Large-toothed Hawkweed

These difficult times continue to reap botanical rewards on my local patch, an area I had thought well botanised but which is still throwing regular surprises.

Today's treat on a post-work stroll down to St Aidan's Nature Park was Large-toothed Hawkweed (Hieracium prominentidens), a species I had found previously in nearby VC63. Happily, I now have it in my VC as well, and its a second county record. The only other record is from York.

A nice simple species to ID, given it obviously sits in Section Sabauda, has eglandular phyllaries and long (to 12mm in this case) teeth on the leaves.

Coatham Dunes (VC62)

A work trip gave me the opportunity to explore the large sand dune system at Coatham, part of Teesmouth & Cleveland Coast SSSI. It is a fascinating site where open mosaic habitats (developed over historic deposits of lime rich slag from the former steel works) and garden escapes blur into a full succession of dune habitats, from grey dunes on the landward side to a strandline community at the top of the beach.

Plants that caught my eye, and sometimes my nose, included:

The famed (see British and Irish Botany) plant of Hart's Pennyroyal (Mentha cervina) at the edge of a pond, one of just a handful of known locations in Britain. Unfortunately it was not in flower at the time of my visit.

The margins of the pond supported good numbers of Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa), always a nice plant to find. These plants were prostrate and therefore probably var. moniliformis. A trip later in the year would likely confirm, as the large buds forming now should start to drop off to give rise to new plants.

Within the pond was a large population of Horned-pondweed (Zannichellia palustris). These plants had fruit on obvious stalks (1.5mm long, clearly apparent with the naked eye) from a common peduncle and are therefore, based on Stace 4, subsp. pedicellatus.

Everywhere within the dunes and on the slag deposits was the dinky coastal form of Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum subsp. maritimum), always a treat to catch in full bloom.

Perhaps one of the most exciting specialities of this dune system is Purple Milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus), a species holding its own further north but increasingly rare and patchily distributed in England.

Equally exciting for me was this curiously short, multi-stemmed (branching from base) and broad-leaved centaury. This meets published descriptions for the very poorly recorded and known sand dune form of Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea var. fasciculare). Thanks to Tim Rich for confirming my identification from photos. See the BSBI Handbook and an earlier analysis of variation in Common Centaury in Watsonia for further information. The pale flesh-pink flowers may or may not be relevant, depending on what other recorder's find in the field.

Another nice coastal plant is the dwarf dune form of Lesser Meadow-rue (Thalictrum minus subsp. arenarium). Some would have you believe this isn't a genuine entity. Bluntly, I don't believe them. Having previously seen its enormous rhizome system exposed by the wind; this is clearly a dune specialist and an important sand binding species at that. It would be interesting to know what the genetic evidence says about the validity of this species.

My dabbling in hawkweeds continued with a chance to examine the known population of Uig Hawkweed (Hieracium uiginskyense), present in huge numbers in the dunes.

Several of the dune slacks were fragrant with the scent of carnations, traceable to plants of Marsh Fragrant-orchid (Gymnadenia densiflora). This species packs a real punch.

Equally fragrant and stunning was this escaped Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum var. periclymenum 'Serotina') at the roadside.

To end with another garden plant. I am going to stick my neck out and say this is the hybrid lilac (Syringa x hyacinthiflora), although I would have been happier if I saw it in flower.  Long cultivated, I suspect this hybrid is overlooked elsewhere. This bush was notable for its more shrubby form and stubby heart shaped leaves.

Townclose Hills SSSI (VC64)

Making the most of sunshine and a day off work I decided to walk over to Kippax and see what I could find at Townclose Hills SSSI, a fabulous remnant of unimproved limestone grassland affording great views over the lower Aire Valley. I wasn't quite sure what I would find, as the season seems to be whipping on at a rapid pace this year, with Butterfly-bush (Buddleja davidii) unbelievably in full bloom at the end of June. Thankfully, recent rain seems to have reinvigorated increasingly stressed flora, and grassland habitats at least are about where they should be for the time of year. Certainly, the grasslands of the SSSI were a carpet of flowers, with plenty to see. Highlights included:

Carpets of the native form of Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria subsp. vulneraria), strictly prostrate to prostrate-ascending on weak stems.

Masses of Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa var. scabiosa), an uncommon plant locally.

