennials with larger flowers and narrower unstalked leaves and chickweeds annuals with smaller flowers and broader © stalked leaves. 1 Greater Stitchwort Srellaria holostea. The largest-flowered short/medium stitchwort, conspicuous in the spring hedgerows, often in patches; stems rough-edged, 4-angled, to 60cm. Flowers with deeply cleft petals, 75-30mm; bracts all green; March-June. Leaves narrow lanceolate, minutely rough-edged, slightly greyish. Woods, scrub, hedges, usually in light shade. 2 Marsh Stitchwort Stellaria palustris. Intermediate between Greater (1) and Lesser (3) Stitchworts, differing from Greater in its smooth-angled stems, flowers 12-/8mm, the sepals, with broader whitish edges; May-August; also in its narrower greyer smooth-edged leaves, the bracts pale with a green midrib. It has larger flowers than Lesser Stitchwort, as well as partly green bracts. Fens and lowland wet grassland. 3 Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria graminea. The smallest-flowered true stitchwort; stems short/medium, smooth-angled, to 80cm. Flowers 5-/2mm, with petals deeply cut; bracts all pale; May-August. Leaves narrow. Grassy, often heathy, places on acid soils. 4 Bog Stitchwort Stellaria alsine. Intermediate between true stitchworts and chick- weeds; stems low/short, smooth-angled, to 40cm. Flowers 5-7mm, shorter than sepals; bracts pale with a green midrib; May-Sept. Leaves elliptic to pointed oval, unstalked on 4°02 4 flowering stems, but otherwise stalked. Mires, usually unshaded, by or sometimes in streams. 5 Wood Stitchwort Stellaria nemorum. A confusingly named stitchwort, much more like Greater Chickweed (8) than the true stitchworts (above); stems short/medium, to 60cm, hairy, especially below the swollen leaf-nodes, with runners. Flowers 10-I8mm, petals deeply cleft, sepals with narrow pale edges; May-August. Leaves pale green, the lower long-stalked, heart-shaped. Damp woods, hedge-banks and streamsides. 6 Common Chickweed Stellaria media. Almost our commonest weed ~ challenged per- haps only by Groundsel (p. 280); annual, prostrate or sprawling, to 50cm; hairs in lines on alternate sides of the rounded stems between the leaf-nodes. Flowers 5-9mm, petals very deeply notched or sometimes none, not exceeding sepals, which are downy with narrow pale margins; stamens 3-5; mature fruit-stalks drooping; Jan-Dec. Leaves pale green, pointed oval, the lower stalked. Cultivated ground and bare places on rich soils; occasion- ally in upper saltmarshes. 7 Lesser Chickweed Stellaria pallida. Differs from the occasional petalless Common Chickweed (6) in its slenderer and more brittle stems, flowers 3-6mm, sepals sometimes hair- less, stamens 1-2, fruit-stalks not drooping, and smaller, pale yellowish-green leaves; March- May. Shingle and dunes by the sea; bare sandy places inland, 8 Greater Chickweed Stellaria neglecta. Like an outsize Common Chickweed (6), which can have confusing large shade-forms — but usually more robust and luxuriant, with stems straggling upwards to 80cm, flowers 9-/Jmm, stamens 10 and fruit-stalks finally erect; April-July. Differs from Wood Stitchwort (5) in its lines of hairs on the stem, smaller flow- ers and shorter leaf-stalks. In at least light shade in woods and hedge-banks and by streams. 9 Water Chickweed Myosoton aquaticum. An outsize, fleshy chickweed, a straggling me- dium perennial, to Im; hairless below but stickily downy above. Flowers white, /2-/5mm, with 5 deeply cleft petals, 10 stamens and 5 styles (Stellaria has 3); June-Oct. Leaves pointed oval, often wavy-edged, the lower stalked. Marshes, by fresh water. 10 Upright Chickweed Moenchia erecta. Another misnamed plant, not being a chickweed, and having the narrow leaves of a stitchwort and the unnotched petals of neither, a tiny, usually erect annual, to 12cm. Very hard to detect in the turf, especially when its 7-9mm white flowers are closed (as they usually are, except in sunshine), but the practised eye seeks the glaucous hue of the stiff linear unstalked leaves. Petals 4, not notched, shorter than the white-edged sepals; styles 4; April-June, Sandy and gravelly turf.