Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland

480 Pages·2013·212.56 MB·English

by  Marjorie Blamey

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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

‘we Recon COVERED neues all tan rom the Shetlands tothe fees
of Sey, and al land

{TE PLANTS are prnpaly ranged in cent oder of famies, but
for convenience most aquatic plants are Veated togeter on pages
‘34487; troos and leiger shrubs on 388-40; species of West
Cormwal andthe isles of Scilly on 4569, and of reland on 460-2.
Pants recently extinct the region (But wich might come back re
ona

‘we Panes Musa in colour each plan's ower or other notable
‘aspects, wit imporant detais of fut, leat ec. The flowers are
(oneralyHesize ora other scales as indeated where help

‘DESCRIPTIONS have important aspects nae. Common species
ina group ao genoraly Weald belo the les common, andy
Indeated by one to tee asterisk, as explained on p12 Many loss
widespread plas are subornatod of “sunk under more common
nes, er capton numbers mode by a oter and thar txts Qiang
the ways in which they cfr fom the man spaces.
“THE MAPS Show main tbuton area ina darker and subsiary areas
in paler green. reland, Scoland oF souhern England are ome’
‘hen the plant isnot found thee. Small ed rows inate areas
(Usvaty ceasa too smal to be easy visti. Unmapped plants ere
‘seen nthe tx as ether wcespread and abundant ores casuals
Below the maps presence on sands not shown scatod by
'5 (Sc), 0 (Orkney) 2(Sheland ts ler nae is Zan),

‘POPULATION Desi are shown by he symbols:

1 o7nan-custng ater ant —brambies, back, ngng nti

umorous tut nat dominant - daisies coremen bute

© Scattered, notin owds = many chi.
‘Any ncabl increase or decrease in our region by single (moderate) oF
‘ouble (rama) upward or dowrmars-poming serve, TT ot
lpeimmcamion Use the paintings, text and maps together. Group
Irreductons should alg be els in mind 88 appvng Yo a specs
‘tan Furter ade incude:

‘coy 19 of complex ups, wih numbered an coloured heacings

{ath in he it surmariae andi the fotowing ens. A ceed Back

toe (reales he ond a a keyed o lle ston

‘Summary boxes show how relied plants ether share or ter in

conan characenstes
There is a concise introduction, an Musvated

slossary on
182%, nots on further sty, and indexes Of sent and Engh

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Wild
Flowers

of Britain and Ireland

{Jo olmlin}o)-)

GUIDES

Wild
Flowers

of Britain and Ireland

Marjorie Blamey, Richard Fitter
& Alastair Fitter
Fs foe pubis 2003 by
‘AC Black Plier Li

‘Second etion plished in 2013
by Bloomsbury Publishing
‘Bedford Square
don WCIB SDP

sw bombo com

ISBN 978.1-480.79505
cP clog eo for hs ok va fom he Bish Liter

Ala Fite pty shows np with caograpy fom
avd rand Rober Pee

inthe ex and map, Alas, 2013
(iat paling Mate Bay ad Doon Books Lt, 213,

A Dain book Alsip ese No par of hi pbicaton maybe
epoca tame ay frm oy ny a
‘tbo emis from Dome Boos Le
i2 The aaa, St Hebe) J PH, Chanel nds

‘rtd and bound Chna by Topas Leng
CONTENTS

Introduction 9
Further reading 6
Glossary 8
‘THE WILD FLOWERS n
Aquatic Plants with al leaves submerged ae
“Trees and all Shrubs ase
Grasses, Sedges and Rushes wa
Fems, Horsetais and Clubmosses 40

‘Specialties ofthe Isles of Scilly and West Cornwall 486

Irish specialities 460
Extinct British and Irish Plants 463
Index of Scientific Names 465

Index of English Names a
ATLANTIC

Ils igh he rocks Sometimes
‘verdad pes, and thse sls ar only Youd wher the racks
{sop though he et
INTRODUCTION

‘This is a mapped an illasrated guide to al he wil ower that the reader is
Ikely wo find groming wid England, Sotnd, Wales and Weld I inlodes
llspecies that gow here natal and also many that have ben introduced by
‘humans, whether as garden plants or acientally as weeds of faring It does
‘ot nla plats that ar ly ever Sen plated or Which occur bey after
they are discarded o accidently sown.