Good swathes of Yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor subsp. stenophyllus), a subspecies more typical of calcareous fens further south but less fussy in Yorkshire where the local climate is more accommodating.

Perforate St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum) which many will not consider that exciting, but I'm increasingly of the view that its not that common. I suspect it is widely over-recorded, especially in Yorkshire, for its hybrid Des Etang's St John's-wort (Hypericum x desetangsii). Recorder's shouldn't assume Perforate St John's-wort unless they have not checked the sepals carefully for the absence of teeth. By default it is therefore a plant that should only be named when in flower.

Plenty of Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata) just starting to come into bloom.

With time to indulge this spring, and with an exceptional new BSBI Handbook to accompany Vince Jones' regional monograph (criminally under-printed by the Yorkshire Naturalist's Union), I've been dipping my toe into hawkweeds. One of the commonest locally, and earliest flowering, is Southern Hawkeed (Hieracium argillaceum). There was plenty of this in the grassland on steep slopes.

Moving down slope to the wooded margins of the SSSI provided:

Orange Whitebeam (Sorbus croceocarpa)

The largely sterile hybrid between Dewberry (Rubus caesius) and Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) i.e. Rubus x pseudoidaeus.

And, surprisingly, a highly scented hybrid Mock-orange (Philadelphus Lemoinei Group).

Into the woodland proper was a welcome plant of Soft Shield-fern (Polystichum setiferum), an uncommon species in the lowlands to the east of Leeds but one which is increasingly being found in small numbers in woodland habitats.

Patch Update

I've previously extolled the virtues of patch botanising. Carbon neutral, never failing to deliver something new or interesting, as well as being a chance to reconnect with 'old friends'.

So walking distance from home this weekend ... Well the big news is that Grass-poly (Lythrum hyssopifolia) is back and in bloom at Skelton Lake.

Dipping my toe into hawkweeds thanks to Vince Jones' excellent book (sadly out of print again, time for a braver print run Yorkshire Naturalists' Union?), I am happy with these two from Skelton Lake. The first is Anglian Hawkweed (Hieracium anglorum), which I first found a couple of years ago and misnamed as festinum, but I came to the conclusion that if the stellate hairs on the phyllaries were that difficult to find and required a microscope they were probably not numerous and I should probably try a different route through the key. A handsome plant when well grown. I found this species again on waste ground in Woodlesford.

Much more delicate in comparison, Southern Hawkweed (Hieracium argillaceum).

We are blessed locally with lots of Sweet-briar (Rosa rubiginosa), which fills the air with scent on a warm day.

But this beauty in Rothwell Country Park must surely be a candidate for Glaucous Dog-rose x Sweet-briar (Rosa vosagiaca x rubiginosa). The same scent, but with acicles patchily distributed and note those folded leaflets with a glaucous underside and red petioles.

Up next, two handsome garden escapes at Newsam Green. Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum 'Laciniatum Group') and a semi-double form of Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium). Sell and Murrell published names for some of the variants of the latter species but unfortunately plants like this, while commonly encountered, fall through the gaps.

At this location and down by the canal in Woodlesford, I found these dinky little plants of Field Pansy (Viola arvensis var. derelicta). I'm giving the Sell and Murrell classification a fair go. Its tempting to suggest these are underfed plants, but it wasn't overly bothering the Garden Pansy and Heartsease cultivars nearby. This variety is notable for its very small flowers on near erect pedicels and single unbranched vertical stem, almost like a little soldier standing to attention.

Then some interesting trees near the canal in Woodlesford. First this stunning form of Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus f. erythrocarpum). Like its purple-leaved cousin the best forms always seem to be planted, but it does occur spontaneously as well. I'm not sure of the origin of this tree, but its looking good.

Then Green Alder (Alnus viridis), and self-sown Red Alder (Alnus rubra).

And then another alder, but which one? This is a shrubby species with small leaves that left me scratching my head. I eventually came down on the North American form of Grey Alder (Alnus incana subsp. rugosa) that looks nothing like the tree from this side of the 'pond'. It seems quite variable across its range, as indicated by the number of varieties in Sell and Murrell, but I found enough images online to provide confidence that my ID was likely to be correct (unless anyone knows better?).

