British Wild Flowers: A photographic guide to every common species

скачать книгу бесплатно


Creeping Yellow-cress

Creeping Yellow-cress Rorippa sylvestris

HEIGHT to 50cm

Sprawling annual of damp, bare ground, with solid, not hollow, stems. FLOWERS 5mm across with 4 yellow petals twice as long as sepals; in terminal heads (June–Oct). FRUITS Elliptical pods, 8–15mm long. LEAVES Pinnately lobed. STATUS Locally common in England and Wales; scarce elsewhere.

Great Yellow-cress

Great Yellow-cress

Great Yellow-cress Rorippa amphibia

HEIGHT to 1.2m

Robust, hairless perennial with stout, hollow stems. Favours damp ground and the margins of freshwater habitats. FLOWERS 5–7mm across with 4 yellow petals twice as long as sepals; in terminal heads (June–Sep). FRUITS Elliptical pods, 3–6mm long. LEAVES Shallowly lobed. STATUS Locally common in south but absent from north.

Water-cress

Water-cress Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticumHEIGHT to 15cm

Usually creeping perennial of shallow streams and ditches. FLOWERS 4–6mm across with 4 white petals; in terminal heads (May–Oct). FRUITS Narrow pods, 16–18mm long, containing 2 rows of seeds. LEAVES Dark green and pinnately divided; persisting through winter. STATUS Widespread and common; widely cultivated in S England.

Hairy Bitter-cress

Hairy Bitter-cress

Hairy Bitter-cress Cardamine hirsutaHEIGHT to 30cm

Upright annual with hairless stems. Found on damp, disturbed ground. FLOWERS 2–3mm across (petals sometimes absent) and terminal (Feb–Nov). FRUITS Curved, up to 2.5cm long, overtopping flowers. LEAVES Pinnately divided with rounded lobes; seen mainly as a basal rosette plus 1–4 stem leaves. STATUS Widespread and common.

Wavy Bitter-cress

Wavy Bitter-cress

Wavy Bitter-cress Cardamine flexuosaHEIGHT to 50cm

Similar to Hairy Bitter-cress but taller and with wavy, hairy stems. Favours damp and disturbed ground. FLOWERS 3–4mm across with 4 white petals (Mar–Sep). FRUITS Curved, barely overtopping flowers. LEAVES Pinnately divided with rounded lobes; seen as a basal rosette plus 4–10 stem leaves. STATUS Widespread and common.

Bush, Robin

Large Bitter-cress

Large Bitter-cress Cardamine amara

HEIGHT to 60cm

Upright perennial found in damp, shady places in woods and marshes. FLOWERS 12mm across with 4 white petals and violet anthers (Apr–June). FRUITS Slender, beaked pods, up to 4cm long. LEAVES Pinnately divided, with slightly toothed oval lobes. STATUS Wide spread but local; scarce in, or absent from, W England and S Ireland.

Cuckooflower

Cuckooflower

Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensisHEIGHT to 50cm

Variable perennial of damp, grassy places. Also known as Lady’s-smock. FLOWERS 12–20mm across with 4 pale lilac or white flowers (Apr– June). FRUITS Elongated, beaked. LEAVES Seen mainly in a basal rosette of pinnately divided leaves with rounded lobes; narrow stem leaves also present. STATUS Widespread and locally common.

Cleave, Andrew

Coralroot

Coralroot Cardamine bulbifera

HEIGHT to 70cm

Perennial of undisturbed woodland on calcareous or sandy soils. FLOWERS 12–18mm across with 4 pink petals; in terminal heads (Apr–May). FRUITS Narrow, 3.5cm long. LEAVES Pinnately divided (upper ones less so) with 1–3 pairs of leaflets; borne up stem with brown bulbils in axils. STATUS Scarce and local; SE England only.

Northern Rock-cress

Northern Rock-cress Arabis petraea

HEIGHT to 30cm

Variable perennial of rocky places in mountains. FLOWERS 5–7mm across with 4 whitish or lilac petals (June–Aug). FRUITS Curved, 4cm long. LEAVES Basal rosette of pinnately lobed, stalked leaves plus narrow, toothed stem leaves. STATUS Local. Tower MustardA. glabra is tall (to 1m); greyish, arrow-shaped, clasping leaves and tiny pale flowers. Scarce on dry ground in south.

Hairy Rock-cress

Hairy Rock-cress Arabis hirsutaHEIGHT to 60cm

Variable, hairy biennial found in calcareous grassland. FLOWERS 3–5mm across with 4 white petals; in dense, terminal heads (May–Aug). FRUITS Cylindrical, upright pods 3.5cm long. LEAVES Barely toothed, oval; basal ones in a rosette, stem leaves clasping. STATUS Widespread but only locally common.

Bush, Robin

Hutchinsia

Hutchinsia Hornungia petraea

HEIGHT to 15cm

Delicate, usually branching annual of limestone and sandy soils. FLOWERS 1mm across with 4 whitish petals (Mar–May). FRUITS Flattened, elliptical pods. LEAVES Pinnately divided; basal ones stalked and forming a rosette; stems leaves unstalked. STATUS Local and scarce in the west, mainly Mendips and Gower to N Yorkshire.