Recently a few On the Verge volunteers went to check out the flowers appearing in the wild fringes of Crouch Gardens.

It wasn’t great timing as the mowers had already been round, and all the meadows had been beheaded! Luckily Brian often walks his dog round there and had already managed to compile a list of what was flowering in September, and could still point out a few. We compared this list to the sighting list for last year and were delighted to find the list increased to 69 species: crouch list Oct23, partly because you get different species flowering at different times of year. Species also vary quite a lot depending on weather conditions, but the most important factor is having someone walking regularly and keeping an interested eye out!

Some of the most interesting species earlier in the year included “Abraham Isaac and Jacob”, and “Dame’s violet”. There were some lovely garden escapees in evidence too including autumn flowering asters and  others tumbling over garden fences such as these grapes and honeysuckle!

We always learn something, and this time I learnt how to differentiate fiddle dock. These unobtrusive leaves, growing by the football club, really do look fiddle shaped! 

Brian also showed us how to spot the difference between two large bindweeds. I spend quite a lot of time trying to pull bindweed out of my garden where it can be a real thug, but next time will be giving it a closer look! Hedge bindweed displays large, white flowers that look like the end of a trumpet. Its large leaves are arrow-shaped with long stalks. Its climbing nature and larger flowers can help to distinguish it from field bindweed. Large bindweed is not quite as common, but is very similar. See below on how to distinguish the two!   

Not everyone is interested in plants but why do they matter? Plants are key to biodiversity as they give shelter and food to insects, which are vital for pollination, and to feed other species including birds and mammals! One of the plants we spotted, (Lords and Ladies), was mentioned by the botanist Leif Bersweden at his talk in Seaford this year. The plant has the ability to heat itself up, far above the ambient temperature, possibly to evaporate smelly compounds to attract flies! Extraordinary!

On this warm Sunday morning, it was fantastic to walk along the northern hedge and find the ivy flowering there, absolutely teeming with bees and red admiral butterflies. A garden spider also hopped on a hand while the owner was crouching to examine a plant, and was rather reluctant to leave!

If you have a green space near you, or even just a verge, we would love to know what plants and creatures you have spotted there! You can contact us via the website here.. or by email here

Judy(On the Verge)

email: ontheverge@renaturingseaford.org

Calystegia bindweeds

The feature of this genus is the “epicalyx” of two large bracteoles that envelop the calyx of sepals. Convolvulus bindweed does not have these. These give the genus its Latin name. 

 στεγη (stege) is Greek for cover or flaps  so Calystegia = calyx with covering flaps  (like the back of a stegosaurus).

Interestingly Linnaeus classed all the bindweeds as Convolvulus and the different generic name Calystegia was applied later by the botanist Robert Brown (1773-1858) (see Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) – Wikipedia for details of his very interesting career). He is the Brown of “Brownian movement”

The three main species are C sepium , C.solandella   (both native) and C sylvatica (long established introduction from Southern Europe).  C solandella (sea bindweed) grows mainly on sand dunes all around the coast (and occasionally on shingle)

C sepium (Hedge bindweed)  tall climbing to 3m or more. Flowers are occasionally pink. 

The epicalyx bracteoles are longer than the calyx sepals and envelop them but DO NOT OVERLAP EACH OTHER (or do so only minimally).  

They measure 10-18mm wide when flattened out.

C silvatica (Large bindweed)  looks pretty much identical but the epicalyx bracteoles bulge outwards, (inflated) and overlap each other. 

These bracteoles measure 18-45mm wide when flattened out 

(I find the most difficult thing about this plant is NOT to spell it sylvatica).

There is a fertile hybrid between these two C x lucana. It is especially found in Greater London. Its colour depends on that of the C sepium parent because sylvatica is almost always white. Epicalyx is intermediate between the “parents”.

Key

1. Leaves kidney shaped. Stems not climbing ……………….C solandella

1. OR Leaves triangular/arrow head shape and stems usually

strongly climbing 2

1. Bracteoles 10-18mm wide and not or minimally overlapping

Not or little obscuring the true sepals in side view

Ratio of midrib-midrib to edge-edge distance 0.4-1.1 ……. C sepium

    2   OR  Bracteoles 18-45mm wide and strongly overlapping at 

          edges completely or nearly obscuring the view of the 

          sepals from the side

Ratio of midrib-midrib to edge-edge distance 1.1-2.2

Corolla white with flower stalk glabrous and unwinged …….. C silvatica

If the corolla is pink, or pink and white striped, the flower stalks are sparsely but definitely hairy, and there is a narrow wing on the flower stalk near the apex then this is C pulchra (hairy bindweed). This is a neophyte now naturalised in hedges on rough and waste ground.  Its origin is uncertain. It is usually sterile.

Brian

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