Thursday, 4 September 2008

white-flowered nightshade

I have recently encountered a couple of specimens of 1 (or possibly) 2 of the white-flowered nightshades. They could be Solanum nigrum, S. physalifolium, S. sarachoides or S. villosum, but I don't expect to be able to identify them to species before fruit is present.

mignonette

Earlier in the year I identified a clump of plants as being wild mignonette (Reseda lutea). That clump is no longer visible, due to mowing, but two other clumps, one just across the road from the first appear to be white mignonette (Reseda alba), so I am changing the list to include the latter.

Arum

Recently I have noticed a clump of fruiting spikes of an Arum alongside the road running east out of town. From the size of the fruiting spikes it would appear to be Arum italicum, rather than Arum maculatum.

Monday, 18 August 2008

4 more species

A while back I made a circuit to the west of the town.

The meadows to the south of the town have been mown, and there's not much to be seen. However common fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica) is growing by a fishing pool with the meadows.

To the west of the town a hop (Humulus lupulus) can be found. (I had suspected this before, but the presence of flowers and fruit allows me to confirm this.)

Lucerne (Medicago sativa) was found growing along a roadside.

Additional plants present at the landfill site are wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris), common hemp nettle (Galeopsis tetrahit), bristly oxtounge (Picris echioides).

A field scabious (Knautia arvensis) was found along the old railway running across the town.

Sunday, 17 August 2008

common orache

I've identified on of the chenopodiaceous plants growing in the area as common orache (Atriplex patula).

Sunday, 10 August 2008

hemp nettle

The hemp nettle noted earlier turns out to be common hemp nettle (Galeopsis tetrahit).

Sunday, 3 August 2008

More observations

* The cudweed on the allotment site is marsh cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum).

* I find the willow-herbs with clavate stigmas a difficult group, but today I identified one on my allotment as pale willow-herb (Epilobium roseum).

* I found that the peppermint (Mentha x piperita) that I'd seen growing along the canal bank in previous years is still present. (I'd previously thought that it might have been eliminated by mowing of the towpath.)

* Walking into the town centre I saw purple toadflax (Linaria purpureum) and purple mullein (Verbascum phoeniceum) growing wild.

* Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) is now in flower along canal banks.