This April, London’s hillsides and green spaces are adorned with a stunning array of wildflowers, from the delicate forget-me-nots to the striking red campions. Did you know cow parsley was once called the Devil’s plant for its use in witches’ spells, or that butcher’s broom can live for over a thousand years? Join us on 21 April as we explore the vibrant wildflowers gracing the city’s hills and woodlands, uncovering their fascinating stories and beauty. Don’t miss this floral adventure!
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Wild Flowers
Cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris, the nightingale herb, is coming into flower and decorating the sides of many country roads. The nightingale connection is due to it flowering as nightingales arrive but it was also called the Devil’s plant. This was because cow parsley flowers were one of the most sought after ingredients in cauldrons when witches cast their spells. By the end of the month the first flowers of Solomon’s seal Polygonatum multiflorum may be seen in a few London woods but more commonly now in gardens.
Its English name derives from its tangled roots, which were thought to be reminiscent of the interlocking triangles of the Star of David which the sorcerer King Solomon used to ward off evil. Greater stitchwort Stellaria holostea is found in similar situations, but is far more common. Picking this plant was believed to induce thunder, followed by an April shower. Two other stitchworts coming into flower are lesser stitchwort S.graminea and marsh stitchwort S. palustris. The first is common in grassy areas and the second is much rarer although it can still be found in the Runnymede area.
It is a good time of year to get to know different chickweeds (Stellaria spp.), stitchworts (Stellaria spp.) Mouse-ears (Cerastium spp.) and Forget-me-nots (Myosotis spp.). Wood forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica, common forget-me-not M. arvensis and early forget-me-not M. ramosissima are all now starting to appear. The first two tend to occur in discrete patches in woods so there is no such thing as a forget-me-not wood as there is a bluebell wood. The latter tends to occur on old walls and chalk downland and especially near ant hills. If one is found that has yellow flowers which change to blue, this is likely to be the changing forget-me-not M. discolor. Other forget-me-nots in or near water tend to come out a little later e.g. water forget-me-not M. scorpioides, tufted forget-me-not M. caespitosa and creeping forget-me-not M. secunda although the latter is now a rarity.
In grassy places, the first vetches are also starting to appear e.g. bush vetch Vicia sepium and the diminutive hairy tare V. hirsuta. Both have different shades of purple pea-like flowers in small bunches. In gardens, particularly in the vicinity of lawns, black medick Medicago lupulina with its tiny bunches of yellow pea flowers is now joining the early speedwells. Also petty spurge Euphorbia peplus is being joined by the sun spurge E. helioscopia. The flowers of Oxford Ragwort Senicio squalidus are starting to be noticed more and these will keep appearing until the end of the year.
Although butcher’s broom has possibly been in flower since February it is worth looking again this month for its new growth alone. It is now producing sinister-looking deep purple shoots in among its dark green spiny stems. The peak time to see its bright red fruits was in December and January but now is a good time to see its unusual flowers set in the centre of what look like leaves but are in fact flattened stems. It is said butchers used bunches of the stems to scour their blocks, but this is often denied. Its so-called properties of keeping mice and insects away means it is more likely to have been used for that purpose. Its bright holly-like appearance meant it also got used in Christmas decorations. Some patches of the plant in ancient woods are believed to be over a thousand years old making it an important indicator of such habitats. It was recorded in Oxleas wood in the early eighteenth century by John Ray, one of the earliest parson-naturalists and can still be found there today.
Plants that might be a little harder to find this month include the dwarf mallow Malva neglecta, the 3-nerved sandwort Moehringia trinervia, corn salad Valerianella locusta and crosswort Cruciata laevipes. Another more unusual wild plant only to be encountered in gardens is Asarabacca Asarum europaeum with its secretive brown flowers. This can be seen in the garden of the South London Botanical Institute.
Pasque flowers (Pulsatilla spp.) are worth looking out for at Kew and Stars of Bethlehem Ornithogolum umbellatum and O. nutans in Nonsuch Park. Towards the end of the month Alexanders Smyrnium olustatrum start to be noticed more at the edges of roads along with patches of Honesty Lunaria annua and the first red campions Silene dioica.
