Monday, May 22, 2023

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Family: Rosaceae

Common name: Hawthorn

Scientific name: Crataegus monogyna

Date taken: 20/5/2023

Notes: A thorny tree with distinctive leaves. Flowers with a single stigma.











Sunday, May 21, 2023

Common Twayblade (Listera ovata)

Family: Orchidaceae

Common name: Common Twayblade

Scientific name: Listera ovata

Date taken: 20/5/2023

Notes: With two leaves and yellow-green flowers.










Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Family: Fabaceae

Common name: Red Clover

Scientific name: Trifolium pratense

Date taken: 14/5/2023

Notes: Iconic plant in meadows and grasslands. Could be distinguished from the Zigzag Clover (T. medium) by its hairy calyx tubes and broad stipules.











Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia micrantha)

Family: Boraginaceae

Common name: Common Fiddleneck

Scientific name: Amsinckia micrantha

Date taken: 13/5/2023

Notes: Introduced species from the US occasionally found in sandy wastelands. Not easily confused with other borages, but one similar species, A. lycopsoides, was also reported from the UK. A. lycopsoides is supposedly larger and has scales on the corolla tube, but personally I haven't fully grasped the difference between the two species. 







Sunday, May 14, 2023

Winter-cress (Barbarea vulgaris)

Family: Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)

Common name: Winter-cress

Scientific name: Barbarea vulgaris

Date taken: 14/5/2023

Notes: Large (30-60 cm) crucifer with yellow flowers and elongated fruits. Leaves hairless and shiny. Flower buds also glabrous.






Saturday, May 13, 2023

Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)

Family: Fabaceae

Common name: Common Vetch

Scientific name: Vicia sativa

Date taken: 14/5/2023

Notes: Important features for identification include (1) leaves having 4-8 pairs of leaflets, (2) leaflets being pinnately veined, (3) terminal leaflets develop into tendrils, and (4) flower stalks short to absent. The species is similar to Bush Vetch (V. sepium), but has hairier leaves, lighter-coloured flowers, and calyx teeth that have similar lengths.

Ants guarding the plants were notably annoyed by my presence, but having kept my distance I left unscathed.









 


Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus)

Family: Ranunculaceae

Common name: Bulbous Buttercup

Scientific name: Ranunculus bulbosus

Date taken: 14/5/2023 and 29/3/2023

Notes: Very common on grassy meadows, painting the entire landscape golden yellow when flowering. It differs from other buttercups by having reflexed sepals and grooved flower stalks.