229/366 More peas please

16 Sunday Aug 2020

Posted by sconzani in nature, wildflowers

Tags

Black medick, British wildflowers, Common restharrow, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Ervilla hirsuta, Grangemoor Park, Hairy tare, Medicago lupulina, Ononis repens, Pea plant family

You’ll recall that a couple of weeks ago we had some members of the Pea family (A Pod of Peas, 26 July) – well, here are another three members of that extensive kin group.

Common restharrow (Ononis repens)
The name ‘restharrow’ comes from the fact that this wildflower’s thick long roots were ‘tough enough to stop a horse-drawn harrow in its tracks’ (Flora Britannica) and that esteemed publication also notes that those roots could be chewed, with a taste like liquorice. According to the Plantlife website, the plant’s shoots also had culinary uses: they could be boiled as a vegetable or eaten in salads.

200809 common restharrow (3)

Hairy tare (Ervilla hirsuta)
There’s an abundance of this little plant curling and winding itself through the rough grassland and wildflower fields at Grangemoor Park. As its flowers are rather small, it’s easy to miss how lovely they are but they’re definitely worth a closer look, anytime from May to August.

200816 hairy tare (3) 200816 hairy tare (4)

Black medick (Medicago lupulina)
This is a plant I often see along the edges of roads but it’s also particularly numerous in one of the wildflower fields at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. The First Nature website explains its scientific name thus:
‘The genus name Medicago refers to the region of Iran known as Media, where this plant was thought to have originated. The specific epithet lupulina means “wolf-like” – a reference to the flowers of the hop Humulus lupulus, which its inflorescence resembles.’

200816 black meddick (1)

222/366 Damp feet

09 Sunday Aug 2020

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, plants, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British wildflowers, Common restharrow, Marsh woundwort, Purple loosestrife, wildflower

It’s Sunday – I think we need some wildflowers, and this week we have three plants that are all partial to living with damp feet, all with flowers in the pink-purple colour range.

200809 marsh woundwort (3)

Marsh woundwort (Stachys palustris)
As its common name implies, this wildflower thrives in locations where its roots can keep damp: near lakes and rivers, ponds and bogs. Its scientific name also refers to this: palustris means ‘of swamps’, while Stachys means ‘spike of flowers’, which is exactly what this lovely wildflower exhibits. And, of course, all the ‘woundworts’ were used extensively by herbalists, in this case, as an ointment to aid aching joints and as a dressing to help heal cuts and other wounds.

200809 purple loosestrife

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Here’s another widespread plant of marshes and riversides, and that’s exactly where I found this example, alongside the River Ely in Cardiff. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any closer for better photos of the individual flowers. In Flora Britannica, Richard Mabey gives this explanation for this plant’s intriguing name: ‘“Loose-strife” is a literal translation of the Greek name for the plants, which in classical times was believed to be so powerful “that if placed on the yoke of inharmonious oxen, [it] will restrain their quarrelling”.’

200809 mint (4)

Water mint (Mentha aquatica)
And here’s another plant that prefers living with damp, not necessarily wet feet. Once again, this wildflower’s name tells the story: ‘Water’ and ‘aquatica’; and you only have to rub the leaves to release the delicious minty aroma, which is so refreshing. Insects love it too, as you can see from the hoverfly, butterfly and bee in the photos above.