Unusual Creeping Buttercup

A little while ago Mark Spencer (VCR for London) put a note in the BSBI England Newsletter asking recorders to keep their eyes open for a very robust (the leaves are up to hand-sized) glabrous form of Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) with an association with tidal watercourses. It needs more research, but Mark advises that it is currently being recorded as var. glabratus.

Luckily I had read the Newsletter prior to a trip to Keadby, North Lincolnshire (VC54). So when I was on the banks of the River Trent in just the right habitat and found just such a plant my brain went 'ping'. A few photos (see below) via email to Mark and the ID was confirmed.

I'm sure Mark would welcome a few more records, as well as observations on how well it flowers and sets seed (early impressions are it is not very good at doing either). There is an awful lot of suitable habitat between Keadby and Mark's records along the tidal River Thames, so it might prove widespread.

Buttercups and Hawthorn

After a long break, I'm well overdue picking up this blog again. 'Lockdown' has provided an opportunity over recent weeks to explore familiar sites and routes in closer detail, and I have been pleased to find plants not noticed before. Some plants have probably only been missed in previous years because the last time I walked that way they were obscured by other vegetation. The positive of lockdown botanising is that you walk the same routes over and over again as the season changes.

I have collected more photos along the way than I've yet found the energy to turn into blogs. So to get me started again, I am going to try and post regular snippets rather than try to be more ambitious.

First up are two attractive forms of native plants found yesterday. One is a truly wild, while the other will be of planted origin.

The former is this stunning form of Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) found in a pasture near Scholey Hill (VC63). Three plants mixed with others of typical flower colour. This seems comparable with (but isn't) the cultivar known as 'F.M. Burton.'

Next up at Oulton (VC63) was this hawthorn (Crataegus x media 'Punicea') in a hedgerow between two arable fields. It is supposedly a form of this native hybrid (its nothing like Midland Hawthorn C. laevigata, despite some references stating this) but if so its seems to be much closer to Common Hawthorn (C. monogyna). I did find one photo online that suggests that it might occasionally produce two styles rather than the usual one, but as per Stace this is not 100% reliable for the hybrid. I also note that Sell & Murrell list it under Common Hawthorn, so it seems the species affinities are yet to be adequately resolved.

Small-flowered Buttercup New to VC64

This had to be the highlight of last weekend. Nothing better than walking my well trodden route from Woodlesford to Temple Newsam and back only to spot something completely unexpected. Surprisingly, this is the first record of Small-flowered Buttercup (Ranunculus parviflorus) for VC64, even acknowledging this is mainly a southern species. Even more surprising, based on the BSBI database (a great resource if you want a species list or distribution map), this seems to be just the second record for the whole of the historic West Riding (a vast chunk of Yorkshire) and the first since at least 1870.

Goldilocks

Passing through Methley churchyard (VC63) yesterday a blaze of gold caught my eye. Most of it was attributable to Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna), an impressive swathe nonetheless. But on closer inspection another plant came into focus and I realised there was also a fairly large stand of Goldilocks (Ranunculus auricomus) mixed in.

This seems to be a fairly uncommon plant locally, with this being a new hectad. This was a particularly fine form with large fully formed flowers, unlikely the form in VC31 where there are normally petals missing from newly opened flowers. This species is one of the last apomictic species groups in the British flora to be investigated critically, and at present it is very poorly known with no available reference to help untangle the diversity.

Flamborough Head (VC61)

Yet again I have escaped my VC for a long overdue trip to the seaside and it turned out to be a great day with brilliant sunshine and much of interest.

North Landing, Flamborough Head

Stottle Bank Nook, Flamborough Head

All along the cliff tops were the mats of the coastal form of Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum subsp. maritimum). Distinctive with its short height, contracted internodes and condensed panicle. The flowers are also a different shade of yellow to those of the common inland subspecies (subsp. verum), more straw yellow than buttercup yellow.

In rough grass and brambles at North Landing was this garden escape - Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus).

Another daisy, this time the native Sea Mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum subsp. maritimum), was abundant on cliff edges and faces, as well as down by the beach at North Landing. 

Where arable farmland abuts the cliffs of Cradle Head there was a new plant for me - Hairy Buttercup (Ranunculus sardous) in its hundreds.

Even the thistles proved interesting with two distinct dwarf forms of coastal habitats. Its hard to judge if they are environmentally induced or if they are genetically distinct, but they were very uniform along kilometres of cliff edge. Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense var. maritimum) has single stems to knee height, highly convoluted leaves, and very a condensed inflorescence. While Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare var. litorale), second photo with the coastal glaucous form of Red Fescue (Festuca rubra subsp. juncea) was even smaller (see the Ribwort Plantain for scale) with a dense unbranched inflorescence.

Finally, lets end with a complete freak. This plant of Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris radicata subsp. radicata) had all the ligulate flowers replaced with elongated tubular flowers, giving it a very striking look.