Not a bad haul for the price of a bit of shoe leather. Lets end with the handsome bramble Rubus x pseudoidaeus which is frequent hereabouts but annoyingly not crossing the river into my VC!

Skelton Lake Part 2

I chose a much better day yesterday to revisit this site, focussing my attention on familiarising myself with the VC64 part. What a difference a week makes, the Wild Turnip was all over and run to seed.

Skelton Lake is a useful location in what is otherwise a very urban hectad, allowing me to try and boost the plant re-find total for the New Atlas. This square is right on my doorstep but is resolutely refusing to turn "green", meaning I have not re-found enough. Of course, in reality its more complex than that. There is no guarantee that the plants seen by previous botanists are still there to be re-found, particularly on the urban fringe of Leeds.

Nomenclature has also changed over time e.g. Arenaria serpyllifolia is now 2 species, one persons Arctium minus is now either sens. str. or pubens. The fun and games look set to continue with the most recent BSBI News highlighting a change in species concepts within the Dog-roses (Rosa canina), with three species now where there was once one highly variable species. A challenge to relish, but one that will render most historic records to an aggregate when once they were considered good species records. I was reminded of this as I was looking at Rosa canina group Dumales. This is now (or is again, those Victorian botanists knew there stuff) Glandular Dog-rose (Rosa squarrosa). A perfectly doable split but one that was too easy to ignore when it was considered a minor variant. Anyway, dog-roses aside, I did find much of interest and hopefully the hectad is getting closer to a robust re-survey.

A steep slope yielded an abundance of Silver Hair-grass (Aira caryophyllea). I didn't try to take a photo of this tiny wispy species, thinking I could rely on Wikimedia Commons. But it seems few people have managed to get a good photo of this species. See the link for some images.

I also thought I would give the Hawkweeds another go. Hats off to Vincent Jones and his Yorkshire Hawkweeds, they are doable if the experts translate their hard learnt knowledge into accessible field guides (see also the excellent BSBI Handbooks for the alpine species). There is only real progress when one generation makes its easier for the next to take things further forward. Sadly the book is out of print (again), time for a braver print run Yorkshire Naturalist's Union? Anyway this time it was a great new record for Hairy-leaved Hawkweed (Hieracium festinum), a species of scattered occurrence and rare in Yorkshire (image here, at least until mine is out of the press and can be photographed). It is very close to the common Southern Hawkweed (H. argillaceum), to which I originally mis-keyed until getting some leaves under the microscope. The long flowering branches are distinct and the miniscule stellate hairs on the underside of the upper leaves the clincher. The photo in Vince's book was a clear match for my plant, and this was part of the reason why I knew my original ID was wrong. One to look out for in post-industrial West Yorkshire, as it is likely to be more widespread. The key in Sell & Murrell does not work for this species.

Himalayan Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster simonsii) was widely naturalised along the woodland edge.

Red-leaved Rose (Rosa glauca - back to the old name again apparently!) was a surprise in an area of scrub where it appeared to have been bird-sown.

There was an array of blue, and indigo, and bicoloured Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) nearby, undoubtedly a garden escape at this location.

A large stand of the county rarity Field Pepperwort (Lepidium campestre) was next up, on a spoil mound by Pontefract Lane.

The established hedgerows were planted in the relatively recent past and include American Guelder-rose (Viburnum trilobum), note the long terminal leaf lobes of the leaves at the branch tips. The terminal lobe also has very large teeth.

An added benefit of the new access to Skelton Lake is that it now provides a nice circular route via Temple Newsam. So I headed there next.

The hedgerows here have a mass-planted deeply cut-leaved form of Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna f. schizophylla). This is quite common and seems to be propagated preferentially by some growers of "native" trees. I don't think this a discrete entity in the strict sense, it seems to cover a range of plants at the extreme end of the variation of the species. However it is worth being aware of, not least because it is often one of the parents of Crataegus x subsphaerica, and such forms can be readily identified even before they are in fruit.

A neglected corner near the House, yielded two interesting garden escapes. First up was a cultivar of Bistort (Persicaria bistorta 'Superba'), then four stunning plants of Bulley's Primrose (Primula bulleyana). The latter is not on the British list yet, although there is a record for Isle of Man (not part of the UK).

In the woods I found a single plant of Borrer's Scaly Male-fern (Dryopteris borreri), new to the hectad.