Rosebay willowherb, Chamerion angustifolium. This species is abundant in wet slightly acidic open fields but it has earned the nicknames ‘fireweed’ and ‘bombweed’ as a result of its tendancy to colonize quickly on burnt ground and bomb sites during World War II. The plant’s rise from a local rarity is closely linked to the expansion of the railway network making it […]
Ribwort plantain, Plantago lanceolata. The deep veins visible on the leaves have earned the species its name ‘ribwort’. Ribwort plantain is probably the most constant and widespread component of natural and semi-natural grassland in Britain. Photo: www.wildlifeinsight.com
Remote sedge, Carex remota. Tufted plant with short rhizomes , forming small tussocks with bright green leaves up to 30 cm tall.
Red campion, Silene dioica. There are five pinkish petals which are deeply notched at the end, narrowed at the base and all go into an urn-shaped calyx. The nectar of the flowers is utilised by bumblebees and butterflies. Crushed seeds of red campion have also been used to treat snakebites. WT
Purple toadflax, Linaria purpurea. Closely related to the Antirrhinum (snapdragons) this plant grows to about a metre high. Its value lies in its flowering season which extends from April to late September and provides a valuable source of nectar for bees. Its leaves also provide food for a variety of moths.
Purple dead nettle, Lamium purpureum. Though similar to a nettle in appearance, it is not related, doesn’t sting and is a member of the Mint family. The flowers may be produced throughout the year, including mild weather in winter. This allows bees to gather its nectar for food when few other nectar sources are available. It is also a prominent source […]
Oxford ragwort, Senecio squalidus. A real railway flower. It’s a hybrid between two Senicio species native to Mount Etna that was introduced to the Oxford Botanic Garden in 1690. By the end of the 18th century it grew on almost every wall in and about Oxford. During the Industrial revolution ragwort seed was distributed around the country via the thriving railway […]
Old man’s beard, Clematis vitalba. Old man’s beard or Traveller’s joy is a climbing shrub of the Clematis family with branched, grooved stems, deciduous leaves, and scented greeny-white flowers with fluffy underlying sepals which give the beard effect which recalls Father Christmas’s beard in December. It’s not particularly popular with insects and needs to be controlled or it will smother whole […]
Meadow cranesbill, Geranium pratense. Part of the geranium family, The leaves are deeply divided into 7-9 lobes and 3-6 inch wide and the flowers are pale blue, although getting paler into the centre. The flowers have 5 petals, which sometimes have veins. The stamens have pink-purple stalks with dark purple anthers. Photo: Stephen Middleton
Mallow, Malva. This plant is one of the earliest cited in recorded literature. Horace mentions it in reference to his own simple diet: “Me pascunt olivae, me cichorea, me malvae” (“As for me, olives, endives, and mallows provide sustenance”). Lord Monboddo describes his translation of an ancient epigram that demonstrates malva was planted upon the graves of the ancients, stemming from […]