“Tne aren covered is that beeen the Shetlands andthe Sil Ins, casing
‘he sleof Man. The Channel ses, however, ae botanical French pa ofthe
European Continent. The ange of habia represented by our are is immense:
‘thetops ofthe highest Seotish mountains ae tue tnd and have some plants
‘lkewhere found nly inthe Artic othe As On the western rings oui
lands, especialy the out, bere are plas whose main home s Spin and
orig In contrast ast Anglia asa climate more ik that of central Earope
"ot nd dyin summer, olin winter ~ and it as plants haces that
fat ofthe coninent. The botanist at arge i Bria, therefore bas an excing
iver of plans and habitats to explore.

Arrangement The plats are arangedin systematic order electing tc ev0-
Ion, except tat we have put groups sch as waterwens tees and gases
separately the hack focase of reference Plans ea ithe book tendo have
‘open saucershaped lowers with many pars (pets, anthers et) Later on
‘ome plans with more distinctively-shaped flowers, often twolipped, or wth
‘sal flowers gathered into heads. Geng to know the pater and sequence of
fais peal begs in ocating anew species.

‘Coverage. As wel alte plants with obvious and conspicuous Rowers, sme
ups of plants supeicaly look asi the hae no flowers usualy because
‘hey are plist by wind rater than insects and 0 have no ned or hie
Mowers wo be conspicuous. Tes include grasses, edges and rss and many
‘ues and tals, including confer (se below) which have cones aber
‘than Rowers. We lo cover hse tat genuinely have no owes ~fems and
Ihrsctals which, though ot lowering plans tal ae conspicuous, teil
sd iiguing when encountered —a they ar in many abit.
‘lowering plans. Mos ofthe plans inthis pide ate Sed Plants or spemato
yes: the majority of hem ae true Flowering Plans or Angiosperms, bat 1S
species are Conifers or Gymnosperms al eso shuts, eal allevegreen,
ith narrow, usually eet leaves, and most prodicing thei sed in
cones. The re Powering Pants comprise Dictyledons, with two see eaves
(colons), broad, ne-veined leaves and petals and Spal sully in fours
tnd fives: and Monocotyedons with on sed ea, unstated, paral ies
and prallc-veined leaves, and 3 or 6 pt eps

‘The conspicuous plan of fems, rst and ther alles ar called sporo=
yes because they proces spores, in iny pouches o trpes under their
leaves orin spikes. The pees germinate an row int tiny bt inc plan,
called he gametophye, which then itself reproduces 1 for the sprophyte
gin, Sed plants lo have thes wo generations, ut their eamctopate rows
inside the sporophyte and 0 does not eit ea separate plant. The only plants
‘we have lf oat of tbe bok aogtier ae moses and verso.

English names are fom he is approved by the Botanical Society ofthe Bait
ish sles na few cases we have simplified those or used inigenos names for
lroduced plants (eg. the Maod mues of some intrdced New Zealand
stra) Forslenlifie names we av allowed Clive Stace’ athortaive New
Flora ofthe Bish les, hed Eton, 2010

“The systematic orders hirrchicl: within the major group angospems,
ymnospers, fer) ae groups ale familes, which in tum are composed of
senera plural of genus), and genera of species, Alte gener in fay share
the diagnostic ears ofthe family anal he species ingens share its ey
‘charac Each pecisis described by twonames fir the genus wth cept
ina, then he species, with smal nia, and both in tie type. Hence the
‘Common o Mesiow Butecup is Rameau acs

‘This system, devised the great Swedish tural Linnaes 250 yeas ago,
ed italy forall organi, and bd probleme of ommniaton ae
ells the isyncasies of English names. The Bure Sula (p. 18, oe
example, i eter «bare p13) nor 8 saiage (p. 116-20)! The fy
ames (which ae not itabise) lle in-aceae, and usualy Sat wih he are
‘of some typical gen: soe bute any te Rananclacae Deca be
‘ercups a Rannculs. There caters within species (bspeces and var-
ie) we ave only we hee where there ae very obviows difleenes within &
species

Group ntrodctons,Inrodtion inthe texto families and ter groupings
‘of plans summarize the range of plants within each and characteristics they
‘share or in which they may fer. This both saves the ned for mach repetion
in the species descriptions and is imporaot when learing to recognize